Please note, this is not a zero-hour contract. You should only apply for this role if you are able to commit to the 12 hour per week contract.

Who are we?

We are Manchester Students’ Union, the biggest SU in the country, supporting over 40,000 students throughout their time at university. We help to make student life the best it can be by supporting students to campaign for change, creating opportunities to meet new people, providing employment opportunities, providing advice and support and being a safe place on campus.  

We are a values-centred organisation that employs around 90 permanent, full-time members of staff. We recruit a wide range of roles throughout the year within all our departments from our Commercial team operating Manchester Academy Venues, 13 Media, Bar 532 & Kitchen and Corridor Coffee to our Student Activities, Student Engagement, Marketing and Communications, Finance, HR and Facilities teams. Our team of around 400 part-time, studying staff are instrumental in providing to support to all departments as well as leading major projects like Student Angels. When you join UMSU, you’ll be immersed in an environment that empowers staff to make great things happen and we're always on the lookout for innovative, passionate, and proactive people to join us. 

Our values are really important to us and shape the work that we do every day. As part of our recruitment process, we want you to demonstrate how your experiences, behaviours and skills align with our values. You can find more detailed explanations of our values on our website. 

About the role 

We are looking for Helpdesk & Box Office Assistants, a role which covers the main helpdesk and our two box offices. You will represent the Students’ Union and Manchester Academy Venues in a professional and friendly manner, dealing with a wide variety of student issues in addition to helping ensure the hundreds of events we put on every year run as smoothly as possible.

As a Helpdesk & Box Office Assistant you will be expected to act as first point of contact for students, visitors and customers at the Students’ Union helpdesk. Providing information about the Union’s services and facilities in person and via email / telephone.

You will also ensure the smooth running of the Box Office for Manchester Academy Venues, using ticketing software and EPOS till system, while delivering excellent customer service at all times and acting as an ambassador for the Union, with professionalism and discretion.

Normal working hours are between 8:45am and 10pm. However, due to the nature of the role you will need to be able to work flexibly, including evenings (till 10pm), club nights (till 1/2am), weekends, bank holidays, and occasionally over the Christmas / New Year period.

The role of a Helpdesk & Box Office Assistant is incredibly varied, requiring patience and quick learning, with a can-do attitude. This is a fun, active role, where no two shifts are the same. If you have an interest in people and music, this is the role for you!

Please read the full role profile before applying, as well as our guide to recruitment. 

Details

Wage: £12.60 per hour + holiday pay 

Contract: Annualised, Term-Time, Fixed-Term until 31st July 2026

Hours: 12 hours per week

Eligibility: Open to applicants with relevant skills and experience who are eligible to work in the UK at the point of employment and a current student at University of Manchester graduating in 2027 or later

Our Reward Package

You'll get access to our reward package which you can see here.

Recruitment Guide

We have a guide that explains our full recruitment process. We recommend reading through this before beginning an application. 

If you are invited to interview with us, we will share our interview questions in advance so you can prepare your responses. We’re more interested in hearing about your experiences and ideas than in testing your memory, and so we want you to feel as prepared as possible. 

Inclusivity and Accessibility

We are committed to equality of opportunity, and we work hard to ensure we appoint based on skill and values. 

We particularly encourage applications from Disabled or Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African candidates as these groups are currently underrepresented in our staff team. 

If you have any accessibility requirements or require adjustments to support you to apply to work with us, please get in touch. We can offer reasonable adjustments at all stages of our recruitment process. 

Recruitment Timeline

Applications opened: 26th August 2025

Applications close: 2nd September 2025

Interviews: w/c 15th September 2025

Role Commencing: 29th September

We may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. We recommend that you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. In this case, all applicants who have started an application will be contacted 2 hours before we close the role. 

Contact

People Team

You can contact the People Team with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process. 

Email: jobs.su@manchester.ac.uk 

Phone: 0161 306 3279