Job Description

Position Details

Academic Services


Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK


Full time starting salary is normally in the range 29,647 to 31,460, with potential progression once in post to 35,388


Grade: 5


Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2026


Closing date: 6th August 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 benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Role Summary

As a Funding, Graduation and Awards (FGA) Intern you will undertake important activities in support of the student experience, with a particular focus on the administration and promotion of the University's Sanctuary Scholarships and University of Sanctuary application. Through this work you will play an important role in improving access to higher education for people who have sought refuge in the UK. You will act as an initial point of contact for the team, providing specialist information, advice and guidance on the financial help available to students. The FGA Intern will support the work of the University of Sanctuary Group and will help to improve the information available to Sanctuary Scholars through development and maintenance of the website, social media campaigns, handbooks and email communications.


You will also help to support the wider work of the team, getting involved in the organisation of the University's Degree Congregations and in providing hardship support. You will have opportunities to contribute to creative projects, working to provide an excellent graduation experience and finding innovative means of improving funding knowledge and financial capability amongst our students. You will work closely with a diverse group of people including students, academic staff, Professional Services colleagues, the Guild of Students, charities and partner organisations.

Main Duties

Duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Scholarship Administration

Manage the Sanctuary Scholarship, ensuring current scholars receive payment promptly and prospective award holders are supported in their applicant journey. Promote the support available to Sanctuary Scholars, at the University and through external organisations. Support the team's administration of a variety of other funding streams, including the Chamberlain Award and Student Support Fund.

Student Communications

Assist with awareness raising around the Sanctuary Scholarships and University of Sanctuary application. Provide information, advice and support to prospective and current students, guardians and staff on the wide range of funding sources open to our students. Develop resources that help to improve the financial capability of our students.

Scholar Voice

Promote surveys and other ways in which the University gathers and responds to student feedback and the needs of our Sanctuary Scholars. Propose initiatives for acting upon the feedback received and ensure that the University's response to surveys is disseminated effectively. Work with members of the University of Sanctuary Group and DARO to establish best practice for harnessing the Scholar voice and experience, while taking the sensitivity of their situation into account.

Organisation and Management

Deal with student queries and triage these as needed on own initiative. Support the planning, organisation, and delivery of University of Sanctuary events, committee meetings and activities.

Graduations

Support the planning, organisation and delivery of the University's graduation celebrations. This includes supporting students, their guests and staff members. Work in collaboration with Creative Media to produce creative content that enhances the graduation experience.

General

Work with colleagues across the University to contribute to the development of good practice for providing excellence in student support to Sanctuary Scholars and other priority groups. Proactively identify opportunities to consult with students and make recommendations for implementing new initiatives based on their feedback. Support equality and value diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others. Manage all data in accordance with University policy and Data Protection Regulations. Support the University's sustainability agenda through resource-efficient working. The post-holder will undertake any other duties that may be assigned by their line manager or the Head of FGA in support of the work of the team.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

You will need to evidence:

A degree, awarded recently by the University of Birmingham.

You will be:

Comfortable in a role where you take significant responsibility and where you are expected to proactively propose new ways of working and new initiatives with senior colleagues. Comfortable working on your own initiative to complete tasks and projects without close supervision. Able to become authoritative quickly on complex systems and be able to advise students and colleagues on these. Able to set the standard for other colleagues, acting as a role model. Able to communicate effectively as required. Well organised with the ability to prioritise work proactively, independently, and as part of a team.

In addition to the above, you should be able to demonstrate and/or evidence the following:

An understanding of Undergraduate and Postgraduate education and the student lifecycle. An interest in improving access to Higher Education for refugees and asylum seekers, and a sensitivity to the potential issues and barriers facing these prospective students. The ability to work to tight deadlines in a collaborative team environment. The ability to support the work of other team members. The ability to interact with individuals at all levels of internal and external organisations. A good understanding of delivering excellent customer service and the ability to influence others to deliver it too. Exemplary attention to detail and the ability to work confidentially, use judgement and make appropriate decisions within the constraints of the role. The ability to cope with change in a fast moving, dynamic environment where change is often required immediately. An understanding of 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.

Informal enquiries to Andrew Short, email: a.m.w.short@bham.ac.uk


View our staff values and behaviours here

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

.