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
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to July 2026
Closing date: 5th August 2025
This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.
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
Registry is a division within Academic Services at the University of Birmingham, with responsibility for key education administration and education support services at a leading global university. The work of the department underpins a student’s academic journey from registration through to graduation and ensures delivery and support of high quality and excellence in education and research. Registry acts as the definitive record keeper of the student record, student information and programme and module details on behalf of the University. Key departmental functions include (but are not limited to) academic and student related regulations and codes of practice; examinations; curriculum management; student conduct, complaints and appeals; quality assurance; timetabling; student record systems; student record administration; collaborative partnerships and apprenticeships.
Role Summary
At the University of Birmingham, students are at the heart of all we do. You will lead and manage a professional services team which is passionate about providing excellent administrative support for students and staff.
The Education Support Officer (International Students) will work as part of an international student-focused team dedicated to developing, monitoring and reviewing procedures relating to Student route and non-Student route visa holding international students and ensuring that the University remains compliant with the requirements of its sponsor licence. The remit of the role covers international activity for both taught and research students and therefore the post holder will be required to have an understanding and knowledge of all levels of study.
If you are interested in the role, we would encourage you to apply even if you feel that you do not meet all of the criteria but can demonstrate transferrable skills.
Main Duties
- Statutory international student compliance - To implement and maintain best practice in relation to Registry and University wide procedures related to international students. This will involve working with appropriate staff across the University to ensure that University Regulations and Codes of Practice and Registry procedures are reviewed and updated to reflect any changes to Home Office legislation and Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Regulations relating to ATAS.
- Responsible for managing all training activities related to international students for both Registry and College staff. This includes overseeing communications and maintaining relevant webpages. The role also supports the development and enhancement of the University’s student information and reporting systems to improve the management of international student activity. Additionally, the post holder will be responsible for generating reports and statistical data on international student engagement for use by relevant stakeholders and institutional governance groups, as required.
- UKV&I Sponsor Management System (SMS) Reporting and compliance - To report changes of circumstances to UKV&I via the Sponsor Management System (SMS) within UKV&I required time scales and to undertake weekly audits of data. To manage the daily CAS uploads and downloads to the UKV&I Sponsor Management System (SMS), including management of the Graduate Route upload.
- Staff engagement and team collaboration- The post holder will play a key role in supporting leadership and operational activities within the team and wider sub-division. They will contribute to the development and implementation of team objectives by promoting effective communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement. This includes supporting staff development through initiatives such as Team Meetings and Away Days, encouraging a culture of shared learning, and creating opportunities for staff to provide feedback and suggest service enhancements.
- Authorised Absence and Attendance Monitoring - To oversee the authorised absence process and ensure that the on-line system for authorised absence is used effectively and efficiently, taking a lead role in the further development of the system including delivery of training.
- Non-standard start dates and return from leave of absence - To ensure that the procedure for checking arrival of international student with non-standard start dates is effective and efficient, taking a lead role in the further development of the system.
- Audit related work - To be part of the Registry team to support any internal and external audits, producing reports for both internal and external partners where required.
- Attendance Monitoring - To support in relation to individual student cases or with compliance within an area of the University via the appropriate channels.
- Student Data Management - To have oversight of the student data and record management as required.
- Group membership - To act as the Registry representative on various international student-related groups, including the Immigration Practitioners Group (IPG).
- Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
- Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
You will need to evidence:
- Educated to Degree level (or equivalent level qualifications) - where no equivalent qualification is held, relevant work experience evidencing progression and development together with evidence of the transferable skills and ability to work at this level will normally be required.
- Significant practical experience in a similar role.
- A levels or an equivalent level 3 qualification, such as a Level 3 NVQ, or level 3 national diploma.
- GCSEs to a minimum of grade C/4 in English and Mathematics (or equivalent qualifications).
You will be:
- Experienced in a role where you are expected to provide staff support, training, and motivation.
- Significantly experienced in communicating and collaborating with all levels of staff and able to demonstrate a proven ability to set and maintain standards for your designated service, communicating your own expectations and possibly the expectations of senior colleagues.
- Able to influence change and decision making by evaluating work and analysing the benefits, costs and risks of alternative scenarios.
- Personally well organised, with high levels of team organisation skills, including the ability to ensure deadlines are met by prioritising the work of yourself and if required the wider team.
In addition to the above, you should be able to demonstrate and/or evidence the following:
- Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to communicate effectively with staff, students, and external stakeholders at a variety of different levels and from different professional backgrounds.
- Exemplary attention to detail and the ability to work confidentially, using judgement and making appropriate decisions within the constraints of the role.
- The ability to act with tact and diplomacy when dealing with confidential matters concerning staff, colleagues, and students.
- Proven IT literacy with demonstrable proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of programmes.
- The ability to work to tight deadlines in a collaborative team environment.
- The ability to cope with change in a fast moving, dynamic environment and becoming comfortable with often changing University processes and regulations, making them accessible to the members of your team.
- The ability to develop and manage service delivery capability to high standards.
- 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.
Dimensions
Roles at this level will require expertise and a detailed understanding of methods, systems and procedures in an administrative or professional area. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve queries; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision. Your team’s customers will number in the dozens of academic staff and other colleagues, and hundreds or thousands of students. Some role-holders will liaise regularly with external partners and regulators.
Planning and Organising
You will be required to develop initiatives and approaches proactively, identify and recommend improvements to the service, and work across the Registry and University as required.
Problem Solving and decision making
You will be expected to provide expert advice and proactively troubleshoot when issues arise.
Internal and External relationships
This role will be liaising with internal (and in some cases, external) colleagues and stakeholders, potentially across the University as you will contribute on working groups etc, as well as dealing with customers with more complex issues to solve. You will proactively lead and motivate your team, dealing with all team issues as appropriate.
Informal enquiries to Helena Ward, 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 . 
