Aimhigher Assistant Outreach Officer - External Relations - 106244 - Grade 6 na The University of Birmingham

Position Details

External Relations

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Grade: 6

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to July 2026

Closing date: 14th September 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

Background

External Relations is comprised of nine teams which help drive delivery of the University’s strategic framework. External Relations communicates with Birmingham’s many different audiences in order to build purposeful relationships internally, locally, nationally, and globally. We enable those who wish to apply to study on undergraduate and postgraduate courses to make informed choices whilst ensuring our partnerships, profile and reputation reflects the success of the University and delivers impact. External Relations sits within the University’s Professional Services structure which provides outstanding support to our researchers, enables an exceptional educational experience for our students, and helps the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally.

External Relations drives forward crucial strategic developments to maximise competitive advantage for the University and support flagship institutional projects.

External Relations plays an important role in the University’s research ambition, working closely with academic colleagues to support research grant bids, help ensure political and public engagement, and assist in REF and impact development. To support international reputation and research impact, we also develop strategic partnerships in key priority regions, utilising our offices in China and India to further broaden international engagement.

The Student Recruitment and Outreach Office forms part of External Relations and our responsibilities cover a wide range of functions relating to widening participation and access, admissions, student recruitment, international strategy and overseas links and collaboration of many kinds. This includes delivering the commitment of the University to widening participation in Higher Education, to ensure that able students from under–represented groups are encouraged to access a university education.

An important part of the ethos of our Office is that staff work co-operatively across all sections to provide an effective, efficient and friendly service to the University, its staff, students, applicants and all those with whom we come into contact. 

Role Summary

This post will work as a member of the Aimhigher Team in the central coordination hub based at the University of Birmingham, as part of the OfS funded Uni Connect Programme. The Aimhigher Assistant Outreach Officer will provide and deliver vital in-school outreach activity including, but not limited to, mentoring programmes, workshops and talks to a group of partner schools across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. It is vital candidates are willing to travel and are confident and enjoy working with the young people the programme supports (school learners from years 7 to 13). 

Main Duties

• To deliver a targeted programme of activities with partner schools including, but not limited to, giving presentations, leading workshops, delivering campus visits. This will involve regular travel, both regionally and sometimes working outside of core hours.
• To inspire the ‘next generation’ of students, articulating the benefits of both further and higher education. In order to do this, you will need to work as part of the team to develop content for activities, workshops, and presentations to engage and inspire target learners.
• To develop and maintain relationships and liaise with individual contacts from an identified group of schools to agree a programme of activities for their learners from years 7 to 13, and to act as the main point of contact for those schools, ensuring engagement and communication.
• Support the partnership in the design and development of digital resources to be used in presentations, booklets and social media.
• Ensure accurate attendance data is collected in conjunction with each event, and appropriate evaluation is performed.
• Support the recruitment and training of the Student Ambassadors employed to support the partnership in the delivery of its activity. 
• Provide programme level support across the partnership when needed, including but not limited to support on Unifest programme, campus visit days and school liaison. 
• Contribute to other activities and duties of the team as required.
• 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. 
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Person Specification

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) - where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
• Knowledge and understanding of UK education system.
• Understanding of widening participation policy and partnership working.
• Experience of working within the HE / education sector.
• Experience of project coordination.
• Experience of working with young people.
• Experience creating/editing content for social media channels.
• Excellent interpersonal skills whether dealing with students, academic staff, external organisations or other members of the office team.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present engagingly, answer questions and maintain a professional demeanour.
• Ability to build relationships at all levels.
• Ability to work as part of a team but also without direction.
• The ability to empathise with young people and prospective students.
• Ability to interpret and present data in a wide range of formats.
• Proven IT skills (Microsoft Office) including use of databases.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage time effectively.
• Flexibility, tact and diplomacy.
• Attention to detail and ability to work under pressure.
• Willing to travel around the region for work.
• A full, current, clean driving licence to drive hire vehicles and be willing to drive for work.
• Awareness of Child Protection issues. Prepared to undergo enhanced DBS check.
• Prior work experience in a Higher Education or other educational environment.
• Experience of coordinating projects.
• Experience of working with young people.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data.
• 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 Baljinder Rana, email: [email protected] 

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.