International Co-ordinator (PSE) – Academic Services – 100639J2 – Grade 5 Full Time

Position Details

Academic Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,062 to £31,900, with potential progression once in post to £35,883

Grade: 5

Part Time 0.5 FTE (17.5 hours over 2.5 days per week)

Permanent

Closing date: Sunday 31 May 2026

UK travel may be required for this role

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 are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

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.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

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

Role Summary

The post holder will work within the International Student Team (IST) and be part of a team that deals with the provision of a broad range of support to staff and international students at the University of Birmingham. Given statutory implications, the primary purpose of the post is to ensure that the University and its international applicants/students remain compliant with Student Sponsor Duties and Immigration Rules.

To promote and assist in meeting objectives related to the pre-sessional student experience and work closely with Birmingham International Academy (BIA). The post holder will proactively assist in the planning and delivery of activities pre-arrival and arrival support, and in-country visa extension activity on campus. Activities will be delivered in a manner that is in accordance with The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) and that support institutional reputation and the University’s status as a Home Office Student Sponsor.

The post holder will proactively participate in enhancing and developing a positive ‘Birmingham Experience.’

Main Duties

• To support pre-arrival activity including liaising with Student Recruitment and provision of appropriate information to applicants and students including visa support outside the UK and preparation for visa processes in the UK.
• To support Student Recruitment through participation in workshops, webinars and events, and in activities engaging with applicants overseas.
• Assist in the preparation of relevant pre-arrival literature and communications using internal IT systems.
• To be the primary point of contact for pre-sessional students throughout the student journey from pre-arrival, arrival in the UK, visa preparation for continuing studies and Right to Study checks.
• As part of the team, take responsibility for proactively maintaining a high level of knowledge about Immigration Rules and Compliance duties and take responsibility for complex administrative processes, ensuring that all casework and compliance activities are in accordance with Student Sponsor duties and Immigration Rules.
• Use a high degree of diagnostic skill to perform triage duties and identify important or urgent issues and ensure that they are dealt with or escalated in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Take a proactive role in the provision of advice, training and support to staff in the University by assisting in interpreting Immigration Rules and Home Office Guidance to ensure compliance with UKVI statutory requirements.
• Work in accordance with IST and institutional standards, and in accordance with the law.
• Proactively provide communications to staff and students relating to Student Sponsor Duties and applicable Immigration Rules, for example, drafting and editing literature, web/intranet pages, and other relevant information.
• Undertake casework including but not limited to establishing the facts of a case, undertaking legal research, cross referencing information and drafting advice, to be undertaken in a timely manner whilst paying attention to key dates and deadlines.
• Maintain and monitor operational spreadsheets and produce reports.
• Take an active role in building and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external contacts.
• Support in the delivery of core IST activities including reception duties, telephone duties, triage duties, delivering workshops and webinars, visa assessment/application/extensions processes, International Welcome, visa checking and Right to Study checks.
• Proactively contribute to the continuous improvement of all processes and procedures to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the IST.
• Represent the University at internal and external events as agreed by your Line Manager.
• Collaborate with colleagues to achieve aims and objectives; be self-motivated with the ability to work flexibly under pressure including, but not restricted to, peak periods with high volumes of work and competing deadlines, International Welcome and Right to Study.
• Undertake such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by Head of Service and senior management.
• Undertake continuous personal and professional development.
• Conduct financial and Health and Safety duties in line with statutory and University’s policies and procedures.
• Work in accordance with the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
• Support equality and value diversity, including: (a) challenging bias prejudice and intolerance if appropriate or bring it to the attention of a manager; (b) moderate own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Person Specification

• Educated to A Level or hold an equivalent professional qualification and have significant experience in a similar role or be able to demonstrate substantial relevant experience such that the tasks outlined in the job description can be conducted effectively.
• Extensive experience of delivering office administrative processes.
• Significant experience of working in a customer focused environment and delivering exceptional customer service.
• Demonstrate a commitment to enhancing the student experience, excellent customer service and to the University’s values and behaviours.
• Demonstrable experience of meeting operational requirements, with excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present information clearly and explain complex issues to a range of audiences with varying levels of understanding.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Sound analytical, creative and pragmatic problem-solving skills with a high level of professional judgement, diplomacy, cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Evidence of ability to work through to a solution with resilience and persistence.
• A constructive team player demonstrating an ability to prioritise, work collaboratively as part of a team or on own initiative and deal with conflicting pressures to tight deadlines.
• Demonstrate a high level of computer literacy, with working knowledge and familiarity of Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• An understanding of what equality and diversity is and why it is important, including an ability to learn about relevant policies and procedures relating to equality and diversity.
• Ability to represent the IST internally and externally.
• Experience in supporting staff in training and development activities.
• Ability to undertake training to acquire knowledge of the Immigration Rules and Home Office Guidance, particularly in relation to students.
• Flexibility and willingness to work extended hours and at weekends to meet the needs of, but not restricted to, events such as International Welcome/Registration.

Informal enquiries to Nazia Shamahoon, Interim Head of International Students Team (IST), email: n.shamahoon@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.

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 .