Communications and Events Officer
Campus Services, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK. Full time, permanent. Grade 6. Closing date: 18th June 2026. Salary range: £33,002 to £35,608, with potential progression to £39,906.
Overview
Part of the Visitor Services Team at Winterbourne House and Garden, the role is responsible for daily management and delivery of the events programme, membership scheme, volunteering and group bookings, and front‑of‑house functions as required. Deputises for the Visitor Operations Manager in their absence.
Main Duties
* Volunteer Management
o Lead the development of Winterbourne’s Volunteer programme, collaborating with Visitor Operations Manager and Departmental Heads.
o Maintain volunteer records and ensure GDPR compliance, working with Development and Alumni Relations.
o Maximise volunteer engagement via newsletters, social and recognition activities, and an annual volunteer survey.
o Act as an impartial point of contact for volunteer queries and support Volunteer Managers with HR matters.
o Manage the volunteer admin team, train staff, set priorities and oversee activity.
o Manage allocated internships and placements from the University of Birmingham and local institutions.
* Events
o Devise and manage a programme of events that broadens audience demographics and creates new income streams.
o Use project management skills to deliver events, coordinating with external providers and internal stakeholders.
o Manage production costs, benchmark ticket pricing, and deliver event income and expenditure against budgets.
* Communication and Marketing
o Set priorities for Winterbourne’s marketing activity in line with the Business Plan, working with Campus Services Marketing and the Visitor Operations Manager.
o Support delivery of multi‑channel communications to stakeholders such as members, staff and students.
o Draft all related communications, ensuring compliance with university and Winterbourne branding, and choose appropriate channels.
o Coordinate communications briefings, webpages, newsletters and social media campaigns.
o Write copy for external publications and websites.
o Maintain relationships with key external partners (e.g. RHS Partner Garden scheme, Gardener’s World) for publicity opportunities.
o Review and develop webpage content for accuracy and accessibility.
* Visitor Engagement
o Coordinate membership administration and support the team on CRM and the online membership system.
o Design methods for collecting and reporting visitor, event booker, member and volunteer feedback.
o Analyse visitor statistics and communicate data to Marketing to inform campaigns.
o Handle complex visitor enquiries and defer to senior colleagues when necessary.
* Additional Duties
o Represent Winterbourne at internal and external meetings.
o Provide front‑of‑house cover for Visitor reception and shop.
o Participate in duty manager rota and hold a first‑aid certificate.
o Maintain knowledge of project management methodologies.
o Allocate work for project team where required.
o Support other marketing and events across Campus Services.
o Address equality and diversity issues in line with university policy.
o Support sustainability agenda through resource‑efficient working.
o Other duties commensurate with grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications
* Degree level education (or equivalent); where lacking, significant relevant experience required.
* Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with strong written communication and data analysis skills.
* Professional experience in communications, events and/or marketing with some event‑planning experience.
* Highly proficient IT skills, including MS Office and website editing software; quick learner of new tools.
* Strong planning and workload management skills; ability to coordinate others’ workloads and meet deadlines.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to inspire confidence and provide customer service.
* Professionalism, tact, diplomacy and discretion handling sensitive information.
* Initiative, personal judgment, resourcefulness, flexibility and self‑motivation.
* Ability to work effectively in a large complex organisation and understand university operations.
* Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics and ability to ensure equal treatment.
DBS Requirement
All successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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. We are committed to proactively addressing barriers for all groups, hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations, and maintain an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre to improve fairness. Sustainability is key to our strategy.
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