Partnerships Administration Lead

Birmingham City University; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 38,050 - 44,131; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work–life balance

Hybrid working (role dependent)

Career development

Reward and wellbeing

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Birmingham City University is seeking a Partnerships Administration Lead to head the Student and Programme Administration team within SaAS, delivering high-quality administrative services for global and domestic partnerships. You will manage a specialist team, build strong relationships with academic colleagues and external partners, and drive continuous improvement across processes and data management.

The role requires experience in higher education student administration, excellent

Qualifications

• Experience of managing a team within a busy administrative environment.
• Experience of delivering programme or student administration services within a higher education setting.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Experience of building productive working relationships across departments and professional services.
• Knowledge of administrative processes that support the student lifecycle.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate student records.
• Ability to identify solutions and respond to operational challenges within a complex environment.
• Experience of using student records systems or other digital systems to support programme administration.
• Familiarity with higher education regulations and academic programme structures.
• Experience of working with external stakeholders.
• Experience of coaching, mentoring or developing colleagues within a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the administrative delivery of the University's global and domestic partnership provision, ensuring compliance with partnership agreements, academic regulations and institutional policies.
• Manage and develop a specialist team responsible for partnership administration, aligning resources with partnership requirements and student recruitment.
• Act as the operational expert for partnership provision across Schools, fostering effective communication between teams and external partners.
• Lead the continuous review and improvement of systems and processes to ensure accuracy and timeliness of partnership data within SITS:Vision.
• Ensure enrolment, module registration, assessment and progression activities are delivered accurately and on time.
• Serve as the principal operational contact for external partners and academic colleagues to support programme delivery.
• Monitor service performance and quality, ensuring compliance with procedures and partnership requirements.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, supervision and development for team members and promote a high-performing culture.
• Oversee workload allocation, balance workloads, meet deadlines and escalate issues when needed.

Skills

Team management

Administrative delivery

Organisation

Stakeholder relations

Student lifecycle knowledge

Detail orientation

Problem solving

Digital systems experience

Higher education regulations

External stakeholder engagement

Coaching / mentoring

Tools

SITS:Vision

Job description

Department Student and Programme Administration Location City Centre Campus (Millennium Point) Salary £38,050 to £44,131per annum Permanent Post Type Full Time Release Date 20 July 2026 Closing Date 23.59 hours BST on Monday 10 August 2026 Reference S126035

Please note: Transitional pay points within Grade F will be removed from 01 August 2026. Appointments made on or after this date will be to the relevant substantive pay point within the grade. Where an appointment is made to a transitional pay point before 01 August 2026, salary will automatically move to the relevant substantive pay point within the grade from 01 August 2026.

About Birmingham City University

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world-class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Partnerships Administration Lead to join ourStudent and Programme Administration teamwithin the Directorate of Student and Academic Services, supporting the delivery of high-quality services across the University.

The Directorate of Student and Academic Services (SaAS) leads the development and delivery of outstanding student-facing services across the student and academic lifecycle, from enrolment through to graduation. In this role, you will lead the operational delivery of administrative services for the University's global and domestic partnership provision, ensuring services are delivered efficiently, accurately and in accordance with University regulations, collaborative agreements and service standards. You will manage a specialist team, build strong relationships with academic colleagues and external partners, and drive continuous improvement to deliver an excellent experience for students and partner institutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the administrative delivery of the University's global and domestic partnership provision, ensuring compliance with partnership agreements, academic regulations and institutional policies.
• Manage and develop a specialist team responsible for partnership administration, aligning resources with partnership requirements and student recruitment, while ensuring processes are documented and staff are appropriately trained.
• Act as the operational expert for partnership provision across Schools, fostering effective communication between teams, academic colleagues, Global Partnerships and external partner organisations.
• Lead the continuous review and improvement of systems and processes to ensure the accuracy, integrity and timeliness of partnership student data within the University's student records system (SITS:Vision).
• Ensure key student administration activities, including enrolment, module registration, assessment and progression, are delivered accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Act as the principal operational contact for external partners and academic colleagues, building strong collaborative relationships to support programme delivery.
• Monitor service performance and quality, ensuring compliance with University procedures, service standards and partnership requirements.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, supervision and development for team members, supporting continuous improvement and a high-performing team culture.
• Manage the allocation of work across the team, ensuring workloads are balanced, deadlines are achieved and operational issues are escalated where appropriate.
• Experience of managing a team within a busy administrative environment.
• Experience of delivering programme or student administration services within a higher education setting.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, manage competing demands and meet deadlines.
• Experience of building productive working relationships across departments and professional services.
• Knowledge of administrative processes that support the student lifecycle.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining accurate student records.
• Ability to identify solutions and respond effectively to operational challenges within a complex environment.
• Experience of using student records systems or other digital systems to support programme administration.
• Familiarity with higher education regulations and academic programme structures.
• Experience of working with external stakeholders.
• Experience of coaching, mentoring or developing colleagues within a team.

Further Information

If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of partnership programme administration and contribute to an outstanding experience for our students and partners, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Nina Amosat [e-mail].

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Interviews for this role are envisioned to take place on 20 August 2026.

• Work–life balance – Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
• Career development – Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
• Reward and wellbeing – Competitive pay, pension, wellbeing support and staff benefits.
• Inclusive culture – A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route, subject to meeting the relevant criteria. For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

Disability Confident Employer

Birmingham City University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company, BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to re-enter the scheme may do so and will be employed directly by the University.