Students' Union Director Recruitment Pack - 2018 January - Undeb Bangor

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YOUR VOICE
YOUR OPPORTUNITIES
YOUR COMMUNITIES

Students’
Union
Director
Recruitment
Pack      January
                           2018
                     WWW.UndebBangor.COM
Hello,
We are Bangor University Students’
Union but we call ourselves
Undeb Bangor for short. Undeb
means Union in Welsh.
Thank you for taking the time to        Candidates will have proven strategic leadership
                                        experience in a diverse and complex organisation
look at our Students’ Union Director    as well as excelling in the effective management
role and we hope you’ll consider        of stakeholder relationships and expectations. You
applying. We’ve tried to put all the    will have an understanding of the Higher Education
relevant information in this pack but   sector and demonstrable experience of shaping
                                        organisational work and services around the needs
if there are any questions or further   and aspirations of students. You will thrive in an
information needed please get in        environment which changes its student leadership
touch with Ruth Plant, Undeb Bangor     annually and will have the skills to help the elected
                                        Sabbatical Officers hone their ideas, achieve their
President and we’ll be happy to talk    goals, and engage, enthuse and empower our student
on the phone or show you around.        membership. You will also be passionate about
                                        the Welsh language and either be able to speak it
Our Director role is a crucial one      fluently or be willing to learn in an agreed period
within the organisation and we are      of time. The Welsh language is important to us and
looking to appoint an experienced       with the recent unification of the Undeb Bangor and
                                        Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Bangor (the Bangor Welsh
and dynamic individual to continue      Students’ Union) this is now even more important.
the development and growth of
our Union and ensure that we            The successful candidate will be expected
meet the ambitious plans we’ve          to commence as soon as possible
set for the next few years.             The full job description and
                                        person specification is available
                                        at the back of this pack

Application close on the 9th February and the
application form can be accessed here:
JOBS.BANGOR.AC.UK
A Welcome from Our President
Dear Candidate, I am                               We have a positive relationship with Bangor
                                                   University and have been fully involved in their
pleased to see you are                             current restructure. Our location in Pontio has
                                                   been a huge development for Undeb Bangor
interested in becoming                             and we are now fully settled in our building, that
                                                   we are using to develop student activities.
the new Director of                                Our strong Sabbatical Team, the positive partnership
Undeb Bangor.                                      with the University, our new location and staff
                                                   structure and our very passionate students puts
                                                   us in a fantastic place for growth, development
                                                   and forward thinking to benefit our students. The
I was elected into my role in March                new Director of this endeavor should be ready
                                                   and willing to strive forward and make sure
2017 and have been President and
                                                   Undeb Bangor is reaching its full potential.
Chair of the Trustee Board since
                                                   The new Director needs to be ready to challenge
the summer of 2017. Our union                      the norm and provide a positive environment for
has recently undergone a major                     everyone. They need to drive the Sabbatical team
restructure and we have optimised                  forward to reach their full potential and help come
our staff role placement and ensured               up with new, fun and innovative ideas to keep
                                                   Undeb Bangor determined to reach its objectives.
that all roles have a clear outline
and purpose. This has allowed our                  I encourage you to get in contact
students to get the most out of                    if you think this is something
our Sabbatical team and staff.                     that will suit you, you will be
We are focused on delivering the best activities   welcomed into an ever changing
and experience for our students. These             and dynamic environment of
include our core objectives from our strategy,     driven and passionate people.
supporting our members with their ideas and
continuous and effective representation of
our members. It is important to ensure the
views, priorities and passion of our students
remains at the heart of everything we do.

                                                   BEST WISHES,
                                                   & GOOD LUCK,

                                                   RUTH PLANT
                                                   PRESIDENT OF UNDEB BANGOR
                                                                                    WWW.UndebBangor.COM
About Our Students’ Union
We’ve come a long way over the last few years and with the
launch of our new strategic plan in 2016 we’re firmly on the way
to meet all of our objectives by 2019. Our plan was designed in
consultation with our members and its purpose is to show how we
plan to get bigger, better and be completely relevant. We worked
hard to put this plan together and we think it’s bold, ambitious
and exciting. This is a plan for our members and stakeholders
and our intention is to support, facilitate and empower them
to make us better. It’s a journey that we’re taking together.

