Job Shadowing HE

Krissi Sanft: Together We Can Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes

Krissi Sanft is Managing Director of Portare Solutions, a boutique consultancy firm focused on change and transformation. Portare Solutions has a strategic partnership with Ellucian to accelerate, support and enhance the transformation to Software as a Service (SaaS) student information systems for HEIs. In this episode, Krissi provides an overview of her career path and the work of Portare Solutions, reflects upon the similarities and differences in managing change in HE compared with other sectors, discusses how to keep people front and centre within the transformation process and what steps can be taken to mitigate some of the challenges that accompany change.
 
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Greg Sheridan: Responding to a Cyber Attack

Greg Sheridan is Senior Registry Digital Manager at the University of the West of Scotland. In this episode, Greg shares his experience of the cyber attack on his institution in July 2023. He explores both the rapid and longer-term change that he needed to progress to build back better the student record system, and how that process was as much about people, mindsets and decision-making, as it was about the system.
 
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Louise Savage: The School Perspective on University Change

Louise Savage is Head of School Operations in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. In this episode, Louise talks about her experience of engaging with change from a school perspective including in her roles as both a stakeholder and a leader. She explores navigating that often delicate balance of local and institutional needs, discusses how effective consultation, engagement and networks can create better outcomes and delves into why retaining the art of conversation is so important.
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Helen Langley: The Pivotal Role of the Project Manager

Helen Langley is Project Manager in the Change Support Unit at City, University of London. In this episode, Helen provides an overview of the projects she has and is managing at City to enhance the student experience. She also shares more about how she got into project management, offers insight into the project framework used by City and reflects upon the downs and ups of being a project manager in a fast-paced and changing environment. 
 
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Ben Rogers: Making a Difference for Tomorrow's People

Ben Rogers is Director of Registry Services at Cardiff Metropolitan University and is also Chair of the UK's Academic Registrars Council. In this episode, Ben talks about being the co-sponsor of an institution-wide change project at Cardiff Met to review student journey processes from enrolment through to graduation and the implementation of a new student records system. He shares background to the project, its costs and benefits and the approach to getting buy-in. He also delves into supporting colleagues through change, including his approach to communication and engagement as well as supporting himself through the more challenging moments of change. 
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Professor Mairi Watson: Readiness for Change

Professor Mairi Watson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire, prior to which she was Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience. In this episode, Mairi offers a senior leadership perspective of leading change, the importance of ambition, the scope for taking risks and being brave, and why supporting colleagues' readiness for change is such a vital part of leading change well. 
This podcast mini-series is kindly sponsored by Ellucian. Ellucian combines higher education expertise, focused innovation and deep partnership to help institutions navigate transformation. Unlock success with the complete, integrated Ellucian SaaSPlatform connecting people, processes and applications across your institution.

Yemi Gbajobi: Changing Lives

Yemi Gbajobi is the Chief Executive Officer of Arts Students' Union at the University of the Arts London. In this episode, Yemi talks about her role and career path, discusses the pushes and pulls of the relationship between students' unions and universities, shares how she navigates the intersectionality of being a younger, Black, female leader in Higher Education, reflects upon how she learns from working with other organisations, and considers how to plan for students of the future. 
 
This episode is kindly sponsored by Blackbullion, the platform for students to learn about money and apply for more money in the UK’s largest hub of student support funds, scholarships and grants, with an app to help them manage their money with confidence. The platform also houses the UK’s leading end-to-end funding solution for staff to manage university funds and make instant payments to students.
 
 

Rachel Reeds: Thriving in HE Professional Services

Rachel Reeds is Senior Admissions Manager at Anglia Ruskin University. In this episode, Rachel talks about about the twists and turns of her career path, discusses the lynchpin role admissions professionals play in supporting students' HE journeys, shares her views on authentic leadership and provides insight into what she's gained from studying on the PG Certificate in HE Administration Management and Leadership run by AHEP.
Rachel also tells more about the book that she has written to support HE professionals, due to be published in the coming months. 
 
This episode is kindly sponsored by Blackbullion, the platform for students to learn about money and apply for more money in the UK’s largest hub of student support funds, scholarships and grants, with an app to help them manage their money with confidence. The platform also houses the UK’s leading end-to-end funding solution for staff to manage university funds and make instant payments to students.
 
 

Kerry Matthews: Never Forget... Why You Do The Job You Do

Kerry Matthews is Chief Student Officer at the University of Surrey, and holds strategic leadership responsibility for the seamless student journey.  In this episode, Kerry shares insight into her role and career path to date, talks about her approach to leading cultural aspects of change, delves into what it's like to be a member of a University Executive Board and reflects upon why it's important to never forget why you do the job you do. 

John Schless: It's all about the Student Experience

John Schless is Head of Student Experience at the Royal College of Art. 
 
In this episode, John shares his leadership experience at the Royal College of Art as well as the transition to his current post from previously being Chief Executive of the Students' Union at the University of Greenwich. With the benefit of leading the student experience from 'both sides', and having perspectives from a large post-92 Students' Union, a world-leading postgraduate specialist medium-sized institution as well as an earlier career background in fundraising, John explores leading through change, the importance of influence and his ultimate motivation in making a difference to people's lives. 

Rebecca O'Hare: Student Accommodation - it's not just a room

Rebecca O'Hare is Deputy Director of Residential Services at the University of Leeds. In this episode, Rebecca shares more about how student accommodation is a central part of the student experience, talks about her career path in different types of student accommodation jobs and highlights the role she took in response to the national Living Black at University report, commissioned by Unite Students and carried out by Halpin Partnership. Rebecca also discusses how her background in fine art influences her approach at work, and how social media has supported her professional presence and development. 
This episode is kindly sponsored by JSS Search, a boutique recruitment agency prioritising and cultivating long-term relationships grounded in sector understanding and a diversity of needs. Their Higher Education team, comprising expert consultants in professional services areas such as student operations, change and transformation, finance, procurement, and HR, is committed to providing UK-wide support. This includes executive search, contingent recruitment or interim solutions. JSS actively supports sector development through networking events and webinars. Emphasising EDI and Social Mobility, they extend their impact beyond recruitment, making a positive contribution to the Higher Education community.

Ashleigh Hope & James Rew: Accessing Our Conservatoires

Ashleigh Hope is Head of Access and Participation at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and James Rew is Access and Participation Manager at Leeds Conservatoire. 
 
In this episode, Ashleigh and James discuss the HE conservatoire setting, the benefits of working in a small specialist institution and how they have each developed their access and participation career paths to date. They also look at the backdrop of leading access and participation work in conservatoires when there is significant declining opportunity for young people to access early performing arts experiences in parts of the primary and secondary state education sector.