Job Description

Position Details

External Relations


Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK


Full time starting salary is normally in the range 32,546 to 35,116 with potential progression once in post to 39,355


Grade: 6


Full Time, Permanent


Closing date: 10th August 2025


Interview scheduled: 18th August 2025


UK travel may be required for this role.

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

The Student Recruitment team is responsible for promoting the University of Birmingham to recruit the most able students, irrespective of social, economic and ethnic background, to agreed targets. Within the team there are four specialist teams focusing on Outreach, International, Undergraduate and Postgraduate recruitment, and marketing activities.


The Undergraduate Student Recruitment team travel across the UK visiting schools, colleges and higher education exhibitions to ensure that prospective students, their parents, carers and teachers, have a full understanding of what the University of Birmingham has to offer. The team are also responsible for organising events such as open days, offer holder visit days and conferences for teachers and advisers.


The International Recruitment team provide an efficient, culturally sensitive and customer-oriented service in the recruitment of international students. They also develop strategic international partnerships to grow the number of international students studying at the University.


The post holder will work across two teams with approximately 50% of activity based within the UK Student Recruitment team and 50% based in the International Recruitment team. They will play a key role in schools and colleges engagement and in the recruitment of international students studying in UK schools. They will be expected to carry out a wide range of activities including visiting schools and colleges to deliver presentations and exhibit at higher education evenings, organising visits onto campus, and representing the University at HE exhibitions. The role will require working some evenings and weekends as appropriate to support the needs of the business.


The post holder will be expected to provide project management support for a number of strategic projects within both teams. They will contribute to the development and implementation of a suite of recruitment and marketing activities that are effective in a changing external recruitment environment.

Main Duties

Approximately 50% of this post is to support the UK Student Recruitment and Marketing Team in the delivery, development and implementation of activities including:


Representing and promoting the University at higher education events in schools and colleges across the UK. This will involve delivering presentations to large groups of school/college students and their parents/carers on a variety of higher education topics and exhibiting at university fairs to provide individual advice and guidance to students and their parents/carers about the University's courses, services and opportunities. This will amount to around 35 events off campus per annum but will vary dependent on the business need. Organising and managing programmes of activity for schools/colleges visiting the University campus. This will involve liaising with academics and other University services, leading and supervising activities and managing student ambassadors assisting with visits. Representing the University at exhibitions (e.g. UCAS, UKUniSearch, WhatUni) throughout the UK, promoting the University to potential applicants. This will involve travelling to events, setting up display stands, prospectuses and materials and answering questions from enquirers. Providing project support to the team in the organisation and delivery of a range of student recruitment and marketing activities for prospective students and teachers. These activities could include offer-holder visit days, undergraduate open days, other on-campus recruitment events, external higher education exhibitions, events for teachers and careers advisers. Managing the updating and production of the Undergraduate Subject Guide for use by representatives at exhibitions. Carrying out other duties as are required by the Head of Undergraduate Recruitment and Marketing and the Student Recruitment Manager to support new initiatives across the full breadth of student recruitment and marketing.
Approximately 50% of this post is to devise and implement student recruitment activities for the UK International Market and be a key point of contact for UK based pathway providers and agents by:


Representing and promoting the University at higher education events in schools and colleges throughout the UK, specifically aimed at international students domiciled in the UK. This will involve delivering presentations to groups, attending HE and agent fairs, and providing individual guidance to students and parents Organising and managing school and college visits into the University from UK-based international students including: organising programmes of activity, working with academics to deliver the content of the day, and supervising the activities (including on-the-day management of student ambassadors) Identifying new schools where UK international students study to engage with; and plan opportunities for the University and its respective Colleges to engage with those schools to promote their programme portfolios Developing and managing relationships with international agents based in the UK to promote the University and develop partnerships Creating and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with key contacts at pathway providers in order to maintain and grow enrolments to undergraduate programmes through these channels Managing engagement and conversion activities with students and staff based at pathway provider colleges, including the management of incoming and outgoing visits and academic talks across the Colleges Guiding applicants and staff at pathway provider colleges through the University's application process and, working with colleagues from Admissions and the International Student Advisory Service, maximising conversion through to enrolment Conducting one-to-one interviews with potential applicants to answer questions about the full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered at Birmingham, advising students on their suitability for admission Supporting and contributing where necessary to the work of the wider International Recruitment team at key points in the cycle Carrying out other duties as required by the International senior management team

Person Specification

Educated to degree level or equivalent Previous experience in a relevant role. Significant experience in student recruitment and/or higher education marketing will be advantageous Experience of working with sixth form students/their parents Knowledge and understanding of the UK's secondary education system, higher education system and UCAS A high standard of written and oral communication with an ability to present to large audiences with confidence Prepared to travel regularly in the UK and to undertake work in the evenings and at weekends, with some nights spent staying away from home Valid full UK driving licence held for at least 12 months Well-developed administrative and organisational skills with attention to deadlines and detail A creative and innovative approach to strategic thinking and problem solving Experience of project/event coordination and project support Ability to manage relationships on behalf of the organisation with key stakeholders internally and externally to the University Cultural awareness and sensitivity to those from different backgrounds Excellent interpersonal skills whether dealing with students, academic staff, external organisations or other members of the team Confident in working in large, complex organisations Digital literacy, with confidence and competence in the use of database systems, CRM and CMS systems, and ideally using social media in a business context Aptitude in handling and interpreting statistical and financial information and managing budgets Ability to interpret and present data in a variety of formats The ability to work flexibly and effectively both in a team and independently and to respond positively to the demands of the role Ability to prioritise workload and manage time effectively Attention to detail and ability to work under pressure Awareness of safeguarding issues. Prepared to undergo an enhanced DBS check

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


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

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