Union Assembly Chair

Please note: 'There will be no interviews for this role, just an application stage. Applicants for this role will go through a shortlisting process. Any applicants that are successful in being shortlisted by the panel will then face an election to become the Union Assembly Chair as per the byelaw. The election will take place from 7th – 10th October and all current University of Manchester students will be eligible to vote.'

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 

As the Union Assembly Chair, you will play an integral role in overseeing the running of Union Assembly, be a part of the newly formed Union Assembly Committee, and implementing the approved Union Assembly and Policy byelaw.

You will bring students together in an inclusive way, facilitating deliberative discussions on student policies that have been submitted on issues that are either important to them or their wider community. We are looking for a student to fill the role who will be skilled at chairing meetings, facilitating discussions and contentious issues.

The role of Union Assembly Chair is to make sure that students understand items on agendas and the impact that they can have on the student body. You will empower a range of voice from our diverse student body ensuring different viewpoints and perspectives are heard. You will also have autonomy to decide the deliberative process that will be used for students to discuss items and deciding whether amendments can be accepted at meetings following the process set out in the byelaw.

A key part of the role will include communicating with policy proposers on any decisions that have been made, providing them with updates on the role and identifying key students groups who should be specifically invited to Union Assembly to participate.

This role aligns with all organisational values though there will be a focus on butting students at the heart of our work, being open and transparent, and being inclusive. The impact that you have in this role could have a legacy for University of Manchester students for years to come.

There will be no interviews for this role. Applicants for this role will go through a shortlisting process. Any applicants that are successful in being shortlisted by the panel will then face an election to become the Union Assembly Chair as per the byelaw. The election will take place from 7th – 10th October and all current University of Manchester students will be eligible to vote.

This will be an office-based role, however, there may be opportunity to work from home to do the administrative tasks of the role.

The contract is until 7th June 2025.

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

Details

Wage: £12 per hour + holiday pay

Contract: Zero Hours, Term Time Only, Fixed-Term until 7th June 2025

Hours: approximately 30 hours per term.

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: 4th September 9am.

Applications close:  18th September 3pm.

Elections: 7th-10th October

Role Commencing: ASAP

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 

Hiring Manager:

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

Email: 

Phone: