Work with us

*Actual job title Senior Operations Manager - Representation 

The Representation function supports over 1k student leader volunteers to represent students' views and interests, campaign on all aspects of Student Life as well as providing guidance on best practice in collaborating with University staff to co-create and resolve course and faculty challenges. The function also ensures our representatives are supported to develop key life and career skills.

The successful postholder will be an experienced senior line manager who can demonstrate strong project management skills and be confident in shaping the Union’s strategic direction.

The Post

The Senior Representation Manager is responsible for the Senior Operational Leadership of the Union’s Representation function. The post holder will oversee and support the management of three specialists and a team of student staff to deliver the Union’s core representation and democratic activity. This includes responsibility for the delivery of the Course Rep system (in partnership with the University), the union’s democratic processes including the Have Your Say democracy platform and supporting elected representatives. The postholder will also drive the Unions Quality Assurance and Co-Creation work supporting the student reps and Elected Officers to highlight key issues and work with courses and departments to deliver campaigns and co-collaborative enhancement projects. The postholder will be key in shaping the future of the Unions Representation work and be part of the organisation's strategic development.

The Person

We are looking to recruit a motivated individual who is passionate about delivering an excellent student centred service. The post-holder will have experience of leading and managing projects and supporting, motivating and training people. They will need to be an experienced problem solver and able to handle multiple projects at once. Line management and leadership experience is essential for this role alongside the experience and ability to create a vision and develop plans to achieve success. The postholder will have experience of developing and increasing participation and will demonstrate the skills necessary to develop new initiatives. In addition, the post-holder will have excellent communication skills, an understanding of best practice in supporting Union representatives, the skills to undertake and present research, analyse data and have the ability to handle competing priorities. An understanding of the complex issues faced by students in a Higher Education setting is essential.

What we offer

• Strong team mentality, supportive and sociable workplace
• Regular training opportunities and team development days
• 38 days holiday (30 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays) and additional Christmas leave (University shutdown)
• Flexible working (e.g. flexitime, career break, paid time off for volunteering)
• 35 hour week
• Enhanced sick pay, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
• Access to University staff benefits: discounted gym membership, free library membership, bike safe
• Employee Assistance Programme

The Organisation

The University of Portsmouth Students’ Union (The Union or UPSU for short) is a forward thinking, friendly organisation with a vision of “delivering a positive impact with every Portsmouth student”. As a charity led by its values and guided by its members, we offer a wide range of services and activities to support and enrich the lives of our students. UPSU employs approximately 35 career staff, a further 100 student staff and we work with over 1000 registered student volunteers and over 100 student groups.

Further Information

For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Brendan McCarthy, Director of Membership Services, on brendan.mccarthy@upsu.net.

Closing date for applications: 9am, 3rd June 2024
Interviews will be held on date: 10th June 2024

We kindly ask that candidates do not send CVs or cover letters as these will not be considered. You can find an application form on our website.

Anonymous shortlisting will be carried out for this role to ensure a fair and consistent approach to recruitment. We will not disclose any personal details to the shortlisting panel. Any documents or links with identifying information will not be used during shortlisting, but can be submitted if you are selected for an interview.

We are strongly dedicated to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within our community and we are passionate about creating a welcoming and inclusive environment which supports everyone from recruitment through to appointment, regardless of your background. We welcome applications from all talented people and as part of this commitment, we are working to improve the diversity of our workforce to ensure that it is as relevant and representative of our student community as possible and are actively encouraging applications from underrepresented groups.

The Union is a MINDFUL EMPLOYER® and we are committed to creating a supportive and open culture and actively support the mental wellbeing of all staff.

Due to the high number of applicants, if you have not heard from UPSU by the interview date you should assume you have been unsuccessful in your application.