Head of Educational Influence and Change | Brookes Union in Oxford

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Head of Educational Influence and Change Brookes Union

Help Brookes Union build a bold new approach to academic representation and turn student voice into educational change.

• Location: Oxford, Headington Campus

Brookes Union is recruiting a Head of Educational Influence and Change on a two-year fixed-term contract. You will lead a fundamental redesign of academic representation, build a stronger approach to student voice and show what changes when students influence decisions about their education.

This is a chance to examine the current system from first principles and create a model that works better for students. Working with elected student leaders, Union colleagues and people across Oxford Brookes University, you will turn student experience and evidence into persuasive proposals for change.

The University is focused on educational excellence and student outcomes. You will help Brookes Union become a stronger partner in that work while remaining an independent voice for students.

Who we are

Brookes Union is a registered charity representing around 14,000 students across Oxfordshire. Every Oxford Brookes student automatically becomes a member of the Union, creating a diverse and dynamic community with a shared purpose: ensuring every student can thrive during their time at university.

Our vision is simple: a community where every student belongs. We work with students to create opportunities, build communities and ensure their voices are heard. Through representation, campaigns, activities and support services, we help students make the most of their university experience while developing the skills, confidence and connections that will support them long after graduation.

As a democratic membership organisation, students sit at the heart of our governance. Four elected Student Officers lead the organisation each year, supported by a dedicated staff team, student volunteers and an engaged Board of Trustees. Together, we create an environment where students can influence decisions, drive positive change and contribute to a stronger university community.

About the role

As Head of Educational Influence and Change, you will lead Brookes Union’s voice, academic representation and influence work. You will have the mandate to review the current approach, challenge assumptions and design a new system focused on the difference it makes for students.

Your central priority will be to build a new model of academic representation that connects with student communities and gives students meaningful influence over decisions throughout the University. Working with elected officers and the Union’s Communities team, you will use student experience, research and feedback to identify priorities and make the case for change.

You will build relationships across the University, particularly within faculties and schools, and work with colleagues to embed student voice in academic processes. You will develop an Influence and Change Framework with the University, setting out how both organisations will turn student insight into improvements to the academic experience.

The role also includes exploring credit-bearing co-curricular opportunities for students and student leaders, leading student submissions and contributing to policy development. You will act as the Union’s staff lead for TEF 2027, ensuring students’ perspectives are central to that work.

You will join Brookes Union’s senior leadership team, manage a small team and help shape the Union’s next strategy. Success will mean a stronger, more connected system of representation, productive relationships across the University and clear evidence that students have influenced decisions about their education.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who understands the value of student voice and can turn it into meaningful influence. You will be curious about students’ experiences, comfortable questioning established approaches and able to bring people together around a better way of working.

This could be an excellent first senior leadership team role for an aspiring manager who has led change, built relationships across an organisation and is ready to take on a broader strategic remit.

You will have experience using research, feedback or other evidence to understand an issue and make a persuasive case for change. Strong writing skills are important: you will need to draw together different perspectives, explain complex issues clearly and produce reports and submissions that help decision-makers act. You will also be able to build trusted relationships at different levels, from students and frontline colleagues to senior University leaders.

You will be able to lead a substantial piece of change while keeping the practical details moving. You may have managed a small team, led projects across several departments or helped introduce new approaches in a complex organisation. You will be able to support elected officers to pursue their priorities while respecting that students lead the Union’s democratic work.

Your experience could come from a Students’ Union, higher or further education, policy, government or another organisation where you have helped people influence decisions. We are more interested in your judgement, collaborative approach and ability to deliver change than in a particular job title or career path.

At Brookes Union, our vision is a community where every student belongs. Central to that is ensuring students have the confidence, opportunities and influence to shape their education. We want students to see how their experiences and ideas lead to meaningful change, and to know that their Union stands alongside them in making that happen.

This role is central to that ambition. We are ready to think boldly about academic representation, question how our current approach works and build a stronger connection between student voice and educational change. Joining us on a two-year fixed-term contract, you will have the scope to examine our approach from first principles and help create something with a lasting impact.

Working alongside our elected Student Officers, staff team and colleagues across Oxford Brookes University, you will bring student experiences into the conversations where decisions are made. You will build relationships that enable us to collaborate effectively, while protecting the Union’s independence and supporting students to challenge, influence and lead.

As a member of our senior leadership team, you will also help shape our next strategy and the wider direction of the Union. This could be an exciting first senior leadership role for someone ready to take their next step, bringing fresh thinking, sound judgement and the ability to turn ambition into action.

Our values are simple: we are inclusive, collaborative and empowering. We are looking for someone who shares those values, is curious about whose voices we are hearing and whose we are missing, and believes in the power of students to improve their university community.

If you are excited by the prospect of rebuilding academic representation and helping students make a tangible difference to their education, I hope you will consider joining us.

About the Brookes Union

Brookes Union is the independent Students’ Union for Oxford Brookes University and a registered charity representing approximately 14,000 students across Oxfordshire. Every student who enrols at Oxford Brookes automatically becomes a member of the Union, creating a diverse and ever-changing community united by a shared goal: ensuring every student can thrive during their time at university.

Our vision is simple: a community where every student belongs. Everything we do is focused on helping students build connections, develop confidence, access opportunities and have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their university experience. Whether through representation, societies, campaigns, volunteering, events or community-building activities, we work alongside students to create a stronger and more inclusive university community.

As a democratic membership organisation, we place students at the heart of our governance. Each year, students elect four Student Officers to lead the organisation and represent the interests of the wider student body. These elected leaders work alongside a dedicated staff team, student volunteers and the Board of Trustees to shape the strategic direction of the Union and deliver positive outcomes for students.

Brookes Union employs around 18 staff members who work closely with elected representatives to support student communities, campaigns and services. They are complemented by talented student staff and volunteers who bring energy, creativity and lived experience to every aspect of the Union’s work.

With an annual income of approximately £1.2 million, primarily from Oxford Brookes University, alongside commercial and partnership income, the Union is a well-established and financially stable charity. The board plays a vital role in ensuring strong governance, financial stewardship and long-term sustainability, while maintaining a clear focus on improving students’ lives.

Our work is guided by three core values:

We’re committed to ensuring our staff team reflects the diversity of the world and the student community we’re based in. We aim to ensure that everyone is valued, included and supported in our diverse community by creating an environment where every person is able to bring to their work the fullness of their lived experience, made up of the many unique influences that shape who they are today.

We respect everyone’s individual identity and celebrate difference, and therefore positively encourage applications from all candidates; irrespective of age, disability, gender, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

We understand that members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and with diverse abilities. We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted

We would always endeavour to assess individually any support or reasonable adjustment needs. We’ve made changes to working locations and ways of working to support colleagues, and operate a flexible and individualised approach to putting in place any adjustments.

Brookes Union is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1194635).

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 23rd November 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Thursday 26th November 2026
First stage interviews (online): Thursday 3rd December 2026
Second stage interviews (in-person): Wednesday 9th December 2026

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