Position Details
Academic 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: 30th March 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.
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.
Role Summary
The FGA Advisors undertake important activities associated with the University’s Degree Congregations and the administration of student loans, bursaries, scholarships, prizes and hardship funds. They act as an initial point of contact for the team, providing specialist information, advice and guidance on the various government support schemes and other financial help available to students. The post holder will be allocated a portfolio of scholarships and activities to support and will act as a key point of contact for colleagues across the University. They will also contribute to the development and maintenance of the Funding, Graduation & Awards (FGA) website, social media campaigns and associated communications. They will have opportunities to contribute to creative projects in support of the wider objectives of the team, working to provide an excellent graduation experience and finding innovative means of improving funding knowledge and financial capability amongst our students.
Main Duties
* To resolve student funding and graduation enquiries from prospective and current students, parents, staff and external stakeholders. The post holder will be expected to communicate important advice and financial information to students (and applicants), and to be actively involved in promoting and disseminating the work of FGA. Activities will include offering face-to-face advice at on-campus and virtual events, answering sensitive and complex enquiries via email and through online channels, escalating to senior members of the team if necessary.
* To contribute to the development and maintenance of FGA’s online presence, including Frequently Asked Questions, webpages, social media activities and direct emails. To undertake analytics and market research to assess the effectiveness and reach of this content, reporting on findings, identifying issues and making suggestions for improvements.
* To support the administrative and event-management work associated with Degree Congregations, helping to ensure the effective delivery of ceremonies and enhance the graduation experience.
* To liaise with colleagues across the University, gaining the necessary cooperation, trust and respect to facilitate a coordinated approach to the administration of awards and prizes. To be responsible for maintaining a comprehensive contact list, keeping written procedures up to date, and the construction of communications to students and staff as needed.
* To provide advice, training and support to users of the University Funding Administration System (UFAS). As a representative of the Funding, Graduation and Awards team, to set an appropriate tone for collaborative working across the group.
* To assess students’ applications for funding against eligibility criteria for a wide range of financial support packages within a specified time span, dealing with all aspects of the application process and enquiries. This will involve keeping students accurately informed at each stage of the process by communicating the rules governing the various awards, requesting additional evidence as required for the application, and transmitting decisions. The post holder will have a portfolio of awards and funding streams, for which they will be expected to develop and maintain expert knowledge of complex systems and procedures.
* To process financial awards to students, including US Loan allocations and government-funded bursaries, maintaining all associated records and documentation to ensure a comprehensive audit trail. This will include accurately inputting data on the appropriate computerised systems and using this information to generate reports and provide trend analysis.
* To liaise with a range of external organisations (for example, the Student Loans Company, NHS Business Services Authority, and Department for Education) to ensure that students get the funding they are entitled to receive and that issues are resolved in a timely manner.
* To undertake a range of administrative duties to support the work of the team. To maintain a working knowledge of the roles of other members of the FGA team to provide support during peak periods and cover for absences.
* To attend training courses and development activities, using relevant learning opportunities to improve results. The post holder will be expected to keep their knowledge of funding streams up to date, proactively finding opportunities to improve their understanding of these complex systems. To identify potential service improvement and suggest solutions to problems.
* To support equality and value diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
* To undertake such other duties commensurate with the grade as may be required from time to time by the Head of FGA or other senior members of the team.
Person Specification
* Educated to A-Level standard, or equivalent level-3 qualification such as a Level 3 NVQ, or level-3 national diploma, or relevant work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role.
* GCSE English and Mathematics to a minimum of grade C, or equivalent qualifications.
* Proven ability to work productively and effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines, balancing conflicting demands.
* Evidence of excellent attention to detail and ability to complete work to a high level of accuracy.
* Demonstration of good organisational skills, including the ability to appropriately prioritise one’s own work.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling the post holder to deal effectively and appropriately with a range of audiences.
* Ability to use initiative and to work independently without direct supervision, whilst also working well as a member of a team.
* Excellent IT skills, including proven proficiency with MS Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Adobe and Access.
* Proven ability to learn new processes and IT systems quickly and thoroughly.
* Understanding of, and belief in, the principles of customer care.
* Awareness of the sensitive and confidential nature of the work of the team and the impact that your contribution has on the reputation of the University.
* Commitment to supporting the University’s sustainability agenda through resource-efficient working.
* Commitment to supporting equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
* Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
* Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.
* Ideally, experience of working in a busy team, preferably in Higher Education.
* Ideally, experience of using web-editing software.
* Some prior involvement in events would also be an advantage.
Informal enquiries to Jessica Bates, email: j.bates@bham.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.
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