Salesforce Systems Specialist

Location: Plymouth – Hybrid (3 days in the office per week)

A values-driven UK higher education institution is undertaking an ambitious, university-wide digital transformation aligned to a long-term 2030 strategy. As part of this transformation, the organisation is investing in a new CRM platform, with a strategic direction toward Salesforce Education Cloud, to fundamentally enhance the student experience and drive operational excellence.

This role sits at the heart of that transformation and represents a career-defining opportunity to shape a core enterprise platform that will support the institution for years to come.

The Role

The organisation is seeking a Salesforce Systems Specialist to act as the primary internal technical owner and champion of its CRM platform. This is a greenfield Salesforce implementation, offering a rare “learn and lead” opportunity to build a future-state platform from the ground up in partnership with an external Salesforce implementation partner.

The successful candidate will be embedded within the partner’s delivery team while also serving as the critical bridge between the partner, internal Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) teams, and wider business stakeholders. Following go-live, the role will transition into full platform ownership and business-as-usual support.

The organisation is committed to investing in the right individual, including full support to achieve additional Salesforce certifications and develop into the in-house Salesforce subject matter expert.

Key Responsibilities

Embedded Implementation & Knowledge Acquisition

• Work as an integrated member of the Salesforce implementation partner’s team, supporting configuration, customisation, testing and deployment
• Learn and document development standards, CI/CD and deployment processes, and Salesforce administration best practices
• Gain hands-on experience with declarative tools such as Flows, Process Builder and validation rules
• Shadow partner specialists to understand data models, security architecture and integration design

Internal Liaison & Future-Proofing

• Act as the primary technical liaison between the implementation partner and internal DDaT teams
• Ensure the CRM solution is well documented and maintainable post-implementation
• Collaborate with database and systems specialists on data migration activities
• Support integrations with platforms such as the Microsoft Power Platform
• Translate technical designs and decisions for non-technical stakeholders

Preparation for Business-as-Usual (BAU) Ownership

• Develop and maintain comprehensive operational runbooks and handover documentation
• Gradually assume responsibility for more complex configuration and administration tasks
• Achieve Salesforce Certified Administrator status (if not already held), with full organisational support
• Establish themselves as the internal expert and long-term owner of the CRM platform

About the Candidate

The ideal candidate is a technically strong systems specialist who enjoys owning platforms end-to-end and working collaboratively across teams. They are motivated by learning, documentation and long-term platform stewardship, and thrive in environments where they can grow into a subject matter expert role.

Essential:

• Strong foundational IT or systems administration experience
• Ability to learn complex enterprise systems quickly
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills

Desirable:

• Experience with Salesforce or CRM platforms
• Exposure to integrations, data migration or enterprise systems
• Salesforce certifications or a clear willingness to achieve them

Additional Information

The post holder will be expected to:

• Promote high standards of health, safety and wellbeing
• Actively support Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Deliver excellent internal customer service
• Engage in performance and development review processes
• Support environmental sustainability and value-for-money services
• Demonstrate organisational values in all aspects of work

Benefits

• Access to the university’s LinkedIn Learning platform – providing resources for ongoing professional growth and continuous skill development.
• Annual performance review – a dedicated discussion on achievements, opportunities, and future career progression.
• Annual pay progression – salary increases aligned with performance and contributions.
• Career growth opportunities – these are newly created roles at the university, designed to evolve and expand alongside the successful candidate’s development.

Please note that this job posting may be removed at any time due to an overwhelming response of applications. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to apply promptly if you believe you are a strong fit for the position. While we receive numerous applications, only a select few candidates will be shortlisted and presented to the client for further consideration. We thank you for your understanding and interest in this opportunity.