Union Assembly Chair
Who are we?
We are Manchester Students’ Union, the biggest SU in the country, supporting over 48,000 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
Sitting in the Student Influence team, the Union Assembly Chair will play an integral role in overseeing the running of Union Assembly, ensuring that our democracy at Union Assembly is inclusive, transparent and fair. You will aim to seek meaningful engagement from all students, impartially chair student-led discussions, oversee the agenda of Union Assembly and ensure that Union Assembly meets its policy-setting purpose as outlined in the Union Assembly and Policy byelaw.
Union Assembly brings together students from a wide range of backgrounds to discuss, debate, and shape policy proposals. Where appropriate, students can propose amendments to policies before decisions are made. The structure and decision-making processes of Union Assembly are set out in the Union Assembly and Policy Byelaw. As this framework is currently under active review, the postholder will play a key role in helping to develop, implement, and embed any agreed changes. More information on Union Assembly can be found on our website. Our current policies can be found here.
Fundamental to the role is applying community organising principles to ensure that a diverse range of students attend each Union Assembly. You will help to identify communities of students that are likely to be impacted by proposals being discussed and communicate the power they hold in shaping and influencing policies that seek to improve their student experience.
You will facilitate a deliberative process and set out how discussions will take place at Union Assembly. You may enable students to propose changes to submitted policy at your discretion. Items submitted to Union Assembly can be contentious so it will be important for the Chair to that ensure all students are confident in sharing their ideas and opinions.
In addition to your responsibilities in chairing Union Assembly, you’ll be a member of the Union Assembly Committee that helps to facilitate the democratic will of the student body through ensuring that policies are actionable. You will sit alongside the Union Affairs Officer and the other members of the SU Executive Officer Team on this committee.
This role aligns with all organisational values though there will be a focus on putting students at the heart of our work, being open and transparent, and being inclusive. This role will be ideal for anyone who has a keen interest in democratic values, policy and member led organisations.
Please read the full role profile before applying, as well as our guide to recruitment.
Details
Wage: £13.45 per hour + holiday pay
Contract: Zero Hours, Fixed-Term until 31st July 2027
Hours: approximately 20-30 hours per term
Eligibility: Applications are open to all current students at the University of Manchester, at all degree levels, graduating no earlier than July 2027, who are eligible to work in the UK.
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.
AI Use
GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, are revolutionising how we approach a whole host of tasks at work. As a future-focused employer, we believe in embracing, not banning, these tools. However, as with all tech, some ways of using it are better than others. You can use GenAI to refine and articulate your ideas. It’s a tool to help structure your thoughts and improve clarity, not to replace your unique voice and experiences. Please don’t just copy and paste what AI tells you to write.
We recommend you read our guide on how to approach the use of AI within our recruitment process:
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.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. Under this scheme, we aim to offer an interview to candidates who declare a disability and meet the minimum essential criteria for the role. Minimum criteria are marked with an asterisk on the person specification. However, during periods of exceptionally high application volumes or peak recruitment times (i.e. July, August and September), it may not always be possible to guarantee an interview for every eligible candidate. In such cases, we will take steps to ensure that the process remains fair, consistent, and inclusive.
Recruitment Timeline
Applications opened: 03/08/2026
Applications close: 24/08/2026 25:59pm
Interviews: 15/09/2026
Role Commencing: 12/10/2026
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. Once the vacancy has closed, we’re unable to accept late applications to ensure a fair process for all candidates.
Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to make any further changes. Please ensure you are happy with your responses before submitting.
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 hiring manager with any questions regarding this vacancy or our recruitment process.
Email: gary.richardson@manchester.ac.uk