WE HAVE A BOLD                       WE ARE DRIVEN BY OUR VALUES:
AND SIMPLE VISION:                   •   COLLECTIVISM – doing it with you not for you

TO BE COMPLETELY                     •
                                     •
                                         DEMOCRATIC – accountable and transparent
                                         CYMRAEG – proud to be here
RELEVANT TO YOU                      •   CHALLENGING – for a better society
                                     •   BRAVE – embracing innovation

OUR MISSION IS CLEAR :               WE WORK TO ACHIEVE THROUGH:
BANGOR STUDENTS:                     • INCLUSIVITY, ACCESSIBILITY
WE WORK TO AMPLIFY                     AND DIVERSITY
                                     • BEING LED BY THE STUDENT VOICE
YOUR VOICE, ENABLE                   • EMPOWERING AND FACILITATING -
YOUR OPPORTUNITIES                     SO WE DO IT WITH YOU NOT FOR YOU

AND DEVELOP YOUR                     • BUILDING OUR CAMPAIGNS
                                       THROUGH EVIDENCE AND RESEARCH
COMMUNITIES                          • BEING A CLOSE BUT CRITICAL
                                       FRIEND OF THE UNIVERSITY
                                     • ENCOURAGING OPINION AND DEBATE

CHECK OUT OUR ‘OUR PLAN’ HERE:
WWW.UNDEBBANGOR.COM/STRATEGICPLAN
The new Students’ Union Director will need to continue its
delivery and development over the next few years.
Our Achievements
We are proud of our achievements over
the last few years and most notably:

»»We won the What Uni Awards for Best Clubs
  and Societies in 2015 and 2017

»»We moved into our brand new home in the new Arts and Innovation
  Centre, creating a new and bespoke space for our Officers and Staff
  to work and our students to socialise, access support and hang out

»»We launched a brand new Online Membership System and Website,
  bringing a whole new range of digital engagement opportunities
  online and vastly improving our communication platforms

»»We launched the first ever Student Led Teaching and
  Learning Strategy in partnership with the University, we
  believe we are the first Students’ Union to do this.

»»We are one of only a handful of institutions who offer
  Free Clubs and Societies and over the last few years this
  has grown to over 160 Student Opportunity Groups

»»Our volunteering and community action work is award
  winning and with over 40 individual projects and
  opportunities for volunteering across North Wales our
  students are making a huge difference everyday

»»We have over 2500 Welsh speaking students and our
  recent unification with the Welsh Union is ensuring that the
  language stays at the heart of our work and that we continue
  to be the home of Welsh language education in Wales

                                                              WWW.UndebBangor.COM
Our Governance System
Undeb Bangor is governed by a Trustee
Board consisting of the four Sabbatical
Officers, four Student Trustees and
four External Trustees. The Chair of the
Board is the Undeb Bangor President.

Trustees are responsible for              The Sabbatical Officers form the
decisions in relation to the operations   Executive Committee and are
of the union through the Students’        accountable to the students’ union
Union Director and Senior Leadership      members. These four roles are full
Team (SLT). Ultimately they are           time roles charged with the oversight
responsible for ensuring compliance       and day-to-day leadership of the
with legal responsibilities, financial    union. Members of the Executive
regulations and the constitution and      Committee will be the owners of
bye-laws of the organisation.             policy as set by Council or referenda.

