Position Details

School or Department: External Relations, Admissions

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Grade 2

Hourly rate: £12.00 plus holiday entitlement

Casual contract from Monday 24th June 2024 – Friday 20th September 2024

Advert closing date: Friday 10th May 2024

If you have an active account on Core Systems, please apply with your staff email.

If you are encountering any issues applying, please attempt again with an alternative email. If you are still unable to apply, please let us know by contacting us via our portal.

The application deadline is 10/05/2024, though it may be adjusted based on the volume and quality of applications received. We recommend that candidates submit their applications promptly.

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 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.

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 Contact Team within the Admissions Office is looking to recruit a number of Enquiry Assistants to support them during an extremely busy and important time of the recruitment cycle. They are required to provide a high level of front-line customer service to all those making enquiries to the Contact Team. These positions are full time and run up into September.

Role Summary 

The Enquiry Assistant serves as the frontline point of contact for individuals reaching out to our Contact Team, ensuring exceptional service delivery and satisfaction. Responsibilities include promptly addressing enquiries, providing accurate information, and resolving concerns with professionalism and efficiency. This role requires strong communication skills, a customer-centric approach, and the ability to collaborate effectively with team members to deliver outstanding support to our clients.
 

Main Duties

• Responding to Admissions enquiries received by email, by phone and online; acting as the first contact point to resolve or triage queries.
   
• Responding to a broad range of enquirers across the breadth of the applicant lifecycle, including international applicants, parents, teachers and internal members of staff.
   
• Acting as the internal liaison contact, conducting assessment and escalation of enquiries where appropriate.
   
• Collaborating with colleagues both within the team and the wider Admissions Office, ensuring the correct referral channels exist for routing more complex queries.
   
• Checking current applications for completeness and/or their current status and providing the appropriate advice and support where required.
   
• Maintaining a high level of customer service by ensuring that standard levels of service are adhered to at every stage of the enquiry process.
   
• Alerting the Team Leaders of potential backlogs or system issues with the possibility of damaging knock-on effects.
   
• Completing training activities as directed by the Head of the Contact Team and Team Leaders, including training in the relevant systems and/or customer services.
   
• To undertake other tasks which will be required from time to time within the Admissions Office, such as involvement in Confirmation and Clearing, outbound calling and other general office duties.

Person Specification

• Excellent interpersonal skills including politeness, diplomacy, tact and courtesy as the role involves considerable contacts with others, both internal and external to the University.
   
• Accuracy and attention to detail in data entry and in providing information.
   
• Accuracy in use of oral and written English for answering queries in person, by telephone and in writing.
   
• Confidence in the use of IT systems for data entry and retrieval.
   
• A flexible approach to work due to the often-changing priorities of the Contact Team.
   
• An excellent team worker, understanding their role within the immediate and wider team and acting within minimum standards in a time sensitive environment.
   
• An understanding of the principles of confidentiality when handling personal data and an appreciation of the importance of data protection within a university Admissions environment.
   
• General office skills.
   
• An understanding of the admissions process and the importance of the role in contributing to the successful recruitment and selection of students, which in turn contributes to the financial and reputational health of the institution. (Desirable)
   
• Experience of working in a customer service environment. (Desirable)
   

If you have any queries prior to applying, please direct them to: a.meaking@bham.ac.uk (Adam Meakin)

View our staff values and behaviours here 

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 15 hours per week during term time. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g.  PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 15 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an International student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate Authorised Absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.