Events Programme Manager - Development and Alumni Relations Office - 48690 - Grade 7

Position Details

Development and Alumni Relations Office
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,942 to £40,322, with potential progression once in post to £42,792.
Grade 7 
Full Time FTC up to 23 September 2022
Closing date 22 August 2021

Background

Do you want to be part of a dynamic and creative team? We are recruiting an Events Programme Manager to work in the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) over the year ahead to deliver creative, sector leading events. DARO is an ambitious office and we support our team to succeed. In addition to a busy programme of events that are part of the University’s fundraising and volunteering campaign, Birmingham In Action, this year we have three additional areas of focus which mean you will have the chance to shape and deliver a high profile programme of events supporting the retirement and welcoming of the Vice-Chancellor, the Commonwealth Games and the opening of the Dubai Campus.

The University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.  The University is renowned for its research excellence and its researchers have received 10 Nobel Prizes. From pioneering organ transplants, discovering gravitational waves and furthering understanding of Shakespeare, to developing cures for cancer, advances in robotics and revealing the structure of DNA, the University has been at the forefront of some of the most ground-breaking discoveries of the last 100 years.

Development and Alumni Relations
The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) exists to support this academic and student community by engaging, inspiring, and celebrating alumni, individuals, and charitable funders who give their money, time, and networks to support the University’s strategic priorities.  The Office, which is comprised of 58 staff across five teams, is focused on fundraising and volunteering from alumni and individuals who are passionate about changing lives, through funding various research trials, supporting student bursaries, mentoring students, and providing internships.
In October 2019, we launched Birmingham In Action: the University’s fundraising and volunteering campaign which will help to tackle challenges that will impact our generation and the next. We will do this by bringing together staff, students, alumni and supporters to support the campaign by volunteering their time, donating to research projects and spreading the word. 

Job Summary

The Events Programme Manager will have sole responsibility for developing, leading and implementing a strategic programme of events for our diverse community of alumni, donors and volunteers.  From our mass engagement ‘Bringing Birmingham to You’ event series, to bespoke cultivation events hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, to stewardship events to thank our donors and volunteers at all levels, the Events Programme Manager will ensure a high-quality, engaging, and tailored experience for alumni, donors, volunteers, and VIPs.  Alumni, donors and volunteers are key audiences within the Birmingham In Action campaign, whose support will enable us to reach our ambitious goal.  The Events Programme Manager will need to have the diplomacy and tact to balance the needs and expectations of these audiences and internal stakeholders when delivering the events programme. 
This will involve working in collaboration with colleagues, academics, and key stakeholders across DARO and the University.  Alongside developing an engaging and inspiring events programme for our audiences, the Events Programme Manager will proactively seek opportunities within the University for Development and Alumni Relations to be actively involved.  The Events Programme Manager will represent DARO in relevant forums and networks across the University and will develop an excellent working rapport with the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, External Relations, Campus Services, and academic project leads as related to our Birmingham In Action campaign.  The Events Programme Manager will also analyse event-related data, measure events outcomes, and track progress against KPIs, to make recommendations and inform future programming.
The post holder has line management responsibilities for the International and Events Officer and Events Assistant, who deliver events within the programme and other related activities.

Main Duties

Programme Development and Management

•    Responsibility for developing, delivering, implementing, and evaluating a varied programme of events to engage, inform and inspire alumni and donors to interact with the University of Birmingham.
•    Responsibility to ensure events are strategically aligned to DARO and Birmingham In Action campaign priorities, are of high-quality, have clear objectives and are delivered to a brief.
•    Working with colleagues across DARO including Fundraising, Stewardship, Charitable Funding Partnerships, Corporate Partnerships, Volunteering, Regular Giving and Principal Giving to deliver a range of events which meet the needs of the respective audiences, nationally and internationally. 
•    Personal responsibility to deliver high profile events with senior members of staff, usually the Vice-Chancellor and/or Chancellor, with donors, volunteers and VIPs.
•    Responsibility for delivery of detailed in person and written event briefings for a range of senior members of staff, including the Vice-Chancellor.
•    Writing speeches for senior members of staff including the Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor and Director of DARO which land key messages appropriate to event objectives and audiences.
•    Ensuring the ‘Bringing Birmingham to You’ mass engagement event series showcases the University’s research excellence, and aligns to DARO’s fundraising priorities as they relate to Birmingham In Action.
•    Working closely with the key partners to evaluate all events, and to use this to inform future events programming.
•    Working closely with the Communications Programme Manager to ensure planned events and communications are aligned to find efficiencies and to maximise opportunities to engage our audiences.
•    Building and maintaining excellent relationships with the Vice-Chancellors Office, Stakeholder Relations, Campus Services, academics, and other important internal and external networks and key stakeholders.
•    Planning and leading the delivery of number of high-profile events this year including a series of large and small events designed to say farewell to the outgoing Vice-Chancellor and to welcome the incoming Vice-Chancellor.
•    Overseeing the delivery of several events overseas and in the UK to support the Commonwealth Games, this includes supporting the International and Events Officer to encourage alumni-led events, ensuring alumni are invited to wider University events, and working with the Donor Relations Manager to develop touch points for high level donors and prospects around the Games in summer 2022. 
•    Working with the Senior Development Executive (Asia Pacific) to deliver a series of online and in person events to launch the Hong Kong Foundation.
•    Working with the International Relationship Manager (Middle East) to support events on our Dubai campus
•    Working with the Head of Engagement and Head of Campaign Management to maintain visibility of Birmingham In Action across the events programme.
•    Acting as the first point of contact for any future events, offering expert guidance, creativity and challenge where necessary.

