Governance and Policy Coordinator

This postholder will be part of the Student Voice & Representation Team and will be expected to play a key role within Team planning and delivery of objectives.

The post holder will:

• With the Democracy & Insight Manager, deliver core democratic functions of GSU, and ensure effective process is continuously improved for our student members, including but not limited to; Officer Elections, Student Assemblies, Scrutiny Panels and relevant Student Forums.
• Be responsible and accountable for delivery of all GSU democratic practices, including but not limited to; implementation of democratic refresh changes, and contributing to an action plan for the academic year for our democracy and member engagement.
• Provide administrative support to the Officer team including campaign administration, reports and briefings.
• Provide detailed policy briefings to the organisation on key trends across Higher Education.
• Manage student staff to undertake key insight projects related to the needs of Officer Campaigns and relevant projects across GSU.
• Produce information and reports on student insight to share with GSU staff, Officers and University colleagues, to inform decision making on programmes and services.
• Work with Academic Communities & Representation Manager and Democracy & Insights/Research Manager to deliver a system of information sharing across University governance and feedback we capture from students, within the Team.
• Play a role in Student Voice & Representation team strategic planning and budgeting, including student staff budgeting.

Key Areas

• Be an engaged and an active member of the Student Voice & Representation Team, contributing regularly and working collaboratively with peers.
• Be the lead team member for Policy briefings and articulating governmental policies to staff.
• Taking a key role in developing, training, and supporting elected Officers in their roles. This includes but not limited to; providing insight to inform decision making, briefings from the sector and supporting with campaigns.
• Provide briefings, workshops or alternative sessions to support student understanding of how to influence their Union and their knowledge of our democratic processes.
• Delivery of liberation through our democratic channels and needs of members, including but not limited to; campaigns, impact and understanding issues.
• Support our calendar of democratic work and the implementation of democratic changes within GSU.

Student Intelligence & Insight

• Be able to produce informed reports showcasing student intelligence, to inform decision making across GSU and the University.
• Lead and manage student staff to support the delivery of work, and to empower them to be part of our team.
• Ensure data relating to projects work and campaigns is collected, analysed and reported.
• Ensure evaluation mechanisms are embedded working practises and that findings are shared and used to implement learnings with the goal of improving services.
• Support Officers by preparing information, statistics and trends about key services to be shared within the University committee cycle.

Budget Management

• Contribute to the budgetary planning of the project budgets and ring-fenced funding, ensuring effective spend of budgeted sums.
• Being responsible for delivering activity within the allocated budget and ensuring these are effectively managed.
• Oversee student staffing budget and forecasting.

Stakeholder management

• Collaborate with GSU colleagues to ensure we have a consistent approach to how we work with and support students.
• Support students from all demographics, and particularly those from under-represented groups to engage with GSU Democracy so that elected Officers are representative of the diverse student body.
• Provide ongoing support to students to ensure that representatives are empowered to create change, influence and shape initiatives within the Union.

General Responsibilities

• Represent and be an ambassador for GSU.
• Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop, or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position.
• Maintain and improve competencies through continuous professional development.
• Abide by organisational policies, codes of conduct and practices.
• Support and promote liberation, diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.
• Treat with confidentiality any personal, private, or sensitive information about individual organisations and or clients or staff and Project data.
• Actively seek better ways to assist GSU in its effort to become a more sustainable workplace.
• Any other duties commensurate with the accountabilities of the post.
• Lead delivery on the awarding gap project including monitoring progress of student-staff, liaising with senior stakeholders and working to the existing project plan.

Personal Specification

Experience

• Relevant experience or exposure to a charitable organisation.
• Experience of working as part of a multi-functional team.
• Experience of understanding information to inform decision-making.
• Experience of project management and operational management.
• Experience of working with a range of stakeholders and partnership working.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work within a high performing team.
• Ability to troubleshoot difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently and effectively.
• Ability to produce confident, clear written reports and be able to write succinct documents on complex areas.
• Awareness of basic IT packages.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to reach deadlines, within agreed budgets and to a consistently high standard.
• Ability to write and deliver clear project plans and be able to effectively communicate these.
• Ability to stay focused and efficient in the face on changing priorities.
• Track record of successfully developing and implementing projects.

Knowledge

• Awareness of current issues within the higher education sector and barriers to participation.
• Knowledge of relevant external bodies and organisations including NUS, OFS etc.
• Knowledge of Higher Education Policy.
• Knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation.
• Knowledge of GDPR, risk assessments and external speaker processes.

Education/Training

No one specific qualification is required, but evidence of recent continuing professional development.

Personal Attributes and other requirements

• Able to travel extensively to all sites, and to additional locations when required.
• Flexibility to support key work activity across the Union, such as but not limited to; Welcome, Elections.
• Works well in a team with a flexible approach to work.
• A commitment to the principles and practices of equality and diversity.
• An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.
• Commitment to the values and ethos of GSU.