University of Birmingham
Enquiry Advisor - External Relations - 104118 - Grade 4
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Position Details
External Relations
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary: normally in the range £27,546 to £29,171, with potential progression once in post to £32,595
Grade: 4
Full Time, Fixed Term contract: up to September 2027
Closing date: 20th August 2026
Background
The Contact Team is part of the Admissions Office, within External Relations, and is responsible for inbound enquiry management between the University and prospective students and their influencers. This covers the period from the first point of enquiry up until they begin their studies at Birmingham. This post plays a key role in the successful delivery of a professional and high quality first line support service to enquirers, applicants and others making enquiries to the Contact Team.
Role Summary
The team in which this post works triage a high volume of inbound queries from a diverse client group of both internal and external customers, through multiple communication channels. The team triage all queries to identify where tasks can be resolved at the point of enquiry or the best resolution pathway where specialist support and/or knowledge is required (acting as a gateway to other support services). They will take responsibility for certain areas of expertise and will be the ‘go to’ person within the team for those enquiries. They will be expected to make a proactive contribution to the ongoing development of the online knowledge base. In addition, the post holder will undertake a range of other tasks supporting the wider Contact Team and its operational objectives.
Main Duties
The Enquiry Advisor is required to provide a high level of front-line service to all making enquiries to the Contact Team.
Main duties include:
- Responding to all forms of enquiry; web, email, phone, social media, in person.
- Responding to a broad range of enquirers across the breadth of the applicant lifecycle, including international, parents, teachers, and internal members of staff.
- Conducting assessment and escalation of enquiries where appropriate, whilst being responsible for the successful completion of all escalated enquiries.
- Monitor levels and types of enquiries, reporting to the Team Leader as appropriate.
- Ensuring all enquiries are accurately recorded and registered for reporting and quality control purposes.
- Review and update the knowledge base in response to enquiry trends, where appropriate and without the need for external verification, including the updating/removal of existing content.
- Establish and maintain links with key contacts from other professional services/college teams and colleagues in External Relations to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is available to enquirers.
- To be responsible for producing routing regular and ad hoc reports on activity for the Team Leader.
- To alert the Team Leader of potential backlogs or system issues with the possibility of damaging knock on effects.
- Be responsible for multiple areas of expertise in our processes (such as overseas qualifications or financial aid packages), for both enquirers and other members of the Contact Team.
- To lead, as appropriate, on specified areas of expertise, ensuring other team members are sufficiently briefed and providing guidance where required to colleagues from the wider university.
- You will act as a point of contact to provide accurate and timely information and advice, answering queries promptly, providing guidance and resolving queries from initial contact to resolution. This will include recognising when queries need to be referred elsewhere or escalated.
- Be competent in the use of both UG and PG Admissions systems and processes, as well as developing an appreciation and understanding of nonstandard applications.
- Be able to interpret complex information and assess against strict criteria when giving advice and guidance critical to an applicant enquiry.
- Check current applications for completeness and/or their current status and providing the appropriate advice and support where required.
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Other Duties:
- Participating at outward facing student recruitment events, such as HE fairs or Open Days, providing guidance to high volumes of potential applicants.
- Attending training and development activities as directed by the Team Leader, including training in the relevant systems and / or customer services.
- Helping induct new or temporary members of staff to the office, including regular briefings and updates to the Enquiries Assistants.
- To undertake other tasks which will be required from time to time within the Admissions Office, such as involvement in Confirmation and Clearing, outbound calling and other general office duties.
- Supports equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
Person Specification
- Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills including politeness, diplomacy, tact and courtesy, as the role involves considerable contacts with others, both internal and external to the University;
- A good level of education overall with minimum Grade C/4 at GCSE in English and Mathematics or equivalent;
- Good team working skills and the ability to work collaboratively across the wider team and beyond
- A proactive approach to problem solving and difficult situations;
- Ability to prioritise workloads in the face of conflicting demands;
- The ability to cope with change in a fast moving, dynamic environment where change is often required immediately.
- Accuracy and attention to detail in data entry and in providing information;
- Accuracy in use of oral and written English for answering queries in person, by telephone, and in writing, and composing emails and letters;
- Use of IT systems for data entry, retrieval and general office operations;
- Flexible approach to work due to the often changing priorities of the Contact Team;
- An understanding of how providing excellent customer service is a key component of an integrated approach to recruitment;
- Evidence of ability to use diagnostic tools in triaging to be able to quickly and efficiently identify the needs of the enquirer;
- An up-to-date understanding of University developments and priorities, as well as an awareness of the wider Higher Education sector;
- An understanding of the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace;
- The ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures and how to respond to issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.
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Dimensions
You will not be required to line manage anyone in this role or manage a budget.
Planning and Organising
You will be required to manage and prioritise a varied workload to deliver within required time frames. There is also a need to maintain an awareness of activity across the department and wider University as appropriate.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
You will be working under the direction of a senior manager, but with the autonomy to deliver the outputs required. You will be working within the framework of existing policies, processes and procedures for the department. You will take day to day decisions on what advice to give and for responding to and resolving queries.
Internal and External Relationships
This role will be liaising with internal colleagues and stakeholders, and external stakeholders as well with an expectation on maintaining good working relationships with all.
Informal enquiries to Daisy Collins, email: d.a.w.collins@bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone here.
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