Alumni Volunteer Manager - College of Arts and Law

Job Purpose

Are you an experienced volunteering or alumni relations professional with the ability to develop and implement a new and innovative alumni volunteering programme within an academic College? Are you looking to develop your career at a prestigious organisation?

The University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries. The University is renowned for its research excellence and its researchers have received 11 Nobel Prizes. From pioneering organ transplants, discovering gravitational waves and furthering understanding of Shakespeare, to developing cures for cancer, advances in robotics and revealing the structure of DNA, the University has been at the forefront of some of the most ground-breaking discoveries of the last 100 years.

The beautiful 276-acre campus – seven minutes by train from Birmingham city center - 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.

The College of Arts and Law
The College of Arts and Law (CAL) is home to over 6,000 students from the UK and across the world, making it the second largest on campus. It is home to world-renowned research centres and hosts the College of Arts and Law Graduate School to support postgraduate students.

Development and Alumni Relations Office
The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) exists to support this academic and student community by engaging, inspiring, and celebrating alumni, individuals, and charitable funders who give their money, time, and networks to support the University’s strategic priorities. The Office, which is comprised of 50 staff across five teams, is focused on fundraising and volunteering from alumni and individuals who are passionate about changing lives, through funding various research trials, supporting student bursaries, mentoring students, and providing internships. We are currently shaping an innovative and ambitious fundraising campaign which aims to change lives both locally and globally.

The role
We are now looking for an Alumni Volunteer Manager to join our team to shape and deliver a bold and innovative alumni volunteering programme to support both the priorities of the College of Arts and Law DARO. As a DARO business partner for the College, you will be based both within DARO and the College itself. You will be responsible for developing a range of volunteering opportunities for alumni, which support the College’s key priorities across a diversified curriculum, the student experience, graduate employability, student recruitment, research and influence. You will be responsible for growing the number of alumni volunteers for the College, reporting on the impact of your work internally and the relationship management of a number of key alumni contacts.
 

Person Specification

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
Knowledge and experience

•A strong track record of securing a large number of volunteers from across a wide variety of sectors.
•Experience of building long-term relationships with senior individuals.
•Passion for, commitment to, and knowledge of higher education and the role of philanthropy and volunteering.
•Experience of delivering against agreed targets.
•Experience of working in a large, complex organization.
•Awareness and understanding of College and University activities and objectives, particularly in relation to research and education.
•Understanding of and empathy with the vision and mission of the University of Birmingham and the College of Art and Law.

Strategic thinking & perspective

•Demonstrates an understanding of College and DARO strategic priorities and objectives, and how effective volunteering and alumni relations can support these.
•The ability to think and plan strategically, both in the short and long-term.
•The ability to work with initiative, to take decisions and think creatively and laterally.
•Proven problem solving capability.
•A good understanding of the needs of academics and how you can best support the academic community.

Communication & collaboration

•The ability to work across two parts of the University, ensuring the priorities of each area complement each other.
•Strong written and verbal communication skills.
•Able to interact effectively with senior colleagues (particularly within the College), volunteers, Honorary Graduates, donors and others.
•Strong negotiation skills and the ability to persuade and influence.
•The ability to represent the College and University externally with confidence, diplomacy and authority.
•Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues within the College, both academics and professional services staff, and within DARO, particularly the fundraising and engagement teams.

General

•Educated to degree level or equivalent.
•Commitment to the vision and values of the College, DARO and the University.
•An attitude of delivering the best ‘customer service’ within the College and an attention to detail.
•Strong sense of professional integrity.
•Ability to prioritise own workload under pressure.
•The ability to work effectively both in a team and independently.
•Personal confidence, independence and determination to succeed.
•Good organisational skills.
•An understanding of the implications of the Data Protection Act
•The flexibility to work unsociable hours (evenings and weekends) and to travel in the UK and overseas if/when required by the role.