Participation Officer - Active Residences - Campus Services - 106059 - Grade 5

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Birmingham seeks a dynamic individual to lead the Active Residence Programme, promoting community through sport and physical activities to enhance student experience. This role includes planning, delivering activities, and supervising student volunteers to foster engagement and well-being among residents.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday a year

Paid day for volunteering

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Subsidised day nurseries

Qualifications

• Experience of developing student experience in sport and physical activity.
• Experience in organizing sporting or fitness activities.
• Delivery of high level of customer service.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the Active Residence Programme (ARP) for residents.
• Recruit, train and supervise a team of student activators.
• Monitor attendance and satisfaction of participants.

Skills

Problem Solving

Decision-making

Teamwork

Customer Service

Leadership

Organizational Skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in Sports related field

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £29,647 to £31,460, with potential progression once in post to £35,388

Grade: 5

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 27th July 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

Role Summary

You will be responsible for organising and developing the Active Residence Programme (ARP), which delivers sport and physical activity offers to residents of University-owned accommodation to create a sense of community, wellbeing and belonging, with a focus on social interaction. You will work closely with colleagues across Sport & Fitness and Accommodation to curate an annual programme providing accessible activity to all accommodation sites that will include group exercise classes, recreational sport and wellbeing activities. You will recruit, train and supervise student activators, who will deliver activity direct to residents as well as working with colleagues to support additional delivery, e.g. group exercise instructors.You will need to monitor the attendance and satisfaction of participants in order to regularly adapt the programme to meet the need of the student body. Both UoB Sport & Fitness and Student Accommodation are part of Campus Services within the University.

Main Duties

Develop and deliver the Active Residence Programme (ARP) for residents of University-owned accommodation throughout the academic year, including vacation programmes to cater for international and postgraduate research and taught students:

• Coordinate a weekly programme of inclusive and engaging activities across accommodation sites with a focus on enjoyment and social interaction
• Deliver vacation programmes to cater for international and postgraduate research and taught students
• Recruit, train and supervise a team of student activators and club volunteers to support delivery of the ARP, including the advertisement for student workforce and organisation of relevant qualifications
• Evaluating and develop a viable outdoor fitness programme for the ARP
• Coordinate deployment of Group Exercise instructors in collaboration with the Participation team
• Monitor and report on attendance and satisfaction in order to adapt the ARP appropriately
• Ensure activities are risk assessed and safe for participants and deliverers
• Coordinate financial processes (e.g. payments for student staff, equipment purchases) linked to the ARP
• Work across Sport & Fitness, Accommodation and Guild of Student teams to ensure clear coordination and approach to delivery for residents across the wider Residence Life programme
• Work with Marketing and Accommodation to promote the ARP, its successes and its benefits
• Work with the Club Development and Participation teams to ensure appropriate pathways into the existing student club, recreational sport and group exercise offers to aide retention of first year students
• Engage with and support wider Participation and Sport & Fitness team needs as required

Other duties

• You will actively participate in role-related 1:1s and personal development reviews on your own performance, agree objectives and targets, and work to achieve these within agreed timescales
• Undertake any otherduties that may reasonably be required and which can be accommodated within the post holder's grading

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience of developing student experience within sport and physical activity, working collaboratively with colleagues across the University
• Experience in either an operational role, or organising sporting or fitness activities would be advantageous
• Previous experience as an instructor or coach of any kind would be beneficial
• An understanding of higher education and student accommodation
• Previous experience delivering a high level of customer service is highly desirable
• Experience of successfully leading, motivating and managing others, especially in the context of volunteers
• Ability and track record of working as part of a busy team and working effectively under pressure to deadlines
• Effective problem solving and decision-making skills
• IT skills including competence in the use Microsoft 365
• Understands the importance ofequality and diversity in the workplace, including the ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures
• Dedication to providing inclusive and accessible options for all users across our services, with a natural consideration for all ability levels and user backgrounds

Dimensions

This role will provide sport/ fitness specific specialist expertise and leadership.

Planning and Organising

The role will plan for the short to medium term in relation to programme delivery and contribute to the longer strategic plan for the programme.

Problem Solving and decision making

The role will deal with issues with programming, staff, volunteers as well as health and safety issues.

Internal and External relationships

This role will work closely with students and colleagues within the University, notably the Participation, Club Development, Marketing and Accommodation teams, as well as the Guild of Students.

Informal enquiries to Helen Coy, 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 .