Placements and Employability Adviser - Birmingham Business School - 98320 - Grade 7

Position Details

Birmingham Business School

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to June 2026

Closing date: 6th July 2025

UK and International travel may be required for this post

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.

Role Summary

Working as part of the Birmingham Business School Careers team reporting directly to the Careers Consultant (UG), you will be responsible for the delivery of placement, internship, and careers support for BBS undergraduate students both on-campus and overseas. The post holder will design and deliver programmes that improve the placement and internship outcomes of undergraduate students in the UK, Singapore, and Dubai; in partnership with academic and professional services staff in the areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Management, and Strategy & International Business. A large portion of the role will involve supporting undergraduate students helping to secure year-long placements as part of four-year Year in Industry degrees. The post holder will work with the Business School careers service along with the wider College of Social Sciences and University careers team (Careers Network) to deliver careers support to undergraduate Business School students. They will draw upon their expertise in graduate recruitment, the graduate labour market and employment sectors, the student experience and career aspirations of business students, to provide a service that enhances the employability skills of our students, and engages employers, academics, student groups, and alumni both at home and overseas. The post holder will be expected to live up to the mission and values set by both the Business School/University and the Business School careers team. “We partner with all our students on their career journeys. Empowering them to make lifelong career decisions by working with alumni and industry professionals. Energising them to stay curious about the ever-changing world of work. We believe that success depends on working in a collaborative, positive and supportive environment.” The post holder will be hired based on the ability to live, drive, and make an impact with the following values: Diversity, Responsible Business, Collaboration, Action Orientated, and Continuous Learning. The post holder will play an important role in helping the Business School and University to meet its overall targets in relation to graduate employability and work collaboratively with a range of colleagues in Birmingham Business School and Careers Network to meet shared objectives. The post holder will work towards specific Business School targets around improving the student experience and ensuring that we deliver on the expectations of Business School accrediting bodies, as well as working towards the key performance targets set by the University of Birmingham. The post holder will work closely with other colleagues in the Business School careers team and across Careers Network and the University to contribute to a community of practice around student support across our global campus locations.

Main Duties

• To advise and guide students (in groups or as individuals, online and in person) about the application process including, CVs, application forms, assessment centres, interviews, and selection tests.
• Deliver careers related workshops to prepare students for placements and graduate jobs and help them to reflect on their experiences.
• Promote opportunities and benefits to students in a range of media including, but not limited to, flyers, presentations, documents, video, and online activity.
• Advise students on their applications and on the requirements of them in undertaking a placement; providing a point of contact while the students are on placement and to provide feedback to employers following a placement.
• Represent BBS to prospective employers and seeking appropriate new opportunities both nationally and internationally to include liaising with employers regarding visits to campus for recruitment events ensuring that employer needs are met, students and staff are aware of the events, and a collaborative approach is used across BBS, CoSS, and UoB.
• Monitor the suitability of existing placement opportunities; ensuring that employers are aware of their responsibilities to the student and of the student’s and the University’s responsibilities to them; maintaining long-term relationships with the employers concerned.
• Gather and analyse market information, trends and competitor developments in order to understand and disseminate market intelligence for undergraduate placements across the school; managing and analysing data and in relation to placement activity and creating reports for both internal and external view; contributing to the development of external accreditation reports; and participating in external accreditation reviews in relation to undergraduate placements.
• Facilitate events for undergraduates including employer events, open days for prospective students, mock assessment centres, and other events supporting prospective and current undergraduate students.
• Work in partnership with colleagues across Careers in Business and Careers Network to develop and deliver centralised BBS and CoSS services and activities.
• Partner with other similar placement teams such as the Professional Development Module to provide support across the business school and college.
• Develop and maintain records of student work experience activities and participation utilising appropriate University or College agreed software/tools.
• Ensure BBS, College, and University work experience activities are competitive with and learn from good practice demonstrated in other comparable institutions by developing a network of institutional contacts, undertaking occasional visits and regular online research on local, national, and global trends in placements, internships, and work experience.
• Undertake any other duties as required appropriate to grade.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Degree-level education or equivalent experience.
• Ability to advise on CVs, cover letters, applications, and interview techniques.
• Proven track record of delivering engaging employability initiatives, including student workshops and employer events.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of work-related learning, employability trends, and career pathways.
• Student-Centred Approach – proactive and engaging approach to student support, ensuring inclusivity, accessibility, and tailored support for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong communication skills to engage students and employers effectively.
• Ability to prioritise and progress work reliably and thoroughly, sometimes under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Ability to engage and negotiate effectively with senior academics, fellow professionals, external partners, and international recruiters to secure high-quality opportunities for students.
• Aptitude to work autonomously while also collaborating effectively as a team member.
• Willingness to work outside normal working hours, including weekends, to support key initiatives.
• Willingness to travel and work overseas as required to support student placements and employer partnerships.
• Proficiency in maintaining databases and tracking placements.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in Higher Education – prior work within a university setting supporting student employability.
• Awareness of current recruitment practices and employer expectations.
• Experience organising careers fairs, networking events, and employer workshops.

Informal enquiries to Stef Cope, email: .

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.