Employee Accessibility and Inclusion Lead - Human Resources - 106285 - Grade 7 presso The University of Birmingham

Position Details

Human Resources (Equality, Inclusion and Wellbeing)

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK 

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049, with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 28th September 2025

Interviews are planned to take place either on Monday 13th October or Friday 24th October

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 

This role is responsible for managing, monitoring, championing and enhancing disability support provision at the University of Birmingham to enable an inclusive, accessible and supportive working environment for staff with disabilities and long-term health conditions. As a key contact for managers and staff this role will provide advice and guidance ensuring adjustment processes and policies are managed efficiently. 

The role holder will lead any changes to the reasonable adjustments process, contribute to policy development and be responsible for conducting relevant audits and evaluations. The primary aim of this role is to offer advice and support on complex reasonable adjustments, including Access to Work.

Main Duties

• Lead on and influence line managers, employees, and others as necessary regarding all aspects of employment related reasonable adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, including alternative options, temporary adjustments, and advice on funding.
• Provide expert advice and case management for staff requiring reasonable adjustments. 
• Liaise with Occupational Health, HR, line managers, and external providers to coordinate support plans. 
• Support staff through the Access to Work process.
• Liaise with Occupational Health to ensure recommendations are understood and embedded into workplace adjustments.
• Maintain confidential records and ensure timely follow-up on support measures. 
• Responsible for the institutional Reasonable Adjustment Budget to include evaluation of all requests, allocating funds, monitoring, and annual reporting.
• Work in partnership with relevant teams across the institution as required (including within Human Resources, Estates, IT Services and College operation teams) to ensure effective adjustments are in place in a timely manner, taking a person-centered approach and ensuring that adjustments meet the needs of the individual and the business.
• Work in partnership with relevant colleagues to review the staff reasonable adjustments processes by identifying barriers and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and deliver staff training and initiatives across the institution to support improved conversations and adjustment provision for staff with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
• Responsible for writing reports on the number and quality of reasonable adjustment plans completed, business cases (where indicated) and proposals working with key stakeholders across the institution as well as within Human Resources.
• Develop and maintain guidance materials and web-based pages regarding reasonable adjustments best practice, and general disability support information.
• Drive progress on Disability Confident Level 2 (Employer) and working towards Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader).
• Support and mark various national disability days.
• Connect with staff with disabilities through the Enabling Staff Network and the Neurodiversity Network.
• Horizon scanning for upcoming developments, legislative changes, emerging assistive technologies and good practice in relation to disability, equality and reasonable adjustments.
• Work collaboratively with local and national organisations who provide support to disabled employees sharing best practice and representing the University at a regional and national level.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post, as required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Relevant degree or relevant equivalent professional qualification e.g. psychology, education, or occupational therapy or demonstrable experience normally associated with this level of qualification.
• Demonstrable experience of working within the caveats of the Equality Act 2010 and the Social Model of disability.
• Demonstrable experience of providing support to individuals with disabilities, with an understanding of the impact of multiple impairments and complex conditions. 
• Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role, including broader sector/commercial awareness.
• Proven experience of managing and prioritising large or multiple reasonable adjustment projects with efficiency, effectiveness, and strong customer focus.
• Ability to understand and practically apply policy, processes and procedures, but also to recommend improvements and implement changes.
• Demonstrable experience of advising on, researching and effectively managing risks associated with appropriate assistive technologies.
• Proven experience of partnership working with internal and external partners.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills that will help to identify and implement improvements and efficiencies across key areas of work.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the capability to effectively influence and negotiate with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Proven experience of collaborating effectively with trade unions and staff networks. 
• Proven experience of risk management and awareness of legal implications concerning adjustments.
• Using professionalism, tact, and diplomacy, and the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues. 
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied and the ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Desirable:

• Using initiative, personal judgement and resourcefulness to deliver solutions. 
• Demonstrates sensitivity to political and organisational priorities impacting on their area and/or specialism.
• Experience of this type of role in a similar sector e.g. Higher Education, Further Education, the NHS

We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible and welcome applications from individuals with lived experience of disability. For an informal conversation about the role or if you require the job description in an alternative format please contact Caroline O’Mara on the following email address: [email protected].

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.