Job Description

Job Category: Technical
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Position Details
Academic Services
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range 27,166 to 28,768, with potential progression once in post to 32,145
Grade: 4
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 21st October 2025
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
Background
The LRAT team provide technical support from design to maintenance of AV and IT in teaching rooms on the Edgbaston and Selly Oak campuses. The technology supports lecture capture, bimodal remote teaching and associated services such as digital signage. AV is a distinct discipline with uniquely demanding service standards, working in a niche area of IT and therefore the University has a separate AV department.
Role Summary
AV Assistants will play a key role within a committed AV support team to around 400 rooms varying from capacity 10 up to 500.This involve extensive customer face-to-face interactions and visits to teaching rooms while teaching is taking place, working to a uniquely tight 10-minute SLA. Problems which cannot be resolved straight away and need more complex resolution, must be fitted around teaching bookings and completed within a week.
Using your knowledge and experience you will be required to attempt solutions and suggest alternatives. You will communicate complex AV and IT technical problems and requirements in an understandable fashion to non-technical staff, including department managers, academic and administrative staff.
Main Duties

• Reactive response to Helpline calls - working alongside the team for helpline response, maintaining the agreed 10-minute response SLA. First line fault diagnosis and resolution.
• Equipment room checks using the agreed LRAT SLA.
• General day-to-day LRAT booking support, including delivery, set-up and collections.
• The provision of proactive support, including PC image deployment and configuration set-up of device (control panels, internet clocks and switcher-scalers).
• The provision of conference support, including:

• Liaising with customers' needs and meeting the specified requirements
• Usually working alone, often at weekends without backup support
• Troubleshooting faults and taking appropriate action to rectify - referring to an AV Technician when necessary
• Ensuring the correct equipment is booked and is of specification to meets the users' needs
• Ensuring equipment is booked, informing managers of any issues that may impact the booking
• Ensuring equipment is set-up and monitored with guidance from AV Technicians if needed
• Calm demeanour during the event ensuring any fault is resolved quickly and efficiently.
• Lecture Capture - Identify faults, and those detected to be reported and logged onto the service management tool, ServiceNow. To undertake day-to-day fixes, referring to AV Technicians for more complex fixes.
• Provide general technical support sessions typically either coaching an unconfident user in complex situations such as live-streaming from a hybrid room, or full control of a live high-profile event such as a professorial inaugural or public lecture.
• Working with the stock controller ensuring stock is used in a timely manner, monitoring stock levels and notifying the stock controller of any consumable and tools etc that are needed.
• Undertaking such other duties as may be required from time to time in furtherance of the work of Academic Services.
• Supporting equality and values diversity. Moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including Mathematics and English (or equivalent level 2 vocational qualifications including demonstrable examples of the required level of literacy and numeracy).
• Significant experience and expertise, likely to be demonstrated by building on experience in a role offering front line support in working on a complex technical environment involving user support and triaging of calls, utilising skills from problem analysis through to implementation of solutions.
• Full driving license
• A good up to date general knowledge on current trends in AV and IT.
• The ability to work effectively as a member of a team towards quality service goals and deadlines.
• Excellent communication, coupled with a strong customer service orientation, and the ability to tailor responses to specific technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise and schedule workload in the face of conflicting demands.
• Structured and methodical approach to problem solving.
• Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.
• Fully conversant and proficient with: Microsoft Windows operating and deployment systems.

Dimensions
You will have no direct financial or staff management responsibility. The role is focused on the delivery of a quality 1st line service to customers, working collaboratively with colleagues.
Planning and organising
Planning is done at daily team huddles to which it is expected that you will contribute collaboratively.
You will be working in response to more complex customer enquiries, and you will need to prioritise your own workload in order to deliver on schedule and at quality.
Problem solving and decision making
You will use your knowledge and expertise to deliver or recommend simple solutions.
You will escalate problems when it is right so to do.
Internal and external relationships
You will liaise with a wide range of staff, and colleagues in the wider AV and space teams in order to ensure the delivery of a quality service. You may need to liaise with external suppliers to discuss hardware specifications.
Informal enquiries to Gareth Rainford, email:
View our staff values and behaviours
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 .

Skills Required