Student Recruitment Assistant - External Relations - 107432 - Grade 5

Position Details

External Relations

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,062 to £31,900, with potential progression once in post to £35,883

Grade: 5

Full Time, Permanent 

Closing date: 25th May 2026

 

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/jobs/staff-benefits]

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research.  We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge.  Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence.  Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Department overview 

External Relations is the division responsible for delivering our University to the world and prides itself in seizing opportunities that will enhance the profile and reputation of the University. We engage with many different audiences to build purposeful relationships internally, locally, nationally and internationally. We enable those who wish to apply to study on our courses to make informed choices.  We recognise that we are strongest when we work together and take pride in upholding our core values of being ambitious, innovative, open, collaborative and responsible.

Role Summary

The Student Recruitment Assistant plays an important role in student recruitment and enhancing the University’s reputation Working with colleagues across the University, the post holder will support the delivery of student recruitment activities to attract and convert prospective students and provide administrative support– helping the University to build a high quality and diverse population and achieve its growth ambitions for 2030 and beyond. 

In this role, the post holder will support student recruitment events on and off campus and online, ensuring that the University, individual programmes and other aspects of the University’s proposition are marketed effectively and to the highest standard. Where appropriate they will engage with external schools and colleges and provide advice and support to colleagues and potential students through a range of methods. 

The post holder will build and maintain effective relationships and work collaboratively with key internal stakeholders, including marketing, admissions teams, Colleges, and wider Professional Services. The focus of the role may vary depending on whether activity relates to a specific student audience, subject specific requirements, schools engagement or events, therefore collaboration across teams and working with academics is essential.

Main Duties

• Support the delivery of a range of student recruitment activities and campaigns, including large-scale events to meet recruitment targets across all markets. 
• Work closely with colleagues across student recruitment, marketing, admissions, Colleges, the wider External Relations division and across the institution, to deliver a comprehensive and unified approach to meeting student recruitment targets.
• This role requires flexibility, with a focus that may shift across different products and audience groups, in response to strategic priorities.
• Coordinate student recruitment events, supporting on-campus, online, and off-campus activities (e.g. schools, colleges, UCAS fairs). This includes providing comprehensive event management support, including on-the-day support. 
• Act as an ambassador for the University, representing the University at external and internal events.
• Support wider activities including Confirmation and Clearing, scholarships processing and subject interviews, including coordinating interview logistics and conducting pre-screening activities where required.
• Assist with Student Ambassador management, overseeing daily operations.
• Provide advice and guidance on qualifications and admissions processes where required.
• Deal with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently or exercising judgement to redirect them to senior colleagues or other departments in the university.
• As directed, set up communications for targeted audiences via the University’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Monitoring responses and taking appropriate action to resolve issues and encourage response.
• Coordinate and support market research and wider market analysis,  making recommendations as appropriate. 
• Collate, analyse and interpret data in relation to metrics and reviewing activities in line with these and prepare written reports.
• Provide other administrative support for the team including arranging travel, servicing meetings, diary management and budget administration.
• Provide support to the wider recruitment and marketing teams as needed, supporting a variety of activities, events, and campaigns and any other duties commensurate with the grade.
• Willing to work occasional evenings, weekends, and travel as needed to support activities, including school engagement activity on and off campus.

General duties

• Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture. 
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to A Level or equivalent Level 3 qualification (e.g. NVQ, National Diploma) or relevant work experience demonstrating ability to perform the role.
• GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics at grade C/4 or above.
• Previous experience in a relevant role; within a large, complex organisation desirable.
• Strong IT proficiency, including Microsoft Office, with the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Excellent organisational skills with proven ability to plan (including sometimes others’ workloads), prioritise, and manage multiple tasks to meet deadlines.
• Outstanding communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively, including with colleagues at all levels, and deliver exceptional customer service.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and tact when handling and managing sensitive information/issues.
• Ability to work independently using initiative, sound judgment, and flexibility.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies and procedures accurately.
• Meticulous attention to detail and high standards of accuracy.
• Confidence in handling statistical and financial data.

Other Requirements:

• Commitment to demonstrating behaviours aligned with the University and External Relations framework. 
• Willingness to travel extensively across the UK, including evenings, weekends, and overnight stays.
• Valid UK driving licence and/or ability to travel independently often during unsociable hours. 
• DBS clearance required.
• Promote a supportive and inclusive team culture working with discretion, demonstrate diplomacy, maintain confidentiality and ensure compliance with GDPR and other regulations as required.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

 

Informal enquiries to Katherine Pagett, email: k.a.pagett@bham.ac.uk [k.a.pagett@bham.ac.uk]

View our staff values and behaviours here [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/our-strategy/our-values]

 

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 on our website [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/equality-diversity-inclusion].