APP (Access & Participation Plan) Manager

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Job Description

The full-time starting salary is normally £44,131 per annum, with progression available in post to £51,182 per annum.

Grade: G

Full Time Permanent

Introduction

Birmingham City University is a large and diverse learning community with over 30,000 students from around 100 countries. We are passionate about providing our learners with a transformational journey, enabled by an exceptional supportive academic community, state-of-the-art facilities and focus on practical skills and professional relevance to support their future employability. We are also committed to world-class research, to advance knowledge and practice, to address real-world problems and fuel innovations outside of the university.

Role information

To lead and coordinate institutional efforts to improve outcomes associated with the university's Access & Participation Plan (APP). The postholder will manage projects and interventions that support APP priorities, drive improvement through cross-institutional practice sharing, and influence senior academic and professional colleagues to adopt evidence-informed changes. Working closely with colleagues across professional services and academic departments, the role ensures that APP-related activity is effectively delivered, monitored and evaluated.

Main activities and responsibilities

1. Lead and manage projects and interventions designed to improve APP outcomes performance across the student lifecycle.
2. Coordinate institutional sharing of practice, data, and learning on access, success, and progression, supporting a continuous improvement culture.
3. Support the Director Quality Assurance & Enhancement in influencing and persuading senior academics and professional staff to amend practice to better support APP outcomes, using evidence and collaborative engagement.
4. Develop strong working relationships with academic schools and professional services to align interventions both within and beyond the curriculum.
5. Work with the Planning and Performance Department (PPD) to monitor interventions and evaluate their effectiveness, ensuring continuous refinement of activities.
6. Oversee institutional reporting and compliance in relation to the Office for Students APP requirements.
7. Support colleagues in embedding equity and inclusion into strategic education and student success initiatives.
8. Support the Director Quality Assurance & Enhancement in developing and managing governance processes, ensuring robust oversight and accountability for APP activity.
9. Prepare reports, presentations and briefings for senior leaders, internal committees and external stakeholders.
10. Represent the institution at sector forums and working groups related to APP and student equity.

Skills and Experience

Please refer to the person specification contained within the job description.

For more information or to book a consultation, please email: Kirsty.tallis@bcu.ac.uk

Please download the Job Description below for further information:

Job Description

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly.

Birmingham City University is deeply committed to equality, diversity, and inclusivity at all levels in the organisation, and to addressing underrepresentation in our workforce to ensure we are truly representative of the community we serve. We welcome applications from applicants from all backgrounds and communities for this role, and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic applicants.

The University is proudly Disability Confident. This means amongst other things that we commit to offering a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who fully meet the essential criteria for each role.

Employer Description

At the heart of our Strategy for 2030 and Beyond, it is our mission to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK's second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio.

About Us

At the heart of our Strategy for 2030 and Beyond, it is our mission to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK's second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio.