Alumni Communications and Events Administrator

The Open University UK; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

The Open University is seeking an ACE Administrator in Milton Keynes to assist alumni events, web and social media coordination, and broader team administration. Two positions are available, with responsibilities spanning event delivery, CMS updates, and social media scheduling.

The role emphasizes strong IT skills, attention to detail, and effective communication across stakeholders. A hybrid working pattern is anticipated, with occasional campus attendance in Milton Keynes.

Qualifications

• IT skills including word processing, electronic diaries, email, task lists, PowerPoint, spreadsheets, databases and internet packages; proficient Excel skills.
• Experience of busy and varied administration work.
• Experience of supporting events, including administrative support and on-site attendance.
• Experience with Content Management Systems (CMS) and web editing.
• Understanding of applying basic brand principles for social posts/collateral.
• Experience using social media, specifically LinkedIn and X.

Responsibilities

• Support the Alumni and Events Manager on event delivery, including preparing collateral and managing registrations.
• Attend events and provide on-site support.
• Ensure brand consistency in event materials and web content updates.
• Assist with online webinars and catering/travel logistics.
• Support content updates on websites and team intranet; manage online assets.
• Assist in preparing eNews and mailings; scheduling social media posts.

Skills

Strong IT skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Oral and written communication

Social media proficiency

Tools

Microsoft Excel

CMS systems

LinkedIn/X social media management

Job description

Job Location: Milton Keynes Department: Planning and Operations Salary: £27,319 to £30,378 Closing Date: 1 October 2026 Weekly Working Hours: 37 Contract Type: Permanent Fixed Term Contract: End Date: Welsh Language: Not Applicable

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK's largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education, combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

About the Role

There are two positions available for this role.

The Alumni Services, Communications and Events (ACE) Administrator works primarily on events, web and social media coordination, but also has responsibility for wider team support and administration. The team manages the Alumni Benefits programme, as well as the delivery of digital development, events, corporate communications and internal communications.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting the Alumni and Events Manager on event delivery, Including;
  • Preparing collateral for events such as name badges, delegate lists, prospectuses and other literature and marketing materials as required.
  • Support in the requesting and administration of event registration programmes.
  • Attending events and providing on-site support.
  • Ensuring brand compliance in events materials.
  • Provide administrative support and set up at online webinars.
  • Provide administrative support for catering and travel related to events.
• Working under the guidance of the team members to undertake updates and add content to websites and team intranet.
• Work to and maintain processes to manage online assets.
• Support in the preparation of eNews and mailings.
• Support the Digital Co-ordinator in the creation and scheduling of social media posts.
• Monitor mailboxes and deal with queries within agreed timescales on behalf of the ACE team, escalating queries if necessary to the Manager and Senior Manager as appropriate.
• Support with the administration of alumni career and engagement activity.
• Support in the production of required metrics and insights.

About You

Essential Criteria:

• IT skills including good working knowledge of word processing, electronic diaries, email, task list, PowerPoint, spreadsheets, database and internet packages. Proficient Excel skills required.
• Experience of busy and varied administration work.
• Previous experience of supporting events, including administrative support and on-site attendance.
• Previous experience of working with Content Management Systems (CMS) and web editing.
• An understanding of the application of basic brand principles (for when creating new social posts/collateral).
• Experience of using Social Media, specifically LinkedIn and X.
• Organisational skills with the ability to manage own workload and support others to do the same.
• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy, demonstrating good attention to detail even under pressure.
• Oral and written communication skills including accurate written English skills commensuarate with the role.
• Ability to communicate and liaise effectively with a wide range of people at all levels both inside and outside the Open University.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of representing an organisation in work-related situations.
• Experience using Canva or similar to create content for social media.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email [e-mail] quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Work location

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance on our Milton Keynes campus will be required throughout the contract. On average we would expect this to be once per month annually.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

Interviews for this role are likely to be held in w/c 12 October.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

Contact us

If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application,please contact: [e-mail] .