College Alumni Relations Manager – College of Medical and Dental Sciences – 42936 – Grade 7

Job title:

College Alumni Relations Manager – College of Medical and Dental Sciences – 42936 – Grade 7

Company

University of Birmingham

Job description

Job Description:Position DetailsCollege of Medical and Dental SciencesLocation: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UKFull time starting salary is normally in the range £34,980 to £44,263 with potential progression once in post to £46,974Grade: 7Full Time, PermanentClosing date: 19th June 2024BackgroundThe College of Medical and Dental SciencesAt the College of Medical and Dental Sciences we are shaping the future of health and medicine through the provision of innovative education and exceptional research, delivered by world-leading academics and supported by a diverse range of committed and high-performing Professional Services staff.Development and Alumni Relations OfficeDARO exists to support the academic and student community by engaging, inspiring, and celebrating alumni, individuals, and charitable funders who give their money, time, and networks to support the University’s strategic priorities. The Office, which is comprised of five teams, is focused on fundraising and volunteering from alumni, organisations and individuals who are passionate about changing lives, through funding various research projects, supporting student bursaries, mentoring students, and providing internships, as well as providing a versatile programme of engagement opportunities for our global alumni community.Role SummaryAre you a successful volunteering or alumni relations professional looking for your next challenge? Do you have a passion for supporting graduates and enhancing the student experience? Are you looking to develop your career at a prestigious organisation?We are looking for a College Alumni Relations Manager to join our team to refine and expand a bold and innovative alumni volunteering programme to support both the priorities of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and DARO. As a DARO business partner for the College, you will be based both within DARO and the College itself. You will join nine other volunteering professionals as part of the wider team and will be responsible for developing a range of volunteering opportunities for alumni, which support the College’s key priorities, and Birmingham 2030 targets, across a diversified curriculum, the student experience, graduate employability, student recruitment, research and influence. You will be responsible for growing the number of alumni volunteers for the College, reporting on the impact of your work internally and the relationship management of a number of key alumni contacts, with a clear focus on supporting international recruitment for the College. You will work with colleagues across DARO to bring alumni closer to the University to support Philanthropic giving.The role of College Alumni Relations Manager is a key position responsible for the development, planning and implementation of a new alumni volunteering strategy for the College, with a focus on International Student Recruitment. We are looking for a motivated team player with the ability to build relationships, project manage, influence and make meaningful activity happen. If you are passionate about connecting people and helping support the employability of students, this is the role for you!Main dutiesIn consultation with the Deputy Director of Operations and the Head of Volunteering, and in collaboration with the College Directors of Education and Research, the post holder is responsible for the development, planning and implementation of a new alumni volunteering strategy for the College focused on the following areas:Supporting education and the student experience

• Facilitating alumni guest lectures, which enhance the student experience; this will include working with key academic contacts to incorporate volunteer alumni input into the curriculum.
• Recruiting high profile alumni volunteers to undertake distinguished lectures, further promoting the College and its profile.
• Identifying ways for alumni volunteers to support the student experience for postgraduate and distance learning students.
• Promoting the alumni service to current students in the College, ensuring they understand the benefits of maintaining a lifelong relationship with the University and their department.
• Facilitating interaction between alumni and academic staff to inform a developing and relevant curriculum.

Enhancing graduate employability and student recruitment

• Engaging alumni volunteers who can provide career profiles and deliver careers talks to undergraduate and postgraduate students, to demonstrate the range of careers that MDS students go into.
• Organising and running successful and professional events for speakers to engage with students.
• Working with the College careers team to engage alumni volunteers who can offer internships and placements to students.
• Increasing the number of alumni mentors that are available for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Supporting Marketing and Careers Network by collating profiles of recent graduates as well as graduate testimonials.
• Supporting student recruitment events by engaging volunteers to attend open days and international pre departure events, with a clear focus on recruiting International students.
• Harnessing the enthusiasm and influence of alumni around the world to support international student recruitment, through digital and in person efforts and quantify the impact of the influence and applications and conversions.
• Working collaboratively with our Careers Network colleagues, Student and Recent Graduate Engagement Manager and Communications team to support engagement with our young alumni, recent graduate employability and affinitiy towards the University, as a means of positively impacting response rates to the Graduate Outcomes survey.

Supporting research and influence

• Identifying and engaging alumni contacts who can support College research objectives by opening up their networks to support research bids.
• Working with the Charitable Funding Partner on the identification of potential research funders and fundraising projects.
• Recruiting alumni volunteers from around the world to act as ambassadors who can advcoate for the College in support of its objectives.
• Working with the central DARO communications team to ensure that key research stories from the College are shared with all alumni and supporters and particularly alumni from the College.
• Proactively identifying, managing and cultivating relationships with influential alumni in industry, higher education, government and policy makers, who have the potential to support College priorities.
• Supporting the relationship management of Honorary Graduates within the College to ensure that their potential to support the College is maximised.
• Championing the impact of alumni volunteering across the College, including delivery of a regular report to the College Board to demonstrate how alumni volunteering is supporting key College objectives.

General

• Promoting equality and valuing diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Supporting the University’s sustainability agenda through resource-efficient working.
• Any other duties as commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Qualified to Degree level or equivalent plus practical managerial experience or significant relevant experience demonstrated through increasingly more demanding roles evidencing the experience necessary for this role
• Substantial experience of project management, preferably in an academic setting.
• Experience of managing volunteers to deliver high-quality support.
• Ability to prioritise own workload.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to persuade and influence.
• The ability to represent the College and University externally with confidence, diplomacy and authority.
• Experience of delivering against agreed targets/KPIs.
• The ability to think and plan strategically, both in the short and long-term.
• The ability to work with initiative, to take decisions and think creatively and laterally.
• Experience of building long-term relationships with key stakeholders.
• An understanding of College and DARO strategic priorities and objectives, and how effective volunteering and alumni relations can support these.
• Excellent IT skills, with working knowledge of standard Microsoft Office software and using custom systems and databases.
• 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.

DimensionsRoles at this level will require a broad understanding and practical experience of an administrative or professional field which will be used to plan the running and development of services and/or lead shorter term projects or contribute to larger projects. You will work with information which needs interpretation and analysis; you will use your judgement to identify the best solution to differing problems and issues, offering recommendations for managing more complex situations. You may also need to liaise and/or co-ordinate activities across a number of different sections within the department or possibly with wider department or external bodies as appropriate.Planning and organising

• plan the running and development of service(s), overseeing resources and inputting into resource planning as appropriate;
• develop, agree and implement standards for delivery for own area;
• manage a team of staff and review, develop and motivate them;
• plan relevant training and development;
• provide professional advice, guidance and support to others within and outside their immediate work area;
• oversee resources and make recommendations about future resource requirements.

Problem solving and decision making

• review, develop and propose solutions for problems with (for example) staff, budgets, services and/or systems;
• deal effectively with unexpected issues, such as changing priorities;
• deal with sensitive people matters/issues;
• provide specialist advice and recommendations to support decision-making of others.

Internal and external relationships

• understand their own and closely-related working areas and how they contribute to the success of the University.
• has an understanding of how the University operates; actively seeks to share this knowledge with others.
• developing empathy with the academic endeavour.
• influence decision makers and win support for proposals;
• develop excellent working relationships within and outside of own area and potentially with external stakeholders;
• co-ordinate activities across a number of areas.

Further particulars can be foundInformal enquiries to Cate LinforthWe 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 .

Expected salary

£34980 – 44263 per year

Location

United Kingdom

Job date

Fri, 31 May 2024 07:35:17 GMT

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