Description Position Details External relations Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,546 to £35,116 with potential progression once in post to £39,355 Grade: 6 Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to October 2025 Closing date: 1st April 2025 Are you considering a career at the University of Birmingham? Our Recruitment Team is hosting one-to-one conversations to help you understand the application process, provide updates on existing applications, and answer general questions about working at the University. Our next appointments are available on Friday 28th March; click here to book. Further dates and opportunities to connect with us in person will be advertised on future job listings. 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 thriving in-house agency at the University of Birmingham. The work we do is across a variety of audiences, numerous clients and a wide variety of media and formats. We deliver high quality, innovative solutions across creative, design, digital, video and print. This role is key to the agency’s success, developing multi-media creative ideas across a variety of disciplines for high profile and/or strategically important projects. The post holder will have a specialism in design and contribute to our creative offering to our clients. Role Summary You will be responsible for generating creative concepts and delivering high quality design for multi-discipline campaigns - producing the very best solutions to help solve client challenges. You will respond to a brief with an open and enquiring mind – including but not limited to design, video, animation, digital and in print. You will have the support of specialists in digital and media to help in making big ideas a reality, however you will be able to ideate cross-discipline and have a passion for creative no matter what the discipline. You will work collaboratively with the internal creative team and external suppliers to deliver engaging content that resonates with audiences, as well as producing content alone. You will be passionate about design, new tools, approaches and technologies, keeping abreast of the latest innovations and trends and pro-actively put forward ideas to support clients’ challenges and drive business growth. Main Duties Creative and Content Production Will envision and deliver original, highly innovative, multi-disciplined creative solutions to meet client brief within budget. This will include; effectively interpreting briefs, researching audiences and developing solutions strong idea generation from concept development to scamps through to mock-ups and polished final artwork conceive messaging and write creative copy Lead on the content creation for high profile, strategic projects including developing pitch presentations for new business. Manage and provide creative leadership and oversight for other content producers on projects from ideation to delivery. Producing high quality, accurate final files to print and digital specifications, including checking proofs. As a technical expert you will advise on all areas of design, including scoping projects, equipment, software and feeding into the review and enhancement production and working processes. The role is a task and project driven role that may require work outside of core hours and is driven by schedules and by delivery deadlines. The post holder may therefore be required to work both flexible and extended hours to deliver. Teams/Relationships/Communications Confidently communicate to clients and internal teams, active participation in briefing and feedback meetings, leading on advising from a concept and design perspective. Work closely with and support the Account Management team and attend client meetings to review client briefs, develop ideas and assess or advise on project resource and requirements. Contributing with training and developing the in-house team’s skills and assisting with the continual development and enhancement of the team’s creative expertise, including knowledge sharing. Respond to feedback in an appropriate manner, listening and providing advice. Ensure content is accessible to all end-users, the regulatory and legal requirements such as meeting copyright and intellectual property requirements, web accessibility is compliant; and all content adheres to University brand guidelines and policies. Support and contribute to developing the agency’s reputation, including sharing knowledge, regular contributing to social media, blogs, etc. Act as a role model to other members of the team in championing External Relations values and behaviours. Innovation Identify new innovation opportunities to support the realisation of the profit target and growth of the agency – through regular horizon scanning and networking to stay abreast of the latest emerging trends and innovations, turning these into recommendations which can be pitched to clients, working with the Head of Creative and Head of Account Management. Identify opportunities for Creative Media to support University objectives by seeking and building relationships with staff across the University as well as external contacts, including developing, maintaining and using professional networks. Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture. Continuously develop own skillset to ensure the agency’s creative and design offering meets the needs of the clients now and in the future. Any other duties as required by the Director of Creative Media/Head of Creative Person Specification Level of knowledge and/or educational qualifications required: A degree level or qualification in a relevant area or equivalent qualifications or relevant equivalent work experience in graphic design, digital and media A high level of experience with industry standard packages, including Adobe Creative Cloud, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects and Presentation software, as well as Microsoft Office/PowerPoint to create, edit and post produce content and assets - including concepting, brand creation, brand identity, brand guidelines and development, print design, animation, storyboarding, motion graphics A thorough technical understanding of graphic design, typography and digital standards Knowledge of website interface design and usability, HTML and CSS Experience of using Content Management Systems Good understanding of web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) accessibility regulations and creating with accessibility in mind so that all online content meets or exceeds AA legal accessibility guidelines Moderate skills to be able to produce basic animations, films (e.g. talking heads), social media videos and photography Project management skills including project budget management Basic film and photography experience are desirable Pitch experience, copywriting skills, awareness of 3D and XR are desirable Skills/Attributes required: Significant proven experience in industry, agency experience is essential A passion for creating content and continuously developing knowledge and skillset Confident communicator, able to clearly convey complex ideas or technical details and sell them to the client and internally Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects and keep calm and focused under pressure Exceptional attention to detail, maintaining high standards and brand consistency Good time management, taking projects from concept through to delivery, on budget and to deadline All round knowledge of design processes, including in-depth technical knowledge and user experience Pro-active – researching new services/new ways of doing things and proven experience of implementing them Excellent interpersonal skills and a ‘can-do’ problem solving attitude to build and maintain positive relationships Demonstrative experience of working with commercial brands Line management experience is desirable Experience in regards to basic media production including camera, lighting and editing is desirable 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 Garry Hart, email: g.hart.1bham.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 .