Job Description
Position Details
Academic Services
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
Part Time (18.75 hours per week)
Permanent
Closing date: 7th September 2025
Interviews Scheduled: Week commencing 29th September 2025
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
The UK Higher Education sector is changing in response to the shifts in the capacity, availability and opportunity offered by an ever-advancing range of digital technologies. The expectations of students and staff are changing continually, Technology-Integrated Learning is now an integral part of the overall student taught experience of their education.
To meet its ambitions to be a place of transformative education, the University supports staff in all aspects of their teaching through departments based within our Libraries and Learning Resources division, in Academic Services. The Digital Education Developer post sits within the Digital Education Team, represented by a ‘Head of Digital Education’ for each of our 5 colleges in our Edgbaston campus.
Role Summary
To work as part of a multidisciplinary digital education team in addressing the university’s strategic ambition to expand its portfolio and develop its digital education capability through targeted investment and more effective use of existing resources.
Main Duties
Reporting to the College Head of Digital Education (or their nominee), you will be a member of the College Digital Education Team as well as the wider Digital Education Department represented in the five main colleges within the University. You will contribute to delivering the College’s Digital Learning Strategy and provide expert guidance and collaboration on the design of pedagogically proven blended and online learning within the institution. You will be required to:
- Work independently and alongside other members of the Digital Education Team, academics, and administrators within the College to make best use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas and other relevant tools (including, where appropriate, in the creation of online courses).
- Create learning objects and course content as required (with input from subject staff).
- Liaise with content development specialists (internal or 3rd party), where appropriate, to design high quality, innovative learning objects and activities to be used within College courses.
- Act as point of contact for 2nd line support for VLE users within the College.
- Provide project support and facilitation for digital education within the College.
- Work collaboratively to deliver bespoke training programmes and workshops for digital education.
- Participate in and contribute to activities and projects aligned to the broader goals and vision of the wider Digital Education team.
- Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
- Fulfil any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
(Considered Essential):
- Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) or relevant technical qualification and relevant experience - where no equivalent qualification is held, extensive proven practical and technical experience in a similar role will be required.
- Extensive proven practical experience in instructional/learning design in the context of higher education and a broad disciplinary area.
- Specialist knowledge of how Virtual Learning Environments (such as Canvas) and other associated systems can be used to support learning and teaching.
- Ability to demonstrate an understanding of generative AI models and their applications in digital education.
- Provide training and support to academic staff on the use of AI tools in their teaching.
- Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data.
- 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.
- Ability to quickly become a product specialist for new digital education systems.
- Ability to prioritise, negotiate and use own judgement, particularly when responding to queries and requests for advice.
- Ability to work independently, accurately and to deadlines within a team environment.
- Experience of delivering face to face and remote training, ideally in the use of learning technologies.
- Understanding of stakeholder requirements to ensure solutions are developed to meet their needs.
- Ability to provide specific support and advice, challenging and reinterpreting requests where it is necessary.
- Ability to analyse problems and summarise key points to others, including non-specialist staff.
- Experience supporting projects through from conception to successful completion.
- Ability to work effectively in cross functional teams.
(Considered Desirable):
- Experience of working with academic staff, ideally in the use of learning technologies in a blended learning environment.
- Media skills (able to film & edit using Premier Pro, Final Cut or similar) for professional finish.
- Content development skills (able to create straightforward content in authoring packages such as Storyline).
- Advanced development skills (able to create sophisticated content in authoring packages such as Storyline).
Role context
Roles at this at this level will require proven specialist knowledge gained through either experience and/or formal qualification and this knowledge should be deployed in the provision of a range of high-level technical support activities. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve issues; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision.
Core Competencies/transferable Skills
Working at this level, you will be able to develop and successfully use the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below. As appropriate for the level, our Birmingham Professionals will take ownership for getting things done. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.
Planning and organising
- provide high level technical support, specialist analysis or advice to others;
- prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery;
- set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
- liaise with staff, students and technical colleagues to anticipate and understand needs/provide advice/guidance;
- as applicable, manage a team of staff who are carrying out similar kinds of work.
Problem solving and decision making
- anticipate, diagnose and resolve problems within your own working area;
- test and implement new approaches, services or systems;
- develop and implement improvement programmes within your own local, school or service area.
Organisational understanding
- quickly develop an understanding of your working area and how it contributes to the success of the University.
- display an interest in how the University operates beyond your own working area; develop and share this knowledge with others.
Relationships and communication
- work collaboratively with colleagues to understand their requirements, discussing and reinterpreting requests as necessary, and ensure solutions are developed to meet these;
- provide specific support and advice;
- analyse problems and summarise the key points to others, including non-specialist staff
- demonstrate collaborative working at all times, including with others outside the immediate work area.
Informal enquiries to Matt Turner, email:
[email protected]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 . 
