Global Opportunities Coordinator

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

We are seeking a talented and forward-thinking individual to join our dynamic Global Opportunities team. The team forms part of the Careers & Employability Service within Student & Academic Services, contributing directly to the University of Sheffield’s strategy and institutional priorities for student employability and graduate outcomes.

Global Opportunities offer high-quality, innovative experiences to enable students to stand out as confident global citizens upon graduation. We support over 1,000 inbound and outbound students undertaking international mobility each year through our network of 200+ partner institutions worldwide. You will manage designated areas of activity, focusing on grant funding and partnership agreements, but may also include inbound and outbound study abroad and short-term experiences.

You Will Have

• Excellent Attention To Detail and be adept at handling large amounts of data across multiple systems.
• Coordinate an annual cycle of activity and closely monitor budgets to ensure accurate record keeping, especially for grant payments and spend reporting.
• Be a strong communicator, providing advice and guidance for internal and external stakeholders including:
  • current, prospective and partner exchange students
  • international partners
  • university staff at Sheffield and across the UK through membership of staff networks and external organisations within the international mobility sector.

You will have high self-motivation and initiative with the ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritize workloads. Work in Global Opportunities requires commitment, accountability, and flexibility. You will join a highly motivated team, bringing enthusiasm and the ability to deliver a high level of service at all times.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Oversee a designated area(s) of Global Opportunities work, building specialist knowledge and skills and drawing on these to act as a key institutional point of contact for the designated area of work.
• Be responsible for interpreting complex external regulations (e.g. Erasmus and Turing) to design and coordinate compliant operational processes using a variety of software platforms, including: grant allocation and audit processes, tracking student engagement and adherence to processes, monitoring budgets, and regular operational reporting.
• Take delegated responsibility for monitoring expenditure and maintaining records of designated budgets, ensure adherence to any external funding body regulations and established procedures, and taking corrective action where needed.
• Contribute to the management of exchange agreements and partnerships, advising on suitability, providing data, and collecting student/staff feedback.
• Carry out planning for short to medium term projects, with an awareness of resource constraints and longer-term implications, and allocating work and responsibilities to meet deadlines.
• Delegate administrative and student advising tasks to the Global Opportunities Administrators where appropriate.
• Liaise and build effective relationships with networks of internal staff, sharing information to ensure awareness of study abroad, the smooth running of exchange student processes, and compliance with university and external regulations.
• Build up excellent working relationships with UK external stakeholders including the British Council (Erasmus+ National Agency), Department for Education, Universities UK international (UUKi), plus other networks as appropriate.
• Act as a key contact for overseas partner institutions, including enquiry management, promoting Sheffield as a destination, and furthering the reputation of the University.
• Create advice and guidance to incoming and outgoing students on a range of matters relating to Global Opportunities initiatives, including grant and funding processes. Ensure that complex information is presented appropriately for the intended audience.
• Coordinate in promotional efforts to increase student participation in Global Opportunities initiatives where needed, developing and delivering information for students in a variety of formats including web, print, and presentation materials, face-to-face advising sessions, webinars, and an annual fair.
• Liaise with students, staff, and external stakeholders in the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstances, referring to university procedures and escalating as appropriate.
• Represent the University at internal and external meetings and conferences as appropriate, including occasional travel within and beyond the UK and weekend work.
• Work closely with the Global Opportunities team and wider Careers and Employability Service to ensure activities delivered are in line with the University’s strategic objectives.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.