The four full time elected                Our recent unification with Undeb Myfyrwyr
                                          Cymraeg Bangor (UMCB) and decision to
Sabbatical Officers are as                incorporate the charity means that the UMCB

follows:                                  President will also sit on the Trustee Board from
                                          July 2018. Full incorporation is also expected by
                                          this date. The brand new Articles of Association
                                          and Bye-Laws were approved in October 2017.
 UNDEB BANGOR PRESIDENT                   The Students’ Union Director reports to the
                                          Chair of the Trustee Board and has delegated

 VICE PRESIDENT FOR EDUCATION             authority from the Board for the day-to-day
                                          management of the union. There is also a ‘dotted
                                          line’ relationship between the Director and the Pro-
                                          Vice Chancellor for Students. Lay Trustees serve
 VICE PRESIDENT FOR SPORTS                in office for four years and may be reappointed
                                          for two terms. They are recruited through the
                                          standard Union recruitment processes and in
 VICE PRESIDENT FOR SOCIETIES             accordance with guidelines from the Charities

 AND VOLUNTEERING                         Commission. Student Trustees are recruited
                                          annually for the term of one year. They must be a
                                          current student and can also serve two terms.
Democratic Structures
Undeb Bangor’s governance structures ensure that
there is the potential for as much student involvement
as possible in setting the direction and policy of the
union. We do this whilst understanding that committees
and forums may not be the best way for non-traditional
students to feed into the union. The Undeb Bangor Council
is the student representative body for the Union and all
democratic policy is approved through this forum.

Links with Bangor University
Undeb Bangor is a registered charity and fully
independent of Bangor University, however our staff
team (including the Director) are all officially employed
by Bangor University and enjoy all of the staff benefits
provided by the University. Our relationship with
the University is managed through the Relationship
Agreement and the Students’ Union Liaison Group
oversees the relationship between the Director, Sabbatical
Officer and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students.

Key Documents and Policies
     Undeb Bangor / Bangor University Relationship Agreement
     Undeb Bangor Plan 2016 – 19 and Operational Plan
     Articles of Association and Bye-Laws
     Student Charter
     Undeb Bangor Bilingual Statement

                                                             WWW.UndebBangor.COM
Students’ Union
Director

Grade 9
£49,149 - £56,950
Responsible         to:
Bangor University Students’ Union Trustee
Board & Bangor University Pro-Vice Chancellor
(Students) in line with the published Students’
Union – University Relationship Agreement.

Responsible        for:
Supporting and guiding the elected Officer team;
Line Management of the Students’ Union Department Heads.

Overview:
»» To be responsible for the strategic direction   »» To build and maintain effective relationships
   and performance of the Students’ Union             with strategic stakeholders (particularly
   and the pursuit of strategic goals.                the elected Students’ Union Officers
»» To ensure that the Students’ Union                 and University Senior Management) to
                                                      ensure that the Students’ Union delivers
   operates in a legally complaint manner
   and manages its resources to best                  clear benefit for its members.
   achieve its charitable objects.                 »» To motivate and manage the Students’
»» To report to and advise the Trustee Board          Union staff team, directing their work
                                                      in accordance with the strategic
   on strategic and operational matters,
   and to be responsible to the Board for             direction of the organisation.
   the effective operation of Students’            »» To represent the values and objectives
   Union’s services and projects.                     of the Union and it’s membership,
»» To advise the Board and the University on          promoting and publicising its activity to
                                                      stakeholders and the wider community
   matters relating to Students’ Unions and
   be a conduit to expertise within the wider
   student movement and Charity sector.

                                                                                 WWW.UndebBangor.COM
Job Description:
The Students’ Union Director is responsible for:

1. Strategic Planning
»» Working with the Trustee Board to ensure           »» Translating strategic priorities into
   that a strategic plan is in place that meets the      operational deliverables for staff and
   needs of Bangor University students, builds           officers, monitoring progress and measuring
   effective partnership with the University             achievement against stated targets and goals.
   and is led by organisational values.
                                                      »» Building and communicating a shared vision
»» Leading the implementation and ongoing                for the future of the Students’ Union which
   development of the strategic plan, ensuring           is reflective of key stakeholder needs.
   rigorous and effective processes are in
   place to meet and monitor objectives.
»» Ensuring that there are effective controls
   in place to monitor strategic progress, and
   providing timely and detailed information
   to the Trustee Board in order to enable
   and support strategic decision-making.

