Aron Caldwell
Academic Registry
We’re hiring!
Academic Registry is the powerhouse of the University. We work closely with students and staff across the University to support key elements of the student journey. We support our students with many of the non-academic parts of student life: we’re involved right from the moment someone decides to study at Herts, where we help with questions (on topics such as student finance) and we look after our students right through to graduation at the end of their studies.
We are a large and diverse team, and we have roles to suit everyone. We currently have a number of new vacancies in the department across customer-facing and back-office positions – read full details of the roles here.
So, whether you’re a people person who wants to provide a great experience for our students, somebody who loves working with data and information, or someone who aspires to drive change and solve problems, there’s a place for you at Herts.
About Academic Registry
In February 2024, we organised 14 graduation ceremonies over five days for around 4,500 graduates
In 2023/24 our 20 UK and international partners delivered Herts courses to c.7,850 students worldwide
We received more than 130 nominations in 2024 in the staff recognition scheme, the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards
Academic Registry plays an essential role in ensuring the smooth running of the University. We provide support to staff and students on all aspects of the student lifecycle. We work closely with academic schools to provide essential administration and a seamless student experience, provide a key point of contact for our students and external agencies, and deliver the essential management information needed for business planning and development.
As a member of the team, you will be helping to provide an exceptional experience for all of our students, and in return we’ll invest in you by offering excellent development opportunities, a supportive and friendly community and access to our wide range of benefits.
We are dedicated to finding talented people to join us, to enhance our service delivery and contribute to our vibrant community.
We are dedicated to finding talented people to join us, to enhance our service delivery and contribute to our vibrant community.
Academic Registry is split across six key service areas:
Benefits to suit your needs
Education isn’t just for our students; we believe in lifelong learning for all, and we are committed to developing outstanding staff from within. This includes a wide range of training courses, line manager and leadership development, on-the-job apprenticeships and mentoring and work shadowing opportunities. So, whether you’re joining us from outside the higher education sector, are just starting out in your career, or you’re an experienced professional looking to develop your skillset, we invest in you by offering a variety of opportunities for personal, professional and academic development.
We know everyone has different needs and priorities, and our benefits and policies are designed to offer you choice and flexibility. We support flexible and hybrid working, and our team generally split their week between working from home and working on the campus. We know that you can focus more on detailed work in the quiet of your home, but we also encourage coming onto campus to build the Academic Registry community and to learn and share with your colleagues.
Other benefits include a competitive pension scheme and generous annual leave, as well as on-site parking, a cycle to work scheme, a 50% tuition fee waiver for your children, discounted gym membership, and access to student discounts.
We run a whole host of activities and opportunities to connect with our staff and students. Within the department we make sure everyone has a voice and we welcome new ideas through our suggestion scheme. And there’s always something to join in with, whether it’s away days for our managers, monthly Staff Q&As where the team showcase their work, putting a team forward for our cross-University sports events or posting on our ‘Wellbeing and Happy Thoughts’ Channel. We are a community, where everyone is welcome.
Don’t just take our word for it - hear from our staff:
Aron, Team Leader in the Student Administration Service (Innovation Centre), talks about why he loves being part of the Herts community...
Nat, Business Support Manager, shares her career progression at Herts and why she loves making a difference for our students...
Simon, a Programme Academic Quality Administrator, talks about how much he has learned since joining Herts...
Aron Caldwell, Team Leader in the Student Administration Service (Innovation Centre), talks about why he loves being part of the Herts community
Why did you join Herts?
I have always wanted to work in an educational setting, and I jumped at the chance to work for a leading modern university. Herts prides itself on supporting students and staff, encouraging them to learn and develop. It is a truly rewarding place to work as I am helping students on their journey and to achieve their ambitions.
What is it like to be part of the Herts community?
This is a fantastic place to work! Everyone working at the University is warm, friendly and supportive. I have made great friends in my department (Collaborative Partnerships Unit), and we have even established a sports league including squash and badminton.
There are a number of excellent events that bring together the staff community, such as our annual Christmas party and more recently the Summer Street party. And it is always great to see staff recognised at our annual Vice-Chancellor’s Awards that celebrate the achievements of both individuals and teams.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is that I know I am playing an important role in the student life cycle. I find it fascinating working and collaborating with a multitude of interesting people. During my time here I have built strong working relationships and valuable friendships that have given me a great support network to build and learn from. Lastly, the flexibility offered at Academic Registry has been a real benefit, especially with hybrid working.
