Alumni Event Co-ordinator

Job Purpose

Are you looking to develop your career within events? We are seeking a creative and enthusiastic aspiring events professional to join our Alumni Relations team as the Alumni Events Coordinator. This will be a great opportunity for someone looking to further build upon their experience in events management.

The University of Birmingham is one of the most ambitious institutions in the UK, with world-leading research, outstanding teaching, and a well-rounded experience for our students. After graduation, these students will join a global community of more than 250,000 alumni, many of whom choose to support the University through philanthropy or volunteering. The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) works with alumni and friends of the University locally and internationally, to engage them through our communications, events, fundraising, stewardship, and volunteering programmes. We are an award-winning team, led by some of the most respected names in higher education alumni relations and fundraising, with a track record of success. The University is committed to changing lives in Birmingham and beyond by championing access to education, by undertaking vital medical research, and by making globally important discoveries; and DARO are committed to fundraising for these essential projects to help provide life chances for all.

Our events programme aims to engage with as many people in our community of over 300,000 former students, staff, donors, current students, and students’ families. Whether an event is to bring alumni and friends together, to thank donors, or to cultivate potential donors, our events are purposeful and always of the highest quality.
As an excellent multi-tasker, you will enjoy planning small to large scale events and projects, and possess strong administrative and problem solving skills. You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and be able to work efficiently and tactfully with a wide range of people, including alumni, students, donors, volunteers, and academics. You will have excellent organisational skills and an outstanding attention to detail. Occasional evening and weekend work will be required.

The University’s beautiful 276-acre campus – seven minutes by train from Birmingham city centre - includes 21 listed buildings and 6,500 trees. Nearly 30,000 students create a lively, vibrant working environment, with museums, an art gallery and botanical gardens, cafes, shops, concert halls, and sporting facilities. The benefits available to University staff include excellent transport links and our own University station, additional holidays at Christmas and Easter, access to the USS pension scheme, and the brand new Sports Centre and pool opening in 2017. For an informal discussion of this post, please contact Anne-Marie Vassiliadis on a.f.vassiliadis@bham.ac.uk or +44 (0)121 414 4001.

Person Specification

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Passion for, commitment to, and knowledge of higher education, the role of alumni as volunteers and donors, and the priorities of students
• Personal confidence, independence and determination to succeed as an individual and as part of a team
• Knowledge of and commitment to the higher education sector and a strong belief in the importance of universities in society, coupled with an awareness of the issues that they face and an acceptance of the importance of the diversification of their funding base
• Substantial experience of event administration and/or management
• Excellent attention to detail
• Calm under pressure
• Effective, confident communicator with people at all levels (written and verbal)
• Creative thinker with a practical nature and ability to problem solve
• Good all-round IT skills
• Good team worker
• Experience of working with a CRM or updating webpages is desirable