Job Description
Job title:
Department/School:
Grade:
Location:
Placements Manager
Placements, Projects & International Studies Team
7
School of Management
Purpose of the job:
The post holder will form part of the School of Management’s Placements, Projects &
International Studies Team, with specific responsibility for the School’s Placements &
Projects Team.
The focus of this role is on the development, leadership and management of the School’s
Placements & Projects staff, covering a range of undergraduate courses, namely:
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BSc Business Administration (BBA)
BSc Accounting & Finance (BAF)
BSc Management (BM), BSc Management with Marketing (BMM), BSc International
Management (BIM)
BSc International Management with Modern Languages (French, German and Spanish)
(IMML).
Line management of these roles forms a major part of the role, dealing with student and
company issues that arise, plus managing staff development, annual leave, sickness etc.
The post will involve the identification, negotiation and organisation of placements
undertaken by the School’s undergraduate students in the UK and abroad. This will involve
extensive interactions with placement providers at a senior manager and director level in
major corporations as well as operational interactions with mid-level managers.
As part of the School of Management’s Placements, Projects & International Studies Team,
the post holder will take the lead to ensure that services relating to placements are efficient,
effective and adapt to changing circumstances. The team work together under the guidance
of the Head of Placements, Projects and International Studies. The post holder works
closely with the International Relations Manager, the Business Development Manager for
International Placements, and other UG Placement Officers.
This is a busy and varied role involving daily communication with senior academic staff and
current/potential employers (both in the UK and internationally) at a senior level. The post
holder will need to have excellent organisational skills, demonstrate a good use of initiative,
have the ability to multi-task and prioritise. A strong interest and understanding of global
working practices and higher education institutions is required. Diplomacy, tact and cultural
awareness are key to developing strong links that will provide exclusive placements in the
UK and around the world which will give our students the best possible opportunities.
It is essential that the post holder has the interpersonal and team-building skills to provide
leadership and support to the School of Management’s Placements & Projects Team as well
as engaging with companies, students and other stakeholders.
Source and nature of management provided
Head of Placements, Projects & International Studies
Director of External Relations and Marketing
Staff management responsibility
Line management of Placements & Projects staff – currently 7 Placements & Projects
Officers, and 4 Placement Administrators.
Duties and responsibilities
The post holder’s main sphere of operations will concern leadership and management of the
School of Management’s Placements & Projects Team, initiating development and managing
change as appropriate. Although members of the team have individual areas of
responsibility, a ‘team-based approach’ is essential to ensure that, regardless of
circumstances, every member of the team is fully conversant with processes and procedures
to ensure that they can effectively contribute to any activity within the team. The Placements
Manager will be responsible for deciding and allocating work priorities as the need arises, in
conjunction with the Head of Placements, Projects & International Studies.
1.
Main duties and responsibilities specific to the role
i Manage the School of Management’s Placements & Projects Team i.e. allocate
workloads, approve and monitor leave, hold regular staff meetings, undertake
annual staff development performance reviews, liaise with relevant academic staff
(for example, Directors of Studies) regarding operations within their respective
degrees courses, and monitor parity of placement support between individual
undergraduate courses.
ii Ensure all staff within the School’s Placements & Projects Team have the
appropriate skills to undertake their duties and organise appropriate training where
necessary; this responsibility may include the development and implementation of
software to ensure accurate records are kept detailing students, placement
providers, personal tutors and placement officers/administrators.
iii Recruitment of staff into the team as required, in conjunction with the Head of
Placements, Projects & International Studies.
iv Develop Moodle courses to support students during the applications phase and
on-placement phase of the placements programme.
v Ensure that the team regularly prepares reports and that these are presented to
the Head of Placements, Projects & International Studies, senior School of
Management staff, and the Dean as required.
vi Oversee the writing and annual review of student placement handbooks, forms
and employer information packs.
vii Ensure the University Placements Handbook and University Placement Templates
are updated, in collaboration with the other Faculty Placement Managers, the
Students’ Union, the Careers Service, and the Learning, Teaching & Enhancement
Office.
viii Develop an externally-facing professional profile of School of Management
placement activity and ensure that quality information is in place for students and
placement providers; this responsibility will include web development (see iii
above), marketing of placements, student handbooks, information for placement
providers, and presentations at both University Open Days (e.g. UCAS) and offer
holder Open Days, plus other events that may occur.
ix Participate in meetings with other School of Management Managers, Placement
Officers and the Careers Service; represent the University at conferences and
external meetings.
