From student support services to marketing and recruitment…
…and from fundraising to human resources, the Higher Education sector requires a wealth of expertise and experience from professionals across different areas of work.
Typically, when people think of working in the higher education sector, they are likely to visualise roles that relate directly to academia, teaching, and research. However, the sector – both in the UK and internationally – offers a range of opportunities that will help individuals wanting to pursue a career within universities.
So whether you are already working in the HE sector and are looking to make a career change, or you are working in a different industry, but you are keen to build your experience, read on to find out more about the variety of positions available.
Student-facing opportunities
There are a range of student-facing jobs that are fundamental to supporting students during their time at university, some of which may relate to learning, but many that will link to other aspects of student life.
Examples of roles might include Student Engagement Officers who support a range of pastoral issues, work closely with academic colleagues to monitor student attainment and progress, and feed into strategies and activities to support with retention. Another could be Resident Life Coordinators who work directly with students in accommodation to organise social activities. Other positions that require student-facing work could be through student finance services, careers support, and ongoing support with learning, for example, through note-taking or providing disability support. Access our job search tool now to view and consider postings under Student Services.
An increasingly important area of work across UK universities, and worldwide, relates to health, wellbeing and care, with growing demand from students. The vital work undertaken in this area can be both challenging and rewarding, where you are making a genuine difference to the everyday lives of students across campuses. Examples of role titles might include Mental Health and Wellbeing Adviser, Disability Adviser and Student Counsellor. Broader areas of work might include provision of student support through chaplaincy, campus-based GP surgeries, and childcare provision.
Business-related functions
Whilst universities in the UK are considered part of the public sector and are not-for-profit organisations, generating income to cover expenditure on new facilities, research and staffing costs is essential. With this in mind, there are a range of jobs that relate to business-focused activities to ensure the sustainability and financial viability of institutions. Opportunities to build experience in the HE sector could relate to student recruitment, fundraising, marketing, PR, sales and communications. Roles relating to fundraising and alumni may offer the opportunity to advance your career in HE by utilising your communication skills to secure essential funding and cultivate relationships with ongoing sponsors. Examples in this area include Alumni Engagement Officer, Research Grants Manager, Bid Writer, and Alumni Events Assistant.
If your previous experience relates to PR, marketing and sales, then your skills will be highly sought after. Raising the profile of institutions to highlight their significant contributions to research, the local economy, and ensuring they are meeting their civic duty are essential to positive PR coverage. Furthermore, exposure of individual universities via marketing and sales, including communication through social media, is essential to increase both recruitment and retention of students and staff. Examples across this important area of work include Social Media Officer, Communications Manager, Content Assistant, and Graphic Designer.
Infrastructure-focused areas
There are multiple areas of work that are essential to ensure that universities offer safe, sustainable and efficient work environments. For example, estates and facilities management roles have a key part to play in supporting all functions by ensuring best practices are followed. Building experience in this area might enable you to secure management positions, jobs in maintenance, operations or building and general services.
Other work areas within institutions that will be essential to operational delivery include administration, and finance and procurement. Administrative opportunities in the sector might include Personal Assistant, Research Awards Manager, and Communications Lead. Administration, overall, is essential for universities to thrive, and there are often excellent progression routes available. If you have prior experience relating to finance and procurement or you are looking to get into this area, typical roles might include Financial Analyst, Procurement Manager, Purchasing Officer, or Finance Administrator. Work in this area is instrumental in providing helpful insights, influencing decision-making, and adding value to work across the sector.
Professional services and staff development
The term “professional services” is used to cover a wide range of work across universities – some of which have been covered above – but might also extend to areas such as human resources (HR), IT Services, library services, data and information management, and even sports and leisure.
Roles within HR can be wide-ranging – either with a focus on processes or linked to staff recruitment, retention and development. Positions might include Human Resource Managers, HR Service Advisers, or Learning and Development Advisers. There is often excellent scope for advancement within HR departments across institutions.
Strong IT infrastructure, support and delivery are essential to the smooth operation of any organisation, and universities are no exception. Positions in this area might include Network Engineer, Data Analyst, or Service Desk Analyst, offering real variety, including for recent graduates with relevant technical knowledge and skills, as well as highly seasoned professionals looking to advance in strategic or management positions. If you are looking to pursue work related to library services, or data and information management, positions might include Curator, Data Manager, Systems and Information Manager and Faculty Librarian, which will require a certain level of experience and/or qualifications, but there are often also entry level roles advertised, for example, Library Assistant or Information Assistant.
Management roles
If you are a well-established professional with a range of supervisory or management experience – either in the education sector or another industry – then HE may offer further scope to build upon your experience and to utilise your current skill set. Whilst all of the areas of work outlined above will offer management roles, you might be looking to pursue a role in senior management. Examples of senior positions within universities might be described as Director or Head of [service].
Project management and consulting could offer further options to utilise and enhance your skills and experience, with positions ranging from Business Partnership Manager to Project Manager and Service Support Consultant.
As highlighted through our overview of different areas of work, the diversity of roles in the HE sector is both impressive and appealing. Once you have reviewed your options and considered what might offer a good “fit” for you, we would encourage you to explore the wide range of positions we regularly advertise through jobs.ac.uk.
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