Senior Account Manager - External Relations - 98945 - Grade 7

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Birmingham is seeking a Senior Account Manager to manage client portfolios and deliver high-quality service. You will support business growth and ensure services meet client needs. The ideal candidate has expertise in account management and experience in team leadership. This full-time role offers competitive salary and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Paid volunteering day

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Qualifications

• Educated to at least degree level in a relevant field.
• Proven client account management expertise.
• Proven team management experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of key clients delivering high-quality service.
• Build close long-term relationships with clients.
• Prepare quotations and detailed schedules for clients.
• Support business growth by aligning services with client needs.

Skills

Strong communication and presentation skills

Managerial and organisational skills

Ability to manage multiple projects

Education

Degree in Marketing, Advertising, Media Studies, Business Management or Design

Job description

Position Details

External Relations

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time , Permanent

Closing date: 23rd September 2025

UK travel may be required for this role

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, and we are 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 to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career 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 and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of 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 days paid holiday a 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 the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

We are a full-service agency at the University of Birmingham. We are part of External Relations and our role is to support the University’s strategic framework - research that matters, learning for the future and engaging for impact and creating a vibrant intellectual environment.

Role Summary

The work we do is across a variety of audiences, numerous clients and sectors – not only education but also arts and entertainment, B2B, charity and construction.

We deliver high quality, innovative solutions across creative, design, digital, media and in print.

Reporting to the Head of Account Management, the Senior Account Manager will manage a portfolio of key clients, delivering an excellent, high-quality service alongside playing a key role in supporting business growth and ensuring our services align to the needs of our customers, now and in the future.

Main Duties

As the Senior Account Manager, your responsibilities will include:

• Working with the Head of Account Management to deliver exceptional service alongside the wider Account Team, this will also include training and development of the team (especially junior colleagues) and potentially line managing three Account Managers
• Having a clear understanding of a client’s requirements and the ability to translate these into a creative brief whilst adhering to the University identity principles
• Preparing quotations, writing up briefs and detailing schedules for clients
• Building close long-term relationships with current and new clients, gaining in-depth knowledge of their requirements and understanding and interpreting their brief effectively
• Managing and delivering the portfolio of projects, paying special focus to those that meet the Creative Media triage– high profile, high value and high priority
• Offering a level of strategic marketing expertise to clients, where possible making recommendations to enhance the client brief for clients to get added value and specialist expertise
• Presenting pitches and creative solutions on behalf of CM as well as hosting meetings with a wide range of clients at various levels across the University from College Marketing Managers to Senior Management
• Liaising between clients, third party suppliers and/or internal CM teams so as to ensure that the project is successfully delivered in the most suitable format within budget, within deadline and within the brief criteria
• Supporting the Head of Account Management in developing and delivering the CM sales and marketing plan
• Regular reporting on project status, managing client expectations and relationships with the team and the Head of Account Management
• Deputising for the Head of Account Management where necessary
• Act a role model to other members of the team in championing ER values and behaviours
• Promote equality and value diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture

Person Specification

Person Specification Level of knowledge and/or educational qualifications required:

• Educated to at least degree level in Marketing, Advertising, Media Studies, Business Management or a Design/Creative discipline and/or have extensive experience within a similar role
• Proven client account management expertise or other relevant experience
• Proven people/team management experience
• Experience of managing and delivering projects (media experience would be a bonus)
• Experience of working with commercial brands

Skills/Attributes required:

• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Well-developed managerial and organisational skills, e.g., developing, planning, scheduling, prioritising and the ability to work accurately to an agreed deadline
• Ability to monitor project budgets and resource
• Ability to work in a self-motivated team environment
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects whilst maintaining strict attention to detail

Level of previous experience required:

• Proven account management or relevant experience in an agency setting
• Experience in successfully delivering client-focused solutions based on customer needs

Informal enquiries to Stephanie Jones, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours

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.