Duties and responsibilities
x Research current HE placement legislation, policy documents and good practice –
e.g. the Health and Safety Executive, professional bodies, Quality Assurance
Agency and University Quality Assurance – to ensure that all aspects of the
placement procedure are fully compliant with all statutory and other requirements.
xi Ensure that there is representation by the School of Management at other
appropriate conferences, training sessions and external meetings and that the
team is an active participant in the University Placement Tutor Forum and Careers
& Employability Sub-Committee.
xii Ensure that all students within the School of Management complete the required
Placements Health and Safety form, and risk assessment forms are completed
where necessary.
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Undergraduates
All members of the School’s Placements & Projects Team are required to work with
undergraduate students within their allocated primary degree courses to advise, assist
and enable students to identify and secure suitable placements and maximise their
benefit in terms of academic, personal and long-term career development. The
School’s Placements Manager will take on a similar operational role which includes,
but is not limited to, the following:
i
Working with appropriate staff and external providers to deliver effective
high quality group teaching in self-marketing skills (CVs, letters,
application forms, interview skills, assessment centres and aptitude
tests).
ii Advise undergraduates about placement choice and how to locate a placement.
iii Supervise and monitor students throughout the placement period, assessing
and resolving their demands, enquiries and problems.
iv Organise and undertake workplace visits to students on placement.
v Ensure that the appropriate reports are completed and submitted for assessment.
vi Advise academic staff, Personal Tutors and Placements staff of individual and
general placement issues.
vii Work with the relevant Directors of Studies on matters relating to specific academic
disciplines.
viii Ensure that all students within the School receive the same level of placement
support
3
Employers
All members of the School’s Placements & Projects Team are required to establish
and maintain good relations with existing and prospective employers, to support
employers in developing good-practice placement procedures and programmes and to
offer advice and assistance to employers in the selection and short-listing of suitable
student candidates. The School’s Placements Manager will take on a similar
operational role which includes, but is not limited, to the following:
i Research and develop new placement opportunities to generate new placements
in the UK and abroad.
ii Manage and further develop good relationships and strong links with employers of
our graduates in industry and commerce and promote the creation of partnerships
between business and the School of Management.
iii Assess all placement employer requirements and resolve them in a timely and
effective manner.
iv Ensure post-placement employers’ appraisal of student placement performance is
carried out with appropriate feedback and details of lessons learnt.
This is not intended as an exhaustive list of duties or a restrictive definition of the post but
rather should be read as a guide to the main priorities and typical areas of activity of the
post-holder.
These activities are subject to change over time as priorities and requirements evolve and as
such it may be amended at any time by the line manager following discussion with the post
holder.
Duties and responsibilities
The post is School based and there may be occasions when the post-holder’s role and skill
set may be required elsewhere within the School, so flexibility will be essential.
Additional hours may be required when visiting locations at a distance, company
presentations or School of Management social events.
Person Specification
Criteria
Qualifications
Education to relevant degree level or
equivalent
Experience & Knowledge
Liaison with and experience of
industry including the role of
placement students within
organisations
Experience of working with and/or
knowledge of professions within the
relevant discipline/field
Experience of managing a
placements programme within Higher
Education (HE)
Experience of customer/client contact
especially establishing and
developing effective links with
companies in the relevant
discipline/field
Experience of liaising/negotiating with
a range of staff
Experience of managing a team
Evidence of effective team working
and engaging and motivating others
Experience of teaching/training other
staff.
HR/personnel experience relevant to
the recruitment sector
Experience of working with young
adults
Experience of developing Virtual
Learning Environments (VLEs)
Skills
Excellent IT skills including Microsoft
Office and Virtual Learning
Environments (VLEs)
Proficient user of university systems
(SAMIS, Business Objects)
Ability to communicate effectively and
professionally with a variety of people
Excellent written and oral
communication skills including report
writing
Excellent organisational skills
Attributes
Must be able to work flexibly to meet
the needs of the placements service,
and be willing to undertake external
visits.
Essential
Desirable
Assessed by
App form Int’view Refs
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Criteria
Must be a team player and be able to
negotiate and consult with all internal
stakeholders engaged with
placements
Must be willing to research and learn
new technologies/methodologies that
could enhance placements provision
and team efficiency
Must be able to adapt to and support
necessary change
Must be able to work to QA
compliance
Essential
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Desirable
Assessed by
App form Int’view Refs
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