Post title
Event Assistant
College/Division
Social Sciences
School/Department
Social Policy and Society/Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity (IRiS)
Full time/Part time
Part time
Duration of the Post
26/03/2026 – 02/04/2026
Grade
3
Hourly rate
£14.08 per hour plus holiday entitlement
Number of positions available
3
Closing Date
27/02/2026 at 23:55
Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.
Our offer to you
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Background
The 'Living Well in Diaspora' event will bring together South Sudanese people in the UK for a day of dialogue, discussion, and shared learning. The morning will focus on wellbeing in the community – how people come together and overcome differences – while the afternoon will focus on mental health and wellbeing. The event is being jointly run by Dr Rachel Ayrton, as part of her ongoing participatory action research with South Sudanese people in the UK, and Vicky Ladu, University of Hertfordshire. The purpose of the event is to bring together the knowledges people have of their community and experiences to inform future research and interventions. For more information, see
Job summary
This role supports the successful running of this important event. It will involve attendance of a one-hour training session in advance, support of the event on Saturday 28th March, and two hours' additional time to be worked flexibly in the week following the event. The main focus of the role is taking detailed notes of break-out group discussions. These are a vital record of the learning that is shared on the day and will be shared publicly after the event, as well as forming an important evidence-base for future research and interventions. The Events Assistant will also help with wider aspects of ensuring the event runs smoothly such as running the registration desk and stewarding during plenary sessions.
Main duties
* To attend a one-hour training session in advance of the event.
* The Events Assistant will be assigned to one of three breakout groups that will host discussions for two 90-minute sessions during the day. Each group will be facilitated/chaired by a member of the wider organising team. The Events Assistant will be responsible for taking detailed, anonymous notes of the contributions to these discussions.
* To edit and write up breakout group notes to a high professional standard of presentation following the event.
* To run the event registration desk in collaboration with the other Event Assistant(s).
* To act as a steward during plenary sessions, including circulating a microphone during Q&A/audience participation opportunities, handing out and collecting comment cards at key junctures, and other assistance as required by event facilitators.
* To take additional notes as required during plenary sessions.
* To become familiar with the event venue (The Exchange) and programme and respond to participant queries.
* To assist in creating a warm, comfortable and welcoming environment for participants as a representative of the University of Birmingham.
* To assist with troubleshooting and other duties as identified by Dr Ayrton or other event organisers on the day.
Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience
* Proven ability to take detailed, comprehensive notes of verbal discussion. Experience of note-/minute-taking of lively group discussions and/or where English is accented would be an advantage.
* Excellent verbal and written English language skills, the ability to summarise spoken contributions and to retain accurately the details of what was said.
* A high standard of presentation in written work.
* Highly proficient IT skills, including MS Word.
* Excellent interpersonal skills, providing excellent customer service and welcome to participants at all times.
* Proven team-working ability, able to collaborate effectively with the event organisers, other Events Assistants, and staff at The Exchange.
* A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.
* A clear understanding of the principles of confidentiality and anonymity.
* Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
* Must be available to attend The Exchange on Saturday 28th March from 9am to 5pm, in addition to a one-hour training session on 26/27 March (date/time TBC) and to complete writing up of notes within a week of the event (two additional hours of work are allocated to this task).
Further details
This event will focus on the experiences of South Sudanese people in the UK. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after about 50 years of civil war. Since then, the country has experienced its own civil war which has been an ongoing source of trauma for those in the UK as well as those present in the country. Although the focus of this event is on how people can overcome these challenges, there are likely to be references to distressing events or experiences. The Events Assistant will need to be prepared for this, to manage sensitive information discretely, and to exercise self-care with support from the event organisers during the course of and following the event.
For any informal queries, please contact Rachel Ayrton )
The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. 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 20 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.
Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we're unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven't heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.
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