Careers Adviser - Academic Services - 48365Z25 - Grade 7

Position Details

Academic Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to March 2026

Closing date: 9th April 2025

Are you considering a career at the University of Birmingham? Our Recruitment Team is hosting one-to-one conversations to help you understand the application process, provide updates on existing applications, and answer general questions about working at the University. Our next appointments are available on Friday 28th March; click here to book. Further dates and opportunities to connect with us in person will be advertised on future job listings.

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

Working as a careers guidance professional in Careers Network, the post holder will have responsibility for delivering careers advice and guidance, and career development learning, to students within the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS). The post holder will be expected to design and deliver programmes that improve the graduate outcomes of students, in partnership with Employability Tutors; and develop action plans for Schools and Programmes within their caseload.

The post holder will work with the College Careers Consultant on the implementation of the College employability plan alongside other members of the EPS careers team and across the College. They will draw upon their expertise in graduate recruitment, the graduate labour market and employment sectors, the student experience and career aspirations of STEM students, to provide a service that enhances the employability skills of our students, and engages employers, academics, student groups, and alumni.

As a member of staff within Careers Network, the post holder will play an important role in helping the University to meet its overall targets in relation to graduate employability and working collaboratively with a range of colleagues in Careers Network to meet shared objectives.

Main Duties

Service Provision

• Developing School action plans in partnership with Schools and undertaking activity that meets the requirements of these Plans and that can demonstrate impact.
• Analysing data from sources such as Graduate Outcomes and Career Registration and working with the Careers Consultant to develop the employability strategy for the College.
• Supporting the University, and the College, towards a positive performance against Graduate Outcomes; ensuring best practice is being adopted in relation to comparator universities and employment trends.
• Working in partnership with academic and professional services colleagues and students, to develop and deliver a variety of employability services and initiatives; ensuring that services achieve institutional and national quality and professional standards, such as the AGCAS code of practice, and is compliant with relevant legislation and University guidelines.
• Identifying areas for improvement in practices, policies and technology and working with colleagues to implement that improvement.
• Providing careers advice and guidance to students and graduates.
• Developing and delivering employability related lectures and workshops.
• Organising events, engaging employers, speakers and external contacts in partnership with careers tutors.
• Creating resources and information tailored to support the careers provision in Schools.

Dissemination & Communication

• Managing effective communications to students, including content for student newsletters.
• Participating in the research, authoring and dissemination of reports and briefings relating to the College and employability performance and strategic opportunities. Contributing to College committee meetings, including the Graduate Opportunities Committee, College Boards, and Careers Network Directors’ meetings on behalf of the EPS team.
• Identifying trends affecting College related students/graduate employability and supporting the initiation of action and creation of innovative solutions.
• Supporting the identification and development of web based and online resources and careers information for various purposes.
• Maintaining and developing positive stakeholder relations (academics, students, staff, employers and other potential partners). In particular, establishing effective partnerships with employers, alumni and local networks to enhance the careers provision in the College.
• Responding proactively to enquiries from all stakeholders and identifying potential internal and external collaborations that could enhance the employability of students.

Staff Development/ Resource management

• Supervising and supporting administrative and student staff where appropriate.
• Supporting the development and delivery of employability related training provision for colleagues within Careers Network as well as staff in Colleges.
• Contributing towards resources planning, with the Careers Consultant and appropriate working groups; promoting cost effectiveness and value for money for the University.

Other duties

• Contributing to development and delivery of centralised Careers Network activities and services and undertaking occasional weekend and evening work.
• Leading on Careers Network projects and service areas, as directed by the Deputy Director or Director.
• Contributing to quality audits, accreditation exercises and providing information for rankings surveys; collecting service data and evaluations in order to inform the future direction of the service.
• Belonging to AGCAS and contributing as appropriate to its discussions lists, specialist committees and working groups, training, writing and research activities.
• Undertaking other duties as may, from time-to-time, be determined by the Director.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to degree level.
• A recognised careers guidance qualification e.g. Qualification in Career Development, Diploma in Career Guidance, PG Dip. or equivalent.
• Proven experience of working with students or graduates, and the ability to provide them with an excellent customer experience.
• Project management skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Evidence of ability to work under pressure, to manage conflicting demands, and meet challenging targets.
• Evidence of being able to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• A willingness and ability to network and to generate new leads and projects.
• Evidence of strong problem-solving abilities.
• Experience of being able to relate to and work with a range of stakeholders; to inform, persuade and influence with diplomacy and sensitivity.
• Evidence of excellent self and time management skills.
• Evidence of drive and enthusiasm.
• Proficient IT skills including a familiarity with Microsoft applications and experience of working with data.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation relating to employability.
• Commitment to continuous professional development.

Key Capabilities required for the role:

Leading Change

• The ability to manage change effectively and ensure good practice is maintained.

Organisational Understanding

• Understand the diversity of the University, and how various roles and relationships can support objectives.

Strategic Thinking and Perspective

• Demonstrate understanding of the key factors within HE impacting on their area/ specialism.

Performance Management

• Ensure the highest possible service results through effective organisation and management of available resources.

Communication

• Communicate in a variety of styles for a wide range of audiences; and uses effective communication to motivate customers.

Working collaboratively

• Foster collaboration and partnerships in order to meet College and School objectives.

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 Richard Newman, email: r.j.newman@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 everyoneon our website.