Business School Alumni Relations Manager - College of Social Sciences - 44287 - Grade 7

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious university in Birmingham is seeking an Alumni Relations Manager to enhance alumni engagement and support student experiences. This role involves developing innovative volunteering programs and building relationships with stakeholders. The successful candidate will have experience in alumni relations or similar fields and will play a crucial role in fostering a strong alumni community.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Qualified to Degree level or equivalent plus managerial experience.
• Experience managing volunteers and delivering against KPIs.
• Ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead the alumni relations activity for Birmingham Business School.
• Develop and implement an alumni volunteering strategy.
• Engage with alumni to support student experience and graduate employability.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Project Management

Negotiation Skills

Communication

Relationship Building

Education

Degree Level Qualification

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Position Details

College of Social Sciences

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, Permanent

Closing date: 11th August 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, andweare 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 todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.With almost 5,000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai, there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer 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 andtothe success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer avarietyof 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 dayspaid holidaya 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 thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) Overview

Our University has a proud history of philanthropy stretching back to its foundation in 1900. With a clear vision to change the lives of the people of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain raised the funds required to build the University from citizens and corporations based locally and around the globe. Since then philanthropy has continued to play an important role in shaping the University. There have been several fundraising campaigns, including a £1m urgent capital appeal after the Second World War and a £1.4m campaign to fund the Vale ‘student village’ in the 1960s. In 2015 we closed the Circles of Influence Campaign, raising £193 million, making it the largest HE fundraising campaign outside Oxbridge and London.

The University has global reach, including several partnerships with other leading universities around the world, and is grounded in our local community, having opened the first fully comprehensive University secondary school in the country in 2015. We are an ambitious and successful research-intensive University (one of the top 100 research-led universities globally) and have produced 10 Nobel Prize winners, including three who received their awards in 2016. Academics here are exploring the impact of climate change, helping to address global health epidemics, and changing our understanding of Shakespeare. Our students come from nearly 150 countries and our flagship outreach programmes mean that almost 25% of our student population come from underrepresented backgrounds: one of the highest proportions in the UK.

DARO exists to support this 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.

College of Social Sciences (CoSS) Overview

The College of Social Sciences comprises the Schools of Social Policy and Society, Government, Education and the Birmingham Business School. It is a vibrant community with over 12,000 students as well more than 600 academic staff and nearly 300 Professional Services staff across a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. Our work

impacts all areas of society from business and politics to education, justice, health, and social care. We have a highly diverse international staff body, teach programmes in Dubai, Singapore and online as well as in Birmingham, and we have over 100,000 alumni in more than 185 countries.

Birmingham Business School (BBS) overview

Birmingham Business School'svision is to promote curiosity and thought leadership for responsible business. Across its education and research frameworks, it is embedding a culture of responsible business and inclusive values and stepping up to be key contributors to the responsible business agenda. This is an exciting time to join Birmingham Business School which, along with just a handful of the world’s business schools, holds the gold standard of ‘triple-crown’ accreditation from the AACSB(Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), AMBA (Association of MBAs) and EQUIS(European Quality Improvement System) and holds Bronze Athena Swan Award for its commitment to gender equality.

Role Summary

Are 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 an Alumni Relations Manager to lead the alumni relations activity for Birmingham Business School. In collaboration with the College Alumni Relations Manager, the postholder will support the strategic aims of the Business School, College of Social Sciences and the Development and Alumni Relations Office through the development, planning and implementation of a bold and innovative alumni volunteering programme for the Business School within the College of Social Sciences.

As part of the DARO team for the College, you will be based both within DARO and the College. As part of the wider volunteering team, you will deliver a range of volunteering opportunities for alumni, which support the implementation of the College of Social Sciences’ 2030 strategy, as well as delivering Birmingham 2030 targets. You will play a key role securing volunteers for a broad range of priorities within the Business School, including student experience, graduate employability, supporting international recruitment, and global brand and reputation. You will work with colleagues across DARO and College to bring alumni closer to the University to support philanthropic giving.

The role of Business School Alumni Relations Manager is responsible for the development, planning and implementation of an alumni volunteering strategy for the Business School. We are looking for a motivated team player with the ability to build relationships across a wide range of stakeholders, influence, project manage and make meaningful activity happen. If you are passionate about connecting people and helping to support the employability of students, this is the role for you!

Main Duties

As the Business School Alumni Relations Manager, you will be an integral part of the College of Social Sciences’ alumni relations team, the College of Social Sciences (CoSS) and of the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO).You will be the first point of contact for colleagues in the Business School and, with the College Alumni Relations Manager, be responsible for the development and delivery of a Business School volunteer engagement strategy.

• Responsible for developing, delivering and evaluating a Business School-wide volunteer engagement strategy which delivers against key objectives such as QS rankings, Business School accreditations, international student recruitment, student experience and graduate outcomes.
• Working with the MBA leadership team, develop a bespoke alumni relations strategy that supports MBA objectives.
• Working with the Dean of the Business School, be responsible for the management of the BBS Alumni Advisory Board, including the recruitment and training of members and setting purposeful agendas which will support the School’s strategy and priorities.
• Identify and deliver opportunities for alumni to enable students and faculty to engage with practice such as hosting company treks, mentoring, offering internships or placements.
• Identify, secure and steward volunteers for a wide range of School activity.This may include hosting events and visits in the UK and overseas, and working with School leadership where appropriate.
• Identify opportunities to engage current students with the objective of developing an active alumni community upon graduation.
• Build excellent relationships with key colleagues across the School including Director of Business School Operations, Dean of the Business School, Director of MBA, Corporate Relations Manager, BBS Head of Careers, colleagues within the Dubai campus, and work collaboratively to identify and deliver opportunities for alumni volunteers to realise College priorities.
• Responsible for championing the interests of the School within DARO and vice versa, ensuring that alumni engagement and philanthropic support opportunities are maximised.
• Identify and deliver broader engagement opportunities for School alumni including sending newsletters, reunions and hosting visits.
• Work collaboratively with the wider University volunteering team to share best practice and to support University-wide initiatives as required.
• Promote equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Qualified to Degree level or equivalent plus practical people and project managerial experience or significant relevant experience demonstrated through increasingly more demanding roles evidencing the experience necessary for this role.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship building and influencing skills with the ability to deal confidently with a range of internal and external stakeholders/contacts across all levels.
• An understanding of the Business School, College and DARO strategic priorities and objectives, and how effective volunteering and alumni relations can support these.
• Experience of managing volunteers to deliver high-quality support.
• The ability to represent the College and University externally with confidence, diplomacy and authority.
• Experience of delivering against agreed targets/KPIs.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to persuade and influence.
• 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.
• Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office and using custom systems and databases. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
• 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.

Dimensions

Roles 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 are likely to be responsible for managing a team of staff, being accountable for recruiting and developing them and for managing performance. 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.

Informal enquiries to Jennifer MacKey, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviourshere

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 .