Job Description

Role: Student Recruitment Assistant

Grade: Grade 3

Appointment: Full-time, Open-ended

Department: MRAC Directorate

Location: Dubai Campus

About our School/Directorate/Team:

The Marketing, Recruitment, Admissions and Communications group is at the heart of attracting, engaging and delivering exceptional student and stakeholder experiences. The Admissions Office handles over 20,000 applications to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at our Scottish campuses each year as well as offering support and advice to admissions colleagues at our Dubai and Malaysia campuses. Our aim is to ensure that all applicants receive a high-quality service that is timely and fair, and we strive to put the applicant at the heart of everything we do.

Purpose of Role:

Heriot-Watt is entering an exciting phase in terms of development of its professional services. We have centralised and re-aligned our recruitment and Admissions Teams in Edinburgh and are embarking on a journey to develop a new structure for our Dubai Campus and recruitment hub.


Reporting to the International Student Recruitment Manager, the successful candidate will take the responsibility for coordinating and delivering a range of activities that enable Heriot Watt Dubai to achieve its ambitious student recruitment and admissions targets for both UG, PG and research degrees. International Student Recruitment Assistants are responsible for delivering customer facing events, both on and off campus, delivering customer service activities for all prospective students, ensuring the university is promoted in relevant and attractive ways. This role requires focus on proactive robust follow-up service to convert prospects into enrolled students and processing of admissions applications.


Based in the Student Recruitment and Admissions Team of our Dubai campus you will work as part of the team that provides an exceptional level of customer service to all prospective students and applicants to the University guiding them from first point of contact through to enrolment. You will be the first point of contact for phone calls and emails and respond to these within agreed response times ensuring the needs of the enquirer are met and making full use of enquiry management and CRM systems in place. As part of the admissions function, the role also requires you will work as part of the team which provides administrative support for the direct application processes.


Bringing together your passion for education and customer care, you will have exceptional interpersonal skills, attention to detail and be a self-starter who can support prospective students while they embark on their journey with Heriot Watt.

Key Responsibilities:

1. International Student Recruitment & Conversion


Support the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle for international students, including lead engagement, enquiry handling, application follow-up, and conversion. Work towards individual and team student recruitment and conversion targets. Participate in on-campus open days, school visits, and other conversion-focused events. Respond to prospective student queries in a timely, informative, and student-centric manner.
2. Marketing & Communications


Assist in the creation, editing, and production of promotional materials, presentations, and digital assets tailored to international markets. Use design software such as Adobe Creative Suite or Canva to produce visually compelling marketing collateral. Ensure all communications align with brand and tone guidelines while considering local market nuances.
3. International Travel & Engagement


Represent the University at overseas student recruitment fairs, agent training events, and exhibitions. Plan and execute international travel schedules, working within pre-approved budgets and timelines. Build and maintain positive relationships with in-country partners, schools, and agents.
4. Event & Operations Support


Coordinate logistics for recruitment events, agent visits, and delegations both on- and off-campus. Support the processing of payments, travel requests, and invoices in collaboration with the finance and operations team. Maintain accurate data records of events, leads, and student interactions in the CRM system.
5. Team & Administrative Support


Assist with general team operations, including diary management, student walk-ins, and internal reporting. Undertake market research and competitor benchmarking when required. Perform other duties relevant to the post as reasonably required by line management.

Person Specification

Essential


Bachelor's degree or equivalent. Minimum 1:2 years of relevant experience in international student recruitment or a related field. Demonstrable experience using CRM systems and digital tools for student engagement. Strong design and content creation skills using tools such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or Canva. Ability and willingness to travel internationally and work flexible hours as required. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Organised, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Desirable


Familiarity with UK higher education and student mobility trends. Experience managing budgets and international travel logistics. Proficiency in a second language.
Cultural awareness and sensitivity when working with international stakeholders.



Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Heriot-Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.


We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.


At Heriot-Watt we've created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.


We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students. Our focus on careers delivers results and we've an excellent reputation for graduate employability.


In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia. For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.


Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.


Our values are:


Belong Collaborate Inspire Celebrate
As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.


For full details on our University, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

How to Apply

Please submit your application via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system attaching a Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post and an updated CV


At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.


Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.


Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities, and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.