Description:
This role supports the work of the Curriculum Management Team in re-building the data structures which underpin the curriculum at the University. The role will focus primarily on the campus-wide StARS project, a programme dedicated to redesigning programme and module data structures in order to simplify and refresh current student processes, supporting the University’s Birmingham 2026 strategic aims.
The post holder will hold specific responsibility to aid the re-build of the data structures. This important work will have wide-reaching impact and will help provide the University with the ability to attract students with an easy-to-navigate and flexible course offering.
Main Duties
- Take responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of the changes to be made to curriculum data, working closely with colleagues on the project teams and IT services, to update programme and module data and tuition fees data in the Banner student records system
- Understand and interpret complex data structures and instructions in order to build programme and module data to meet requirements set by the programme
- Provide expert guidance and advice to colleagues and staff within the areas of curriculum management
- Utilise problem solving skills to contribute to collaborative and individual problem solving to ensure that the work is implemented effectively and efficiently
- Use multiple systems, including the Banner Student Record System, reporting tools, and curriculum presentation systems to enter, amend, and validate changes to curriculum rules
- Take responsibility for ensuring that all public facing curriculum data is accurate as directed, and that the portfolio is kept accurate and up to date
- Using available systems and tools to ensure that changes are made to the highest level of accuracy
- Have full understanding of how the curriculum data is sourced and used and provide expert advice and guidance to colleagues
- Support the development of the new procedures to manage curriculum data, challenging current processes to ensure maximum effectiveness, whilst pro-actively engaging with stakeholders
- Write procedural documentation to be used across the team, and more widely across Registry and Academic Affairs
- Gain an understanding of the full remit of the Curriculum Management Team such as, programme and module development, tuition fee data management, CMA programme factsheet, and SLC Course Management Service, to ensure impact of work can be fully aligned to that of the team and have the flexibility to support the team as required
- Contribute to the curriculum data aspects of the University’s statutory reporting relationships e.g. HESA, auditing data to support accurate returns
- Build and maintain productive relationships with colleagues who have involvement/investment in curriculum management e.g. IT Services, Planning, Finance, Marketing and Taught and Research Student Administration
- Work to agreed timelines, ensuring that milestones are met, organising workload and adjusting priorities accordingly
- To assist with constructing user requirements for new systems, creating and executing functionality testing and working with stakeholders to identify the priority and severity of defects that may need raising
- Keep abreast of developments and trends in curriculum management both as they relate to the strategy of the University and nationally e.g. through the Quality Assurance Agency, communication with College Academic Policy Partners and Planning Partners
- Identify personal training and development needs and discuss these with the manager, and attend training and development activities as directed by senior managers
- Undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required by senior managers
- Promote equality and value diversity including: (a) actively acting as a role model in own behaviour and fostering a non-discriminatory culture; (b) actively applying internal processes in a fair and equal way.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
- Educated to first degree level
- Must possess a logical mind-set, able to work to high levels of accuracy with an attention to detail and able to assimilate, manipulate, and interpret complex data from different sources
- Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office, with proven ability to learn new processes and IT systems quickly and thoroughly
- Experience of working with complex databases e.g. Banner
- Experience of resolving complex and challenging problems and determining a way forward including the ability to act with autonomy, without requiring close supervision
- Well-developed organisational skills, including the ability to manage projects, keep accurate records and appropriately prioritise own workload
- Ability to work on own initiative, manage time effectively, work to deadlines and to maintain high standards including when under pressure
- Able to demonstrate effective working in an administrative role, preferably in Higher Education
- Ability to work in a team environment and to maintain a positive team approach, as well as working independently to achieve goals
- Ability to constructively challenge assumptions and traditional views, identify issues and generate and implement new (and adapt tried and tested) approaches to develop solutions to challenges and opportunities
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to influence and persuade others, and to develop positive and productive relationships with colleagues. Ability to communicate effectively with people in other universities and external bodies as required
- Ability to present information clearly and effectively to colleagues from across the University at various levels both expert, and non-expert, in a variety of media
- Knowledge of the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010 and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area of business that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly