Campus Engagement Manager

GSU is looking for an enthusiastic and hardworking individual to join the Student activities team, focusing on GSU’s ‘Building Better Communities’ Project which is going into its second year of delivery.  The aim of this project is to provide high quality support for initiatives currently provided for users of the Avery Hill campus and to deliver a range of events, activities and initiatives to further boost the student community at Avery Hill campus for residents and day users alike.  As part of this project, the Campus Engagement Manager will be recruited to head up the implementation of activity.

The role is a one-year fixed term contract with a large focus on the following skill sets:

• Project management
• Stakeholder management
• Operational delivery
• Temporary staff management
• Logistical and operational oversight

Contract: Full Time (35 Hours per week), one-year fixed term contract or secondment.

Salary: £26,785 - £29,588 per annum

Location: Southwood Site, Avery Hill campus

Job Purpose:

To provide high quality support for initiatives currently provided for users of the Avery Hill campus and to deliver a range of events, activities and initiatives to further boost the student community at Avery Hill campus for residents and day users alike.

Reports to: Student Activities Manager

Responsible for: Temporary PT Student Staff and Volunteers

Department/Service: Membership Services

Location: Avery Hill Campus – Eltham

Terms: 1 year fixed term contract or secondment

1 Duties and key responsibilities

Events and Activities:

• Build a programme of a variety of events to be delivered at the Avery Hill campus
• Deliver a programme of events targeted at students studying on campus with a range of types of events during different types of the day. 
• Deliver a programme of events targeted at the student communities utilising the campus
• Work closely with the Residents team to support their ResLife programme of events to provide positive experiences to those living at Avery Hill
• Curate and deliver a range of small, medium and large-scale events to bring the campus to life including but not exclusive to:
  • Organise and ensure the success of a week-long International festival at the Avery hill campus, linking in with the Academic communities coordinator to deliver parity of offer across the campuses.
  • Support the celebrating of the end of exams with an event and activity outside of the students’ exam halls 

• Work in partnership with Faculty Leads to build and develop a programme of events and activities through Academic Societies, relevant to the demographic of students within the Faculty
• Working collaboratively with the Academic Communities Coordinator to ensure further delivery of AH based academic communities events
• Help facilitate recreational student sporting activity on campus
• Project lead Avery Hill based campaigns and showcases
• Build a communications plan to promote these events and activities as well as showcasing the activities on University and Students’ Union communication channels
• To coordinate, recruit, train and support a group of Community Ambassadors (Student Staff members)
• Manage the Community Ambassadors to support the engagement of these events and activities
• Be reactive in showcasing successes of students during the year which sit outside of the main events programme

Supporting services

• Set up and manage a campus board who’s focus into enhance the Avery Hill Community and satisfaction of those studying and living at the Campus
• Support the Student Activities Manager and other relevant staff and officers in developing policies and procedures to enable the safe delivery of activities within remit.
• Support the Accommodation team
• Support Activities team with initiatives and deliverables when they relate to the Avery Hill campus
• Support Education and Health faculty to explore extra-curricular activity which could be delivered on campus
• Link with sustainability team to help promote Avery Hill based initiatives
• Link with the sport and recreational team to establish ideal facility usage for project initiatives

Consultation and Impact measurement

• Assess the impact of this events and activities through ongoing reporting mechanisms to the Learning Communities Working Group
• Proactively look for additional opportunities to grow and develop the events programme to foster a community at the University of Greenwich
• Consult with relevant students to guide delivery of events and recommendations for continued activity

Bar provision

• Lead on the delivery of temporary bar provision to go alongside events in the dome.
• Supervise student staff provision within bar
• Act as first point of call for bar delivery provision in Avery Hill

2 General Responsibilities

• Represent and be an ambassador for the Student Activities Team and wider Students’ Union
• 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 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
• Any other duties commensurate with the accountabilities of the post

Person Specification

EXPERIENCE

• Relevant experience working/volunteering in a Students’ Union or a similar organisation
• Planning, delivering and evaluating training
• Coordination of a range of successful events
• Develop and maintain effective systems for collecting, collating and reporting information
• Experience of working with or coordinating diverse groups, and encouraging traditionally hard-to-reach groups

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Clear communication skills face to face and on the phone or email
• Ability to troubleshoot difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently and effectively
• Writing skills – produce reports and ability to write succinct documents on complex areas
• IT skills at a level that supports report writing, email, internet and database
• Time management and organisational skills
• Ability to engage and motivate others
• Self-motivated with the confidence to work alone but can also work co-operatively and flexibly as part of a team
• Ability to stay focused and efficient in the face on changing priorities. 
• Driving license (preferred not essential)

KNOWLEDGE 

• Knowledge and understanding of issues facing today’s students
• Knowledge of requirements for supporting volunteering projects e.g. Safeguarding and DBS checks
• Understanding of Volunteer Management and motivating volunteers
• People management (may be on a voluntary basis)
• Databases and writing reports
• Web based communications

EDUCATION/TRAINING

• No one specific qualification is required, but evidence of recent continuing professional development in a professional area relevant to the post is required. For example, time management and organization, effective administration, delivering training, reporting methods.
• Personal license (not essential – training can be provided in post)

Other

• Able to travel extensively within the Borough and Region.
• Able to work some evenings and weekends and stay overnight where necessary
• Works well in a team with a flexible approach to work
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.  An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.
• Commitment to the values and ethos of the Organisation

• The post-holder is entitled to 25 days’ leave and the 8 statutory leave days for England. In addition, ‘privilege leave’ over the Christmas and New Year period is also additionally given.
• Leave entitlement increases by 1 day each year for a maximum of 5 years.
• GSU offer a contributory pension scheme. GSU contribution rate is 4% to 6%, the employee minimum rate is 5%.
• Parking and Season Ticket Travel loan available.
• Contribution to eye test and prescription lenses.
• We are committed to facilitating a healthy work-life balance and offers flexible working policies and time off for volunteering, which is also a commitment to continued professional development.
• The post is subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probation period.
• Other terms and conditions are detailed in the contract of employment.

This is an exciting opportunity to manage the Assuring Quality in Higher Education in Sierra Leone (AQHEd-SL) project, a Partnership funded by the DFID Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme.

The SPHEIR Sierra Leone Project Manager is responsible for working with Sierra Leonean colleagues to manage the Assuring Quality in Higher Education in Sierra Leone (AQHEd-SL) project, one of the Partnerships funded by the DFID Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme.  

The Project Manager will be embedded within a Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) with colleagues from the AQHEd-SL Partnership based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The postholder will jointly manage this project with a Project Director from the University of Sierra Leone. S/he will work collaboratively with partners to oversee the delivery of the project and its monitoring, evaluation and learning objectives, ensuring that milestones of the project are met and activities are on target.  

The successful candidate is expected to spend 50% of the role on project management and 50% on monitoring, evaluation and learning. Both elements will involve capacity strengthening for the consortium, through formal training and informal support. They will work closely with the King’s Global Health Partnerships grant management teams in Freetown and London to manage relationships with the fund manager, and to oversee the finances and reporting of the project. 

Responsibilities include:

• Work in collaboration with Sierra Leone partners with regards to all aspects of the AQHEd-SL project, managing the implementation of the project to ensure that its strategic goals are achieved in accordance with SPHEIR objectives

• Day-to-day management of the AQHEd-SL project, including smooth management of workplans, and relationship management to ensure that project objectives are met. This will include developing and maintaining tracking project management tools

• Responsible for King’s reporting of activity & milestones, MEL and others; support the PCU with all reporting aspects as needed

• Support and provide capacity strengthening to Sierra Leonean partners with their project management and MEL systems, including developing tools and providing training and mentorship

• Manage relationships alongside partners within the partnership; build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, donors, partner