The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to become a Disability Adviser in the University’s Disability and Dyslexia Support Service (DDSS), joining a friendly, committed and experienced team of staff.

Using your experience working with disabled people, you will provide a high-quality service to students and applicants. You’ll advise them on university support and facilities, while implementing solutions to remove the barriers they face. You will achieve this through 1:1 student work, close liaison with academic schools and external agencies, and ongoing collaboration with DDSS colleagues.

You will work with students with a wide range of different support requirements, applying for/studying on courses across the institution.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Provide individual needs assessment and implement support arrangements for disabled students, monitoring the effectiveness of these on an ongoing basis. It is expected that the postholder will spend around half of their working hours delivering 1:1 student consultations
• Provide advice and support to disabled applicants to ensure their effective transition to University study/life
• Communicate with academic schools on appropriate support for a range of disabled students. This will routinely involve creating/sharing Learning Support Plans and Exam Support Adjustments outlining students’ support requirements. In more complex cases it will involve ongoing liaison with colleagues to support them to meet students' needs
• Liaise effectively with colleagues across Student Health and Wellbeing Support, the wider university and a variety of external agencies (e.g. external companies that provide 1:1 and group autism support) to facilitate disabled student support and ensure a high quality of service
• Plan, prioritise and organise in order to manage a complex caseload effectively. The casework will consist primarily of students on the autism spectrum, students with mental health difficulties and students with medical conditions
• Efficiently carry out a high volume of administrative duties – including responding to student/colleague enquiries and producing case-notes/student Learning Support Plans in a timely manner, as well as maintaining accurate student records on the service database
• Support students to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA), liaising with relevant internal and external bodies to ensure that individuals' DSA funding needs are met
• Proactively monitor and review processes and procedures to ensure excellent customer service
• Contribute to team planning and regularly review activity to inform service development and to ensure that we are effectively meeting the needs of those we support
• Develop and deliver staff training sessions - and further develop online resources - to increase understanding of the barriers faced by disabled students at the University and ways to remove these
• Maintain contemporary knowledge of best practice and legislative developments relating to disability. Contribute to the development of relevant policies and procedures
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place on Thursday 2nd July 2026. This will consist of an interview and an assessment activity. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 22nd June 2026. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process, please email m.lubelski@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Professional Services Shared Skills Framework
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • access to menopause support in the workplace
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Leader (opens in a new window). If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Criminal record

A DBS check will be needed for this role. More details on the checks can be found on the Government website: gov.uk/criminal-record-checks-apply-role (opens in a new window).

Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right. More information can be found on our Information for candidates page:- sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/candidates (opens in a new window).

Closing Date : 22/06/2026 

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.