Placements and Work-Based Learning 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

Permanent, Full Time

Birmingham City University is a dynamic and forward-thinking institution, committed to providing our students with exceptional opportunities to excel academically and professionally. As part of our long-term vision outlined in the University 2030 Strategy, we are striving to create a pipeline of talent that drives success and innovation.

The Careers and Employability Directorate are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Placements and Work-Based Learning Manger to lead, manage and develop our placement and work-based learning offer for students.

The Role

This is an important role contributing to "Talent for Tomorrow" a designated pillar within the university's 2030 strategy. You will lead the planning, implementation and enhancement of our non-clinical placements and work-based learning framework, enabling our students to engage in high-quality placement opportunities. You will work closely with academics, and colleagues in Careers and professional services teams to raise the profile of placements and work-based learning, developing initiatives and strategies to increase take up of both year-long professional placements, placements within modules and extra-curricular Microplacements.

You will manage a small, dedicated team responsible for due diligence, Health and Safety compliance, and placement administration, ensuring our processes meet regulatory standards and sector best practices. Working collaboratively across academic and professional services teams, your leadership will directly contribute to preparing students for the workplace and enabling their long-term success.

You will be joining a supportive and encouraging Careers management team and service, who have a real passion and desire to improve student outcomes and progression.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and embed a strategic, university-wide approach to non-clinical placements and work-based learning.
• Promote a culture of engagement with professional placements, including modules, placement years, micro-placements and other initiatives.
• Collaborate with academic and careers teams ensuring students receive robust advice and support in sourcing and securing placements.
• Lead the review and improvement of placement processes, ensuring consistent Health & Safety and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee the provision of on-placement support and act as a key problem-solver for student and provider concerns.
• Manage data accuracy within CRM systems and deliver regular reports to stakeholders.
• Line manage the Work-Based Learning team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and service excellence.
• Lead stakeholder engagement, acting as a confident communicator and influencer at all levels across and beyond the University.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• A degree or equivalent substantial experience in a relevant field.
• Extensive experience in placements, work-based learning, or graduate recruitment.
• A proven ability to develop, deliver, and oversee high-quality placement processes.
• Strong understanding of employability, work readiness, and student support.
• Experience of managing teams in a customer-focused environment and leading change.
• Excellent interpersonal, coaching, and influencing skills.
• Confidence in using IT systems and analysing data to inform improvements.
• First-class organisational skills and an eye for detail under pressure.
• The ability to deliver impactful training and engage diverse audiences.
• A collaborative mindset and enthusiasm to drive service delivery forward.

Why Join Us?

You will be joining a forward-thinking and values-driven institution committed to enhancing student employability. This role offers the opportunity to shape future career outcomes for thousands of students and to play a key role in delivering an ambitious university-wide strategy.

Please click the below link to download the Job Description:

Job Description

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.

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.

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.