Student Voice and Representation Manager

We have an exciting opportunity for a Student Voice & Representation Manager to join our Membership team. The key purpose of this role is to lead the development and delivery of high-impact student engagement, provide support and advice to elected Officers and student representatives and nurture effective stakeholder relationships across both the SU and University of Warwick. 

What’s on offer:

Salary: From £37,682 to £43,429 per annum, plus excellent benefits including holidays and a contributory pension scheme

Hours: Full time 36.5 hours per week (8.30am – 4.30pm Mon-Thurs and 8.30am - 3.30pm Fri). Flexibility of working hours is reasonably required from time to time to meet the requirements of the post. This includes occasional evenings and weekends. We offer hybrid working with one day working from home each week.

Location: Warwick SU, Coventry, West Midlands. Occasional off-site working is required

Closing Date: Monday, 30^th June 2025 at 9am

Interview Date: Week commencing 7^th or 14^th July

Benefits: Pro-rata of 22 days holiday plus no less than a total of 15 days at Christmas, Easter, New Year, May Day, Spring and Late Summer bank holidays or days in lieu thereof, a dedicated wellbeing programme, cycle to work scheme, employee assistance programme, substantial pension scheme and salary extras discount platform. 

Who are we?
Part business, part charity, part membership body, Warwick Students’ Union is a vibrant place to work. An independent organisation in our own right, we’re professionally run, but different. Our talented teams support elected student leaders to make change, improve lives and fulfil potential; we empower them to make all this happen.

Warwick Students’ Union is one of more than 550 students’ unions across the country. And with more than 25,000 members, over 250 societies, over 60 sports clubs, hundreds of elected representatives, a huge range of services and a bold strategy, we’re one of the most exciting.

Who you are:
You’ll have experience of working in Higher Education and extensive understanding of SU governance, academic representation and democratic processes, and how to apply them in a students’ union setting. 

The ideal candidate will have a passion for student democracy, academic representation and governance with the ability to coach, support and empower others to succeed in their roles. You will have experience of managing a team, together with strong skills in organisation, planning, communication (both verbal and written), negotiation and complex stakeholder management.

It is essential that you’re able to align yourself with WSU Values and can show empathy and impartiality.

Why apply?
The exact opposite of corporate, we’re progressive, passionate individuals working to make a difference in unconventional workplaces.

In return for your enthusiasm and experience, we offer the flexibility for work-life balance, a competitive salary for the non-profit sector and excellent benefits. 

We’re committed to equality of opportunity for all. We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability status. We want to support diverse and inclusive work environments and are actively looking for people who share our values.

Whoever you are, we’d love to hear from you!

Any queries, please contact jobs@warwicksu.com

Job Description

Job Title: Student Voice and Representation Manager

Responsible to: Director of Membership

Responsible for: Student Voice Coordinators, Policy & Representation Advisor, Democracy Assistants, Decolonise Advocates and Campaign Ambassadors.

Works closely with: Membership department, wider SU colleagues, President, Full and Part-Time Officers, Members, relevant University colleagues, Faculty, Department and Student Representatives, Academic Convenors, National Union of Students (NUS), other Student Unions and external partners.

Main Purpose 

1. Lead the development and delivery of high-impact student engagement, democratic, and academic representation systems that empower students to shape their experience and create meaningful change.
   
   
2. To support and advise elected Officers and student representatives to deliver in their roles, by providing expert technical knowledge and holistic overview, to develop informed campaigns and change projects that support the organisation’s strategic priorities, led by data-driven insight.
   
   
3. Nurture effective stakeholder relationships with members, SU colleagues, and University stakeholders.
   
   
4. To support insight-led campaigns and academic representation work that reflect the diverse needs, priorities, and lived experiences of our members. Ensures democratic processes are inclusive, transparent, and continuously improving.

Main Responsibilities

1. Oversee and champion the organisation and direction for inclusive, fair and engaging democratic processes for Elections, Student Council, Forums and All Student Votes; ensuring they are accessible, empowering, and impactful in enabling students to drive positive change.
   
   
2. Lead and continuously improve the delivery of democracy and academic representation projects, ensuring alignment with SU strategic priorities/plan, Officer campaigns, and student-led insights, maximizing student engagement
   
   
3. To ensure the Voice and Representation team delivers agreed projects, targets and objectives, through effective people management, by recruiting, developing and inspiring talent, in line with SU colleague processes, policies and procedures.
   
   
4. Support and empower elected Officers and student representatives to influence decision-making at all levels, within the scope of the charitable aims, and drive forward campaigns, projects, and feedback that result in positive and measurable improvements for students.
   
   
5. Build strategic partnerships across the University to ensure student insight, voice, and engagement are embedded across governance structures, resulting in tangible improvements to the student experience.
   
   
6. To develop, manage, and maintain an extensive knowledge base of the Academic Representation structure for each faculty and department to support effective academic representation.
    
7. Design and lead innovative engagement activities and insight projects to understand what matters most to students, ensuring their views shape both Union and University priorities.
   
   
8. Provide expertise in Higher Education policy, providing valuable insights to key stakeholders.
   
   
9. Oversee the Decolonise Advocacy programme and ensure delivery is aligned with strategic aims.
   
   
10. Maintain a detailed understanding of governing documents and policy frameworks relevant to SU democracy and representation.
    
    
11. Support, promote, and advocate for an effective relationship between Student Council and the Board of Trustees.
    
    
12. Provide line management for team members and lead performance management and development across the department.
    
    
13. Manage departmental budgets as delegated by the Director of Membership.
    
    
14. Ensure high standards of behaviour and collective leadership in all student-led meetings.
    
    
15. Escalate complex issues appropriately to the Director as required.
    
    
16. Support informal student complaints resolution and update tracking systems accordingly. 

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.
• Extensive and in-depth understanding of SU governance, academic representation, and democratic processes, along with its practical application in an SU setting.
• A passion for student democracy, academic representation and governance with the ability to coach, support and empower others to succeed in their roles.  
• Skilled in coaching, project delivery, insight, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and planning skills
• Negotiation and influencing skills
• Ability to manage difficult conversations with empathy whilst maintaining ongoing effective stakeholder relationships
• Ability to uphold essential values of independence and neutrality, and to be able to support colleagues in doing the same.
• Experience managing teams and developing training/support programmes.
• Deep understanding of the issues affecting students today.
• Personal accountability and values-driven leadership.

Desirable

• Experience in the not-for-profit or SU sector.