Business Development and Engagement Manager (Maternity Cover) - Sport Business Operations - 100026Z26 - Grade 7

Position Details

Sport Business Operations

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to February 2028

Closing date: 12^th November 2026

This position is offered on a fixed-term basis to cover a period of maternity leave

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

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Department overview

This department is responsible for the driving business and engagement across University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness. The department is fully integrated across all Sport departments working across the spectrum of Sport programmes, as well as extensive collaboration with the wider University, particularly Campus Services, External Relations, Sportex, Student Services and DARO.

Role Summary

The Business Development and Engagement Manager is responsible operationalising business development opportunities to generate leads across UoB Sport & Fitness and marketing and communicating across membership and participation programmes, student clubs, scholarships and our Raymond Priestly Centre in Coniston. The post holder is also responsible for developing and upholding both the University and Sport brand identity and reputation working towards Sport Strategic goals outlined in the 2025 Sports Strategy.

Main Duties

1. Leads on operationalising business development opportunities to generate leads across UoB Sport & Fitness including the generation of leads and opportunities for major Campus Service Events
2. Lead on the Marketing and Communications Strategy for Sport which includes campaigns for income generating programmes and services; memberships, student and member engagement; student recruitment and events.
3. Manages and motivates the Marketing and Communication team to deliver excellent performance and undertake professional development to excel in their roles
4. Plan, manage and execute Recruitment and Open Days, Sports Awards, Hall of Fame and other key strategic events across Sport.
5. Strategically plan develop and deliver a more user-friendly UoB Sport & Fitness mobile app.
6. Accountable for departmental financial budgets including income, labour and expenditure ensuring cost effective decisions are made to meet the needs of UoB Sport & Fitness.
7. Develop and standardise Commercial Sponsorship across clubs, pitches and programmes
8. Working with DARO to increase potential gifts across sport including scholarships.
9. Establish effective relationships with colleagues across the University to facilitate functional coordination
10. Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
11. Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
12. Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Highly developed communication skills
• Extensive digital knowledge around app development, paid search, paid social and web development.
• Commitment to continually developing knowledge of marketing, communications and sales innovations
• Experience working in a complex sport environment.
• Experience of business development across a wide-range of programmes and facilities to an extensive and varied demographic.
• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus relevant practical experience - where no equivalent qualification is held significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required.
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Informal enquiries to Carolyn Cutbill, email: c.cutbill@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.