Description Position Details External Relations Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK Full time starting salary is normally in the range £35,880 to £45,163 with potential progression once in post to £47,874 Grade: 7 Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to April 2027 Closing date: 10th February 2025 This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager. 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 External Relations is the division responsible for delivering the University of Birmingham to the world and prides itself in seizing opportunities that will enhance the profile and reputation of the University. We communicate with many different audiences to build purposeful relationships internally, locally, nationally and internationally. We enable those who wish to apply to study here to make informed choices. This CRM Manager (Student Recruitment and Marketing) role leads on the ongoing implementation and development of our CRM system, Microsoft Dynamics, to support the student recruitment and marketing agenda and the work of the wider External Relations division. Role Summary The CRM Manager (Student Recruitment and Marketing) works as part of a wider Product team to manage the strategic development, implementation and operational management of our customer relationship management (CRM) system, Microsoft Dynamics. This involves managing stakeholder relationships between the Student Recruitment & Marketing team and the Product team to represent business needs as the project develops and progresses to full product implementation. You will play a pivotal role in building and enhancing our engagement with prospective students and other stakeholders, leveraging data-driven insights, and working collaboratively to ensure that we build a system fit for the future of student recruitment and marketing. Working closely with Heads of Team and the Director of Student Recruitment and Marketing, the post holder will actively engage with all stakeholders as we develop a new CRM solution for use in our student recruitment and marketing work, across the broad spectrum of marketing, events, stakeholder engagement and management, and campaigns. The post holder will work with the rest of the SR&M division to roll out the solution once built and support colleagues in understanding how to get the most out of the system and its constituent parts, putting in place appropriate best practice and training as we continually evolve our use of the system. The successful candidate should have extensive experience in a CRM/marketing role, with a demonstrable background in successfully building relationships and communicating with colleagues, and with strong experience managing projects across digital channels, with direct experience of using Microsoft Dynamics. They should be a creative thinker with excellent attention to detail, and a quick learner who is happy to work independently. They should thrive on the opportunity to produce innovative solutions to any challenges facing the Student Recruitment and Marketing team and demonstrate the ability to work with a variety of stakeholders at all levels. The post holder will interact with others from across the organisation as the new system is rolled out widely, with the plan for an end-to-end solution across the full student lifecycle in the coming years. The CRM Manager (Student Recruitment and Marketing) will work collaboratively across the University and will have excellent interpersonal skills. They will be confident presenting ideas and plans to the wider University community, with the ability to understand complicated information and communicate it concisely. This position is required to use judgement in solving problems and should be comfortable working with external agencies and partners to plan and deliver work as necessary. This role would be suited to someone with Microsoft Dynamics experience, excellent communication and organisation skills, experience managing complex and concurrent projects, and managing complex relationships across large organisations. Main Duties System implementation, optimisation and continued rollout: Act as the subject matter expert for the Student Recruitment and Marketing team to ensure that future product development meets business needs. Work closely with the rest of the Student Recruitment and Marketing team to develop a comprehensive and unified approach to student recruitment and marketing at the University, as well as with colleagues across the institution including those in College teams and the wider External Relations division. Working in partnership with colleagues from across External Relations and IT Services (including the product team building Dynamics), gather requirements from stakeholders and drive the ongoing development and customisation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to meet the changing needs of the University. Stakeholder engagement and relationship management: Work closely with the wider Student Recruitment and Marketing team, Admissions, Colleges and academic departments, to align CRM development and initiatives with the University’s objectives and those of the Student Recruitment and Marketing team. Build strong and long-lasting relationships with colleagues across the University to enhance and champion the activity of the team. Work with Digital Channel Management team to deliver ongoing training to colleagues across the institution using the system for student recruitment and marketing activities. Manage relationships with internal and external partners to determine the needs of projects, with the objective of delivering innovation in student recruitment and marketing and developing high-quality forward-thinking solutions. Lead on developments of appropriate processes and documentation related to the rollout of the new system for student recruitment and marketing, including project roadmaps, best practice communications and processes, and advising on appropriate governance. Play a leading role in bringing together cross-University teams to deliver on key areas of the project, to meet student recruitment targets and enhance the University’s reputation. Reporting and analytics: Work with colleagues in Market Insight to utilise market intelligence and data to inform future campaign development processes and so that we can report effectively on campaign performance. Work with colleagues to develop set of reporting to meet evolving business needs. Use data analytics to evaluate campaign performance, generate insights, and provide recommendations for continuous improvement. Data management: Ensure the integrity, accuracy, and security of CRM data, collaborating with Digital Channel Management, IT Services and other colleagues as necessary. Ensure that future system developments are cognisant of the data needs of the Student Recruitment and Marketing team. CRM strategy development: Work with the wider Student Recruitment and Marketing team and College teams on the effective implementation of CRM strategies to improve student recruitment, engagement, and retention throughout the student acquisition lifecycle. Stay up-to-date with system developments and work with teams on how new developments can be integrated into the University’s work on an ongoing basis. Be proactive in foreseeing upcoming activities and events in the recruitment cycle to stay on top of current trends and devising innovative and creative new ways to reach prospective undergraduate students to meet their changing needs, working with the wider team. Provide professional student recruitment and marketing advice, support and guidance to colleagues from across the University, and act as a brand/CRM champion for Student Recruitment and Marketing, advising colleagues on marketing best practice. Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience Degree level education in a relevant field - where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required Extensive experience in customer relationship management and/or marketing, and using Microsoft Dynamics. Experience in the education sector or a large, complex organisation is desirable. In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its marketing/sales capabilities. Certification in Microsoft Dynamics CRM or a related discipline is an advantage. Demonstrable project management skills and experience with complex campaigns and processes. A strong understanding of, and experience in, using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to develop clear communications strategies. Experience with marketing automation tools and data visualisation software (e.g., Power BI). Strong understanding of digital marketing principles and customer journey mapping. An understanding of, and experience in, managing data quality, consistency, importing and cleansing data, data structure, and GDPR/CMA compliance. Excellent standard of communication, with ability to take complex data and translate it into informative and accessible content across multiple channels. Proficiency in data analysis, segmentation, and reporting to inform strategic decisions, and ability to interpret complex datasets and translate findings into actionable insights. Understanding of the complexities and competing factors related to higher education recruitment. Creative and innovative approach to problem solving. Proven negotiation and influence skills. Well-developed administrative and organisational skills, with proven ability to pay attention to deadlines and detail. Excellent interpersonal skills and a 'can-do' attitude, with an ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal. Ability to engage with and influence people in senior positions. Ability to work under own initiative and juggle multiple priorities at once. Experience of managing agency relationships. To constantly exhibit values and behaviours consistent with the University’s and External Relations’ framework. Have excellent communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues at all levels. Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data. 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. Informal enquiries to Adam Gore, email: a.gorebham.ac.uk View our staff values and behaviours here 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 .