Head of Corporate Affairs at SLC

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Welcome

Thank you for your interest in this new and exciting opportunity within Student Loans Company (SLC).

Under our new Chief Executive, Paula Sussex, we have the strategic vision to deliver outstanding digital products and services to SLC’s customers and stakeholders and aim to respond effectively, quickly and flexibly to the demands of ministers and policymakers at the Department for Education and the devolved administrations. That said, we acknowledge SLC will face a number of challenges in the year ahead; associated with the number of customers set to further increase, alongside their growing expectation for an efficient modern digital service.

Student finance is and will continue to be a topic of interest across the UK, yet the SLC has struggled to convey the good news story of what we do. Last year alone SLC processed 1.8 million applications, made over 7 million payments, handled nearly 6 million telephone calls and managed over 8 million customers. Reflecting this, and in line with the Chief Executive and Board’s desire to adopt a more proactive approach to external communications, we are now looking to recruit into the newly created role of Head of Corporate Affairs.

The Head of Corporate Affairs will be focused on creating and communicating a favourable public image for SLC, building and maintaining effective relationships with a range of diverse external stakeholders and ensuring focus remains on improving communications standards across the organisation.

A key appointment within SLC’s senior management structure and supporting the wider transformation programme, the Head of Corporate Affairs will also lead our existing internal communications function responsible for communicating SLC’s key business messages to its 3,300 staff across five sites.

Whilst this role will be both demanding and challenging, I firmly believe it will also be hugely rewarding and interesting. As our new Head of Corporate Affairs, you will be presented with the rare opportunity to make a real difference both internally to our organisation and, importantly, in building a greater understanding of and support for our strategic objectives amongst our key stakeholder groups.

If you are excited by the opportunity to help change the overall perception of SLC, sharing our story and unique capability of the business across the UK and will bring high levels of energy, drive and enthusiasm we would love to receive an application from you!

David Wallace, Deputy Chief Executive

Student Loans Company (SLC) is a non-profit making organisation established in 1989 to provide loans and grants to students in Universities and colleges in the UK.

Owned by the UK Government Department for Education and thedevolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the SLC’s purpose is to enable customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and repayment services.

The growth of the SLC can be mapped by the volume of new responsibilities handed to it by the governments of the day. Starting off as a source of mortgage-style maintenance loans in 1990, income-contingent loans were added from 1998 and fee loans in 2003, with further changes made following Lord Brown’s review of England’s higher education system in 2012.

Last year the SLC processed 1.8 million applications, made over 7 million payments (totaling £18.2 billion), handled nearly 6 million telephone calls, managed over 8 million customers and a loan book totaling £117.8 billion – dwarfing the same statistics from as little as five years ago. This rapid growth is set to continue over the next three years.

Operating in a complex macro environment with constant change across the political, economic, social technology and legal dimensions, SLC’s key business focuses and priorities for 2019 include:

  • Deliveryof existing products throughout each academic year, securely, effectively, sustainably and efficiently
  • Implementing new policy in a timely manner, balancing lowest practicable cost against quality, primarily through reusable modular products
  • Delivering an outstanding digital customer experience and reducingavoidable contact
  • Ensuring SLC as an organisation has a highly productive, skilled, engaged and properly rewarded workforce
  • Increasing repayments and safeguarding the proper administration of the loan book

Further details can be found by visiting https://www.slc.co.uk/

Click here to download Corporate and Business Plan 2018/19 – 2020/21

The role holder will be responsible for creating and communicating a favourable public image for SLC through communications campaigns that reach students and sponsors, Higher Education Institutions, employees, media, sector commentators, government agencies and other stakeholders.

They will also be responsible for building and maintaining effective relationships between SLC and external stakeholders, including the media, Government and the Devolved Administrations; as well as leading SLC’s internal communications, responsible for communicating SLC’s key business messages to its 3,300 staff across five sites.

Ensuring a two-way flow of information and feedback between SLC’s executive leadership team, senior managers and staff, the new Head of Corporate Affairs will work closely with HR and Operational Excellence colleagues to ensure SLC’s internal communications contribute to improved employee engagement and continued focus remains on improving communications standards across the organisation.

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Interested candidates should provide a tailored CV and covering letter to Douglas Adam at [email protected]

Should you have questions prior to submitting an application please contact Douglas Adam, Head of Public and Not for Profit Practice, at Livingston James on 0131 220 2209.

The recruitment of this position is managed by Livingston James