How has your career progressed during your time at Herts?
I have worked in my role in Academic Registry for just over a year now and I am continuously learning and developing my skillset. The University offers great training and development opportunities such as mentoring for future roles and supporting BAME candidates. There are so many avenues in which to progress and chances to work with different teams across the University. Going forward I would like to move into a team leader position, knowing I have the support and mentorship of my team and manager.
Nat Bruton
Nat, Business Support Manager, shares her career progression at Herts and why she loves making a difference for our students
Why did you join Herts?
All the roles I have taken on professionally have always been very people-focused and have had an element of supporting people, who are sometimes quite vulnerable. As a graduate of the University myself, I understood the student journey and the expectations our students have, and so when a role came up in the Fees and Funding team, I knew this was somewhere I could make a difference to the next generation of students.
How has your career progressed during your time at Herts?
Working in Academic Registry has provided me with so many opportunities – stepping up to a Team Leader position, taking on new challenges in our online provision team, and now broadening my expertise by working with data in the Student Information and Planning team. I’ve always felt encouraged and supported to apply for new roles and to push myself to take on different challenges. The University is such a dynamic place to work, ever evolving and providing new opportunities, it’s somewhere I feel I can really thrive.
What’s it like to be part of the Herts community?
When you join Herts, you really do join a community – my colleagues right across Academic Registry are amazing, everyone is so supportive, willing to get stuck in to solve a challenge, and completely focused on giving our students the best experience possible. And it never feels like there is a hierarchy – our leadership team are always genuinely interested in you as a person, not just in the job you do, and you can chat to them just as comfortably as you would do with one of your peers.
For me though, the best part is knowing that everyone’s voice is valued, and the fact that everyone here knows that there are no insignificant roles. Everyone understands that no matter how big or how small their job is, it plays a vital part in the smooth running of the University and makes a difference to our community.
What’s your proudest achievement at the University?
It’s an amazing feeling to be nominated for a Vice-Chancellor’s Award (our staff recognition scheme), and to make it to the finalist stage with my team a few years ago, but the thing that really stands out is the difference I know I have made to our students.
When I was in the Student Finance team, I spent around 18 months working with one of our students to resolve some funding issues which were causing him to consider dropping out of university. He was very reluctant to open up and share the personal challenges he was facing, but by building trust and getting him comfortable to speak openly to me, we were able to resolve the funding issues and he was able to complete his degree. He was so grateful for my help that he invited me to his degree ceremony, and I still get his little email updates from time to time letting me know how he is getting on with his career. Knowing I have literally changed his life for the better – you can’t put that into words.
Simon Marshall
Simon, a Programme Academic Quality Administrator, talks about how much he has learned since joining Herts
Why did you join Herts?
I had to re-evaluate my priorities following the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to find a new direction. I’d heard from an ex-colleague what a great place the University was to work at. I was sent the job description for my current role, and really liked the sound of it – and here I am!
How has your career progressed during your time at Herts?
I’ve only been at the University for just over four months, so I’ve not had much time to progress, but I’ve already learnt a huge amount. The training has been very thorough and delivered by excellent trainers and there is a lot of support and help available. Everyone’s very willing to give advice and answer questions, and I’m enjoying putting all of the training into action.
What’s it like to be part of the Herts community?
It’s a really welcoming atmosphere, everyone I’ve met has been very friendly. Our team is really collaborative and has helped to make sure I feel welcome. There are also opportunities to get together socially and to join in with if you want to. I’m really interested in finding out more about what’s happening at the University and in particular I’m looking forward to getting more involved with the Sustainability team and supporting our environmental activities.
We had a team away day recently and visited the University’s observatory at nearby Bayfordbury. We got the chance to see the telescopes and look around the incredible campus there, which I had no idea existed!
I’m also planning to get a family membership at the Hertfordshire Sports Village on our de Havilland campus so that I can come along with my son, who’s keen to join the gym, and go swimming and maybe even get a little bit fitter myself!
What’s your proudest achievement at the University?
It’s really nice to be part of an organisation that makes a difference and to know that the work I do is contributing to the student experience here at Herts. In my role I work with lots of different teams and systems, and I’ve really enjoyed meeting lots of people from across the different Schools and Departments, and hearing about all of the interesting things happening at the University, which I had no idea about before.