Leadership and Strategic Planning

•    Managing the International and Events Officer (Grade 6) and Events Assistant (Band 500).
•    Convening and leading working groups with staff from across the Development and Alumni Relations teams and wider University as required for key University priorities and activity e.g. Vice-Chancellor Retirement, and any campaign related events.
•    Responsibility for own and events team’s personal and professional development, identifying training needs and courses or other activities that will fulfil these requirements.

Performance and Resource Management
                           
•    Planning and effective management of the Events budget.
•    Complex analysis and evaluation of events (e.g. qualitative and quantitative outcomes and data sets) to inform and improve future activity and make best use of resources.
•    An excellent understanding of the CRM and the ability to segment complex data for the benefit of the Events programme.

Strategic Thinking & Perspective

•    Understand the University’s Strategic Plan and its implications for DARO and the University.
•    Work closely with the Head of Engagement to ensure the Events programme is aligned to DARO’s and the University’s strategic objectives.
•    Demonstrate understanding of the factors within HE that impact across the range of areas in which DARO operates.

Person Specification

Event Management

•    Substantial experience in event management, ideally gained within the education or not-for-profit sectors.
•    Experience of delivering strong outcomes, with a clear stakeholder focus, through event planning and delivery.
•    Experience of effectively managing a complex workload, with multiple projects running simultaneously.
•    A strong understanding of the principles of relationship management, and specifically, how events can underpin them.
•    Experience of working closely with senior staff.
•    Experience of engaging, building and maintaining relationships with a variety of individuals.
•    Passion for, commitment to, and knowledge of higher education, the role of alumni as volunteers and donors, and the priorities of students.
•    Understanding of the ethos of an academic institution and the priorities of academic staff. 
•    Personal confidence, independence and determination to succeed as an individual and as part of a team.
•    Enthusiastic and motivated to engage a broad range of stakeholders with the University of Birmingham.
•    Self-motivated and driven to create sector leading programmes.
•    Understanding of and empathy with the vision and mission of the University of Birmingham.
•    Experience of working in a large, complex organization.

Strategic thinking and perspective

•    The ability to think and plan strategically, both in the short and long-term.
•    The ability to work with initiative, to take decisions and think creatively and laterally.
•    Proven problem solving capability.

Communication and collaboration 

•    Able to interact effectively with senior colleagues, donors, volunteers and external agencies.
•    Ability to build rapport with alumni, donors, VIPs, academics, and colleagues in Professional Services at all levels.
•    Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues within DARO, particularly the fundraising and engagement teams, and colleagues across the University e.g. Vice-Chancellor’s Office, External Relations.
•    Excellent writing skills, with the confidence to write speeches, letters, articles, and reports for a range of audiences and stakeholders, modifying language and style accordingly. 
•    Ability to clearly articulate the aim of the Events Team and DARO, and to celebrate and share successes of the team and the programme.
•    Tact, diplomacy, and the ability to use a wide range of communication skills and strategies to gain the support and commitment of academic and professional services colleagues, alumni, donors, and volunteers. 
•    Good negotiation skills and the ability to persuade and influence.
•    Be an able and willing internal and external ambassador for the University.
•    Adhere to the Office/University communication guidelines (for example compliance with Data Protection and Freedom of Information Legislation).
•    Adhere to incoming GDPR legislation and as it relates to your programme, and responsibility for disseminating the information to those in your team.

General

•    Educated to degree level or equivalent.
•    Good understanding of the UK HE sector.
•    Diplomatic and politically astute.
•    Strong sense of professional integrity.
•    Strong communication and influencing skills with a range of stakeholders. 
•    Good interpersonal skills including the ability to negotiate, motivate and influence. 
•    Ability to prioritise own workload under pressure.
•    Able to perform effectively under pressure with excellent personal organisation and time management skills.
•    The ability to work effectively both in a team and independently.
•    Adaptable and flexible when dealing with change and uncertainty.
•    The flexibility to work unsociable hours (evenings and weekends) when required.
•    Experience of working across cultures and with a demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
•    Experience of relational databases (e.g. CRM or similar software).
•    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.

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.