Student Recruitment and Marketing Portfolio Manager – College of Arts and Law – 31720 – Grade 7

About the Opportunity

Position Details
College of Arts and Law
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822
Grade: 7
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to September 2027
Closing date: 26th August 2026
UK travel may be required for this role

About You

Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus relevant practical experience - where no equivalent qualification is held significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required.
Substantial marketing and/or sales experience in product management, including managing a portfolio in a large complex organisation.
Experience of planning, implementing, delivering and evaluating multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns.
Experience of working with and understanding CRM systems.
Strategic thinker with experience adapting plans to market conditions.
Proven experience in managing relationships with the ability to lead, influence, and collaborate across teams and with senior stakeholders.
Demonstratable project management skills.
Strong presentation and communication skills, online, in-person and in writing.
Cultural awareness and understanding of the need for sensitivity in engagement with different audiences, and how this might be embedded.
Ability to analyse and interpret data and market research, applying insights to recruitment strategies.
Experience managing budgets.
Creative problem-solver with a proactive and resilient approach.
A team player who can also work independently.
Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends.
Promote a supportive and inclusive team culture working with discretion, demonstrate diplomacy, maintain confidentiality and ensure compliance with GDPR and other regulations as required.
Commitment to demonstrating behaviours aligned with the University and External Relations framework.
Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and 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.

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate and deliver the designated area’s strategies to optimise student recruitment - meeting targets and securing a diverse cohort balance, working in partnership with International and Research Communications Portfolio Managers and other relevant teams and departments.
• Manage budgets and commission plans and activities to meet agreed recruitment targets working closely with marketing and student recruitment Centres of Excellence to agree priorities and associated resourcing.
• Build strong relationships with and act as the interface between academic areas, from Board members through to admissions tutors, to support recruitment efforts, ensuring colleagues are informed of key developments relating to the designated area’s portfolio of programmes and admissions.
• Represent the designated area in key meetings and forums, collaborating with relevant Business Partners, Student Recruitment and Marketing and International Portfolio Managers, senior colleagues in External Relations and the relevant academic area, marketing and student recruitment teams, and other stakeholders to align recruitment plans and priorities for the designated area and the University.
• Provide market insight and strategic recommendations on audiences, products, targets and pipeline to optimise and grow student numbers. This includes identifying new programme opportunities and adapting strategies to reflect changing market opportunities and cultural, political and economic factors.
• Ensure the designated area’s education offering is positioned and promoted effectively to prospective students across a range of channels and events, utilising innovations, identifying trends and changes in demand.
• Ensure programme portfolio compliance with CMA guidelines, liaising with internal stakeholders on developments, and ensuring timely updates across all channels.
• Lead the designated area’s programme of on-campus, online/digital and CRM activities for attraction and conversion, tracking and evaluating impact against KPIs to optimise performance.
• Commission tailored content and materials for prospective students and ensure all content is up to date across all range of channels.
• Review and analyse the success of activities to recruit students - monitoring admissions, analysing trends, and adjusting tactics to optimise performance throughout the cycle.
• Champion the University’s strategic ambitions and brand among all stakeholders.

Eligibility

Informal enquiries to Benjamin Atkins, email: b.t.atkins@bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

Benefits

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.