Work with us

We are looking for one Trustee & Deputy Chair to join our Charity Trustee Board to support the Union through its next steps. A strong and active Board is crucial for us as we develop and implement our strategy, face challenges, maximise opportunities and endeavour to create an even better Union; one that continues to be flexible and agile enough to react quickly to the changing needs and interests of our student members and achieve our vision.

The Person

The right candidate will thrive in a student led, highly responsive environment and have an enthusiasm for supporting and guiding a student organisation. They will command confidence, have sound judgement and strong communication and leadership skills. We are looking for a trustee with the following skills/experience

Finance Experience: 

• Preferably financial experience from a charity outside of the SU sector
• Understanding of financial oversight
• Ability to interpret financial information to support strategic decision-making
• Awareness of charity finance and regulatory requirements

Chairing Experience: 

• Ability to deputise for the Chair, and chair meetings of the Board
• Ability to build a strong and effective working relationship with the Board of Trustees Chair
• Ability to foster, maintain and ensure that constructive relationships exist with and between the Trustees
• Assist and support the Chair in providing leadership to the Board, through the governance arrangements, and also acting as a ‘sounding board’ and confidante to the Chair in the execution of their role

Due to the current make-up of our Trustee Board, we are not actively searching for candidates with skills, knowledge and experience related to the Student Union and HE sector and we would welcome candidates from other sectors or regions to apply. That said, we would very much like to encourage anyone who feels that they could bring something to our Board to apply, regardless of experience - our purpose and values also lead us to welcome first time Trustees too!

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 Trustee Board to ensure that it is as relevant and representative of our student community as possible and are actively encouraging applications from underrepresented groups.

Further Information

For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Blessing Okafor, Chair of the Board of Trustees, on blessing.okafor@upsu.net or Fern Lewis, Chief Executive, on fern.lewis@upsu.net.

Application is via a comprehensive CV plus a supporting statement (of no more than two sides of A4) detailing why you are applying for the position and what requirements you meet to carry out the role

Applications can be sent by email to jobs@upsu.net