CRM Analyst - External Relations - 107020 - Grade 6

Job Description Position Details External Relations Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906 Grade: 6 Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to September 2027 Closing date: 24th March 2026 Interviews to be held on the 2nd April 2026 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 External Relations is the division responsible for delivering the University of Birmingham to the world and prides itself in seizing opportunities that will enhance the profile and reputation of the University. We communicate with many different audiences to build purposeful relationships internally, locally, nationally, and internationally. We enable those who wish to apply to study here to make informed choices. Role Summary The CRM Analyst will support the division’s strategic use of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Reporting to the Digital Channel Manager (CRM Manager), the postholder will focus on understanding and resolving pain points in current processes, building better workflows, and improving how the CRM is used throughout the department. This includes enhancing data quality, mapping customer journeys, and identifying opportunities for system improvements that deliver a better experience for staff and external users. The role will work closely with other Digital Channel Managers who support CRM, the CRM Lead (Student Recruitment and Marketing) and with the CRM Data and Support Assistant, ensuring alignment across the wider digital channel strategy. This CRM Analyst role will deliver operational insights, support CRM system innovation and development and otherwise contribute to increasing the effectiveness of its use. Main duties • Maintain and improve data quality across CRM datasets. • Drive operational efficiency by identifying process pain points and working with stakeholders to understand challenges and opportunities for improvement. • Monitor and report on CRM utilisation and data quality, producing dashboards and insights to support decision-making and highlighting areas for enhancement. • Develop a thorough understanding of system requirements to produce high quality feature requests and enhancements, including acceptance criteria. • Work with the Digital Channel Management team and wider External Relations services to identify system enhancements, improve integrations, and deliver process improvements aligned with strategic objectives. • Contribute to continuous improvement activities and support knowledge sharing across the team. • Document functional requirements, user stories, and process flows to support continuous system development. • Contribute to strategic initiatives that enhance CRM effectiveness, personalisation, and engagement throughout the prospective student journey. • Analyse CRM usage by staff and evaluate student related data to understand the external impact of our work and inform decision making. • Provide expert guidance on CRM best practice including segmentation, campaign setup, and compliance with GDPR and wider data governance standards. • Act as a champion of the University’s data protection obligations (including GDPR and the Data Protection Act), supporting all associated compliance processes. • Support the creation of training materials and documentation to strengthen CRM adoption and ensure consistent usage across teams. • Identify opportunities for automation and system optimisation, collaborating with technical teams and end users to implement improvements. Work with relevant teams to define, validate, and inform data models, ensuring data integrity and compliance. • Stay informed on emerging CRM best practices within Higher Education and the wider sector, recommending relevant innovations. • Provide support to the Digital Channel Manager (CRM Manager) and the wider Digital Channel Management team as required. • Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture. • Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working. • Any other duties commensurate with the grade. Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience • Degree level education in a relevant field - where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required • Understanding of, and experience in, managing data quality, consistency, importing and cleansing data, data structure, and GDPR/CMA compliance. • Experience of working with data in the education sector. • Significant of experience in customer relationship management and/or with relevant data work. • Proven experience in using Microsoft Dynamics at an advanced level. • Solid understanding and experience of data management, data modelling, and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Excel). • Background in digital transformation, customer experience, and/or data analytics initiatives. • Hands-on approach - comfortable rolling up your sleeves to configure or test CRM solutions when needed. • Creative and innovative approach to problem solving. • Excellent standards of numeracy, literacy and oral communication, with the ability to write clearly and to translate complex data into informative and accessible content in suitable formats for different audiences. • Proficiency in data analysis, segmentation, and reporting to inform strategic decisions, and ability to interpret complex datasets and translate findings into actionable insights. • Well-developed administrative and organisational skills, with proven ability to meet deadlines and provide appropriate levels of detail. • Excellent interpersonal skills and a 'can-do' attitude, with an ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal. • Ability to work under own initiative and juggle multiple priorities at once. • To constantly exhibit values and behaviours consistent with the University’s and External Relations’ framework. Have excellent communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues at all levels. • Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and an understanding of how to actively ensure during in day-to-day activity that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly. Informal enquiries to Pete Lambert, email: p.lambert@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 .