2. Governance
»» Ensuring that the operations of the Students’ »» Supporting the Trustee Board via the
   Union are compliant with legislation,                 production of strategic management
   particularly in reference to Charity                  information and via regular reports and
   legislation and the 1994 Education Act.               contact with elected and appointed Trustees.
»» Directing the operations of the Students’          »» Working in line with the Relationship
   Union in line with the wishes of the                  Agreement agreed between the
   Trustee Board, following the regulations              Students’ Union and University.
   as set out in the articles and by-laws
   of the Students’ Union constitution.
»» Overseeing Students’ Union democratic
   procedures to ensure compliance with
   the 1994 Education Act, and to enable
   the University to fulfil their role as
   regulator of the Students’ Union.
3. Stakeholder Relationships
»» Developing and maintaining a connected           »» Maintaining an effective relationship with the
   and effective relationship with University          National Union of Students and ensuring that
   Senior Officers based on trust and respect.         the Students’ Union is well placed to make the
»» Working closely with University Senior              most of membership of the national Union.
   Officers on shared projects and agendas,         »» Developing a professional network within the
   and identifying ways to strengthen the              education and charity sectors and the student
   Students’ Union / University relationship           movement to ensure access to trends, best
   in order to deliver more impact for                 practice and an external support network.
   Bangor University students.
                                                    »» Work closely with the Bangor Welsh
»» Acting as a public advocate of the                  Students’ Union (Undeb Myfyrwyr
   organisation, promoting the work                    Cymraeg Bangor - UMCB)
   of the Students’ Union to external
   stakeholders in the wider community

4. Officer Support
»» Helping the Officers to shape their              »» Advising the Officers on potential issues,
   ideas and translate manifesto aims                  problems or barriers including legal,
   and policies into organisational                    financial, and cultural or policy challenges.
   objectives and operational work.
                                                    »» Acting as a critical friend to both Officers
»» Supporting the Officers through induction into      and the University to ensure the continuation
   the Students’ Union and University, making          of a positive working partnership between
   expectations and responsibilities clear and         the Students’ Union and the University.
   working with the team and with individuals on
   personal effectiveness and project planning.
»» Working with and mentoring the
   Officer team to identify and prioritise
   shared team objectives, and helping
   the Officers to build support for their
   priorities within the University and
   amongst the student membership.

                                                                                   WWW.UndebBangor.COM
5. Resource Management
»» Negotiating the Students’ Union’s funding       »» Completing timely annual returns
   with senior University officials on an annual      to the Charity Commission on
   basis on behalf of the Trustee Board.              behalf of the Trustee Board.
»» Overseeing the effective management             »» Ensuring that the annual accounts are
   of the resources of the Students’ Union,           prepared, appropriately audited and that
   ensuring robust financial controls and             any audit recommendations are reported
   policies are in place and adhered to.              to the Trustee Board and implemented
»» Seeking out opportunities for additional           or challenged appropriately.
   funding to support and expand Students’
   Union activity in line with charitable
   objects and strategic goals.

6. People Management
»» Leading the Students’ Union management          »» Driving a culture of continuous improvement
   team and providing an effective link               and adapting to the changing needs
   between the Officers, the Students’                of Students’ Union members.
   Union staff and the Trustee Board.
                                                   »» Ensuring that appropriate mechanisms
»» Managing the Students’ Union departmental          are in place to generate ideas, monitor
   heads, offering collective and one-to-one          performance, and capture impact.
   support and encouragement, and making
   sure that they are motivated, challenged and
   focused on delivering organisational impact.
»» Identifying, creating and sourcing training
   and development opportunities for Students’
   Union Management, Officers and Staff to
   ensure that the Students’ Union is a highly
   skilled and well informed organisation.
7. Student Focus
»» Ensuring that the Students’ Union                         This job description
   decision-making is evidence-based and
   led by the needs of its membership.
                                                            is a guide to the work
                                                           you will initially be
»» Providing support and resources for                     expected to undertake.
   the membership to make the most
   of their experience at Bangor.                         It may be changed
»» Developing the service portfolio of the                from time to time
   Students’ Union to reflect member
   needs now and in the future.                          to meet changing
»» Overseeing engagement levels within                   circumstances.
   the membership, seeking feedback
   and improving satisfaction levels (as
   measured via a range of tools including
   the National Student Survey and the
   Annual Student Statement project).

8. Other duties & Responsibilities:
»» The post holder will be expected to               »» The post holder has a general and legal
   participate in performance review                    duty of care in relation to health, safety and
   and developmental activities.                        wellbeing and must take all reasonable
»» The post holder will be expected to comply           steps to ensure a safe and healthy working
                                                        environment for him/herself and for other
   with the University equal opportunities
   policies, Dignity at Work and Study Policy and       members of staff, students and visitors
   the University’s Welsh Language Scheme.              affected by his/her actions or inactions. The
                                                        post holder is also required to comply with
»» The post holder must comply with relevant            all applicable health and safety policies,
   legal and financial policies and procedures          procedures and risk assessments.
   and be aware of their responsibilities in
   terms of the legal requirements of their posts.

                                                                                   WWW.UndebBangor.COM
Person Specification:
1. Essential
»» Educated to degree level or equivalent,           »» Experience of establishing procedural
   or possess equivalent experience                     frameworks, developing and improving
»» Ability to provide both strategic leadership         services, with a strong strategic focus.
   and to develop operational responses to           »» Knowledge of the importance of
   changes in the external environment.                 supporting the development and
»» Experience of working in a Students’ Union, or       enhancement of the student experience
   similar union/membership-led organisation.        »» The ability to establish effective
»» A good understanding of democratic                   working relationships with colleagues
                                                        across a large organisation.
   principles and processes and ability to
   operate in a democratic environment.              »» Experience of project planning, execution and
»» Knowledge of relevant legislation                    monitoring, preferably in Higher Education.
   (Charity Acts, Education Act 1994)                »» Commitment to finding innovative
»» Pro-active, able to work on own initiative to        ways to interface with the student
                                                        body on a variety of issues.
   ensure delivery of outputs to strict deadlines,
   maintaining accuracy under pressure.              »» Personal commitment to core
»» Excellent written and oral communication             organisational values: democracy,
                                                        accountability, sustainability, equal
   skills with demonstrable ability to liaise
   effectively with staff and stakeholders              opportunities and bilingualism.
   at all levels and to express complex              »» Willingness to accept additional
   ideas and analysis clearly.                          responsibilities.
»» Excellent at developing and managing              »» Ability to communicate through the
   relationships at a senior level.                     medium of Welsh or a willingness
»» Open, honest and operates with integrity             to learn to the required level

2. Desirable
»» Knowledge of HE institution                       »» A good understanding of the roles of Officers
   frameworks and structures.                           and Students’ Unions in HE institutions.
»» Proven financial expertise including              »» A good understanding of student voice,
   management of budgets and complex data               representation and campaigning.
»» Knowledge of HR systems and processes
»» Previous experience in a
   ‘political’ environment
3. General
All members of staff have a duty to ensure their actions are
in line with the overall environmental aims of the University
and minimise their environmental impact.
All offers are made subject to proof of eligibility to work in
the UK and receipt of satisfactory references
All candidates must meet the requirements of UK ‘right to
work’ requirements. If you require Home Office permission
to work in the UK, or need to switch your visa status
in order to take this job, please note that following the
introduction by the Government of immigration limits on
skilled workers we recommend you use the following link to
information about the routes into employment and to check
eligibility requirements:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/

                        Thank you
                        & good luck
                                                                 WWW.UndebBangor.COM
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