You can find a wide range of business jobs in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector. Whether you are interested in developing your career within the sector or you would like to get your first job within education, you are likely to find some exciting vacancies.
Academia and professional services: Universities tend to split jobs into academic and professional services roles. Academic jobs generally cover areas related to teaching and research whilst professional services focus on non-academic areas. People working in non-academic fields may provide administrative and operational support for the delivery of teaching and research. They may ensure that the processes are in alignment with the expectations of key stakeholders such as the government and funding organisations.
Business and Management jobs: the purpose of these jobs is to ensure the smooth running of the university’s services. To step into a business and management role, you would ideally need to show relevant experience within the HE sector. Having an academic degree in business management, marketing or any other business discipline can be very helpful. If you have not completed any degree courses, you would generally need to have transferrable skills and previous experience in a similar role to transition into one of the below areas.
As a manager, you may be asked to look after teams or individuals, manage budgets or take responsibility for projects. In some management jobs, however, you may not be a line manager but a ‘specialist’ who has deep expertise in a field (without supervising the work of others).
Administrative
Administrative services are key to the effective running of a university. Administrators may support students, faculty members, and researchers. Managers who work in this field directly influence how the services are delivered. See the latest vacancies in our admin section.
Estates and Facilities Management
Those who work in facilities management ensure that the university’s buildings are run successfully. They ensure compliance with regulations and may deal with the maintenance of the properties. See the latest business and management jobs in this field.
Finance and Procurement
Finance departments deal with a range of financial activities, accounting, and financial planning (just to mention a few areas). Please see here for the latest job vacancies.
Fundraising and Alumni
This department maintains and develops relationships with alumni members and delivers fundraising projects. Managers could be involved in establishing partnerships within the larger business community and creating opportunities for student recruitment. Please see a list of vacancies here.
Hospitality/ Retail/ Events
Many universities offer conferences, business events, accommodation, and catering. You will be part of a commercial team, responsible for meeting targets and delivering high-quality of services. See here for more details on vacancies.
Human Resources (HR)
This university department may deal with staff recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, and other administrative tasks. Some of the job titles you may come across include HR Business Partner, HR Manager, and Resourcing Manager. See here for more details on current opportunities.
IT services
IT services support the delivery of face-to-face and virtual teachings, solve IT issues and implement new projects. Recent technological changes make the work of IT departments more and more important. If you are interested in working in this field, please visit here.
Laboratory, Clinical, and Technician
Most universities are engaged in research and need managers to ensure the smooth running of laboratories and clinical activities. Please see here for more details.
Library services, Data and Information Management
Data and information management have grown significantly over the last few years, and there are an increasing number of job roles for those with a background in this professional area. Please visit here to see new job openings.
Project Management and Consulting
Project managers can be found in a number of university departments including data management, business development, operations, and marketing. If you have some previous project management experience, you might find it helpful to take a look at recent openings here.
Student Services
This area may cover administrative support, student welfare, disability services, student advice services, etc. This is a wide professional field with a variety of new job openings which you can see here.
Business Development jobs: Business Development Managers (BDM) help to create business opportunities and contribute to the growth of the university. They may identify future trends, and new geographical areas for student recruitment as well as establish partnerships nationally and overseas. To be considered for a business development manager role, you would need to have significant experience in sales and demonstrate strong commercial awareness. Working as a BDM, you would be responsible for generating leads and meeting set targets. Ideally, you would have a degree in business and a strong understanding of the Higher Education sector. You might be asked to travel overseas or within the UK to take part in meetings, events, and recruitment activities.
If you have never worked in a Higher Education business development role before but you have some relevant sales experience, you may be able to transition into this field. You would probably need to show that you can learn quickly and demonstrate the ability and skills to step into the HE sector. You can find the latest vacancies here.
Marketing
The marketing department may work closely with a range of other departments such as Admissions, Career Services, Business Development, and Public Relations. If you are a creative individual who enjoys solving problems and thinking outside the box, marketing may be an excellent career option for you. You could be involved in organising and delivering recruitment events, creating content for the university’s website, or managing new innovative projects. If you are interested in stepping into a general marketing role, you might find it helpful to consider the following titles: Marketing Officer, Marketing Manager, and Head of Marketing.
More specialist marketing roles may be advertised as SEO Officer, Web Officer, Social Media Marketing Officer, Events Manager, PR Manager, and Campaigns Officer, just to mention a few options. Please take a look at recent marketing roles here.
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