Director Student Recruitment Strategy

Five new positions are available in our UK student recruitment team. Join us and be part of an ambitious new expansion of our UK Student Recruitment Team.

Associate Director, UK Student Recruitment:
Salary Level 6 (£59,666 - £74,851)
UK Student Recruitment Officer (x3 roles):
Salary Level 3 (£31,236 - £35,608)
CRM Co‑ordinator (Recruitment Communications):
Salary Level 3 (£31,236 - £35,608)

Closing date for all posts: 12/03/2026

We are seeking to appoint five positions that will grow our UK Student Recruitment Team and extend our reach across the UK. These roles provide an exciting opportunity to join the University at a time of continued growth, and to develop your student recruitment career by delivering innovative and impactful student recruitment strategies and activities.

The University of Southampton is a research‑intensive university and a founding member of the Russell Group. Ranked 17th in the UK, 33rd in Europe and 39th globally with a diverse community of students from over 130 countries. We are a top‑20 UK university for employability and our graduates are highly sought after with 97% in employment or further study. Underpinning this culture of excellence is our sector‑leading Student Hub offering 24/7 student support.

Our highly ranked education, research and knowledge exchange and enterprise activities are already intertwined. Our triple‑helix approach aims to strengthen these links to achieve greater impact and accelerate new ways to tackle the world’s most complex problems. We are standing out across the Higher Education sector, and our UK Student Recruitment Team will be a key part of delivering our future ambitions.

• Lead the development of UK student recruitment strategies across the University.
• Identify and implement new, innovative and ambitious approaches to UK activity.
• Manage an overall team of nine recruitment professionals and graduate roles.
• Develop recruitment plans to target regions and schools/colleges.
• Identify opportunities for growth of the University’s UK student recruitment pipeline.
• Contribute to ambitious growth targets and deliver programmes of activities to meet them.
• Ensure delivery of the University’s strategic objectives.

• Serve as the first point of contact with Southampton for many students and their families.
• Represent the University of Southampton at Higher Education Fairs and events (virtual and in person).
• Engage in talks both on and off campus.
• Support ambitious growth targets.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with a target group of schools/colleges.
• Travel extensively throughout the UK.

• Use a variety of communication tools and channels to improve and maintain relationships with stakeholders and influencers in the schools and colleges that are in the University of Southampton’s target market.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate a programme of B2B communications to the target audience primarily through the University’s CRM.
• Work with the UK Recruitment and Marketing teams.
• Employ excellent copywriting skills to build effective relationships with key stakeholder schools & colleges.
• Support the delivery of school/college events on campus on occasion.

For all posts, you will demonstrate a passion and commitment to recruiting UK students and an ability to enhance our undergraduate and postgraduate offer in this key region.

• Competitive salary bands as listed above.
• Pension scheme membership.
• Generous annual leave allowance (supplemented by University closure days and public holidays).
• Excellent family leave arrangements (including maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave).
• Access to a wide range of benefits in addition to our competitive rates of pay.

As a university we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work.

We…