External Relations Officer

The Health Services Management Centre (HSMC) is one of the leading centres specializing in policy, development, education and research in health and social care services in the UK. HSMC's prime purpose is to strengthen the management and leadership of these services and to promote improved health and well-being.

The University of Birmingham's HSMC is part of a Consortium led by KPMG, and includes the University of Manchester (Alliance Manchester Business School, AMBS), National Voices and Leo and who together are providing two leadership programmes commissioned by the NHS Leadership Academy. The two programmes are the Elizabeth Garratt Anderson programme, an MSc in healthcare leadership and the Nye Bevan programme for aspiring NHS directors.

Responsibility for the administrative support of the NHS Leadership Academy programmes, primarily the Elizabeth Garratt Anderson programme with approximately 1,500 participants, is held by HSMC and overseen by the Senior Academic Programmes Manager and Programmes Director.

Knowledge of Higher Education postgraduate programmes is essential and knowledge of the NHS is desirable. Core responsibilities of the External Relations Admin Officer role will be to:

Support the Senior Programmes Manager in managing the external relationships across the University of Birmingham (UoB), the NHS Leadership Academy (the client) and the Consortium.

Prepare for and attend internal and external programme management meetings in Leeds, Manchester and occasionally at other locations.

Support the residential team to prepare for and attend residential workshops, all of which are held at the NHS Leadership Academy in Leeds.

Be a central point of liaison and contact between Consortium members and university services e.g. library, academic services, IT, registry, etc., and between the University of Birmingham and AMBS regarding all university regulations and processes.

Provide occasional support for the Senior Programmes Manager leading a large team of postgraduate and eLearning staff that provides all of the administration support to the NHS Leadership Academy and programme participants.

The successful candidate would be expected to work flexibly to support to the NHS Leadership Academy programmes. As attendance at external meetings and residential workshops is required, this will involve travel and some overnight stays. It may be necessary to occasionally work on Sunday evenings.

Person Specification

• Proven relevant administrative experience across a range of activities
• Enthusiastic approach to external relations management
• Ability to form relationships quickly and recognise the needs of different stakeholders
• Confident to articulate own views and to challenge appropriately
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively communicate with people at all levels
• Excellent oral and written skills
• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or proven relevant equivalent experience
• Good IT skills
• Ability to work on own initiative, with minimal supervision, and to manage and prioritise a range of varied and complex tasks, completing them to the required deadlines
• High level of diplomacy, tact and negotiating skills
• Conflict resolution skills
• Problem-solving and organisational skills, with the ability to deal with complex and/or difficult situations
• Attention to detail
• Ability to interpret, analyse and communicate information, and to formulate and implement clear proposals from that analysis which can inform the development of strategy
• Flexible and proactive approach
• Team player
• Experience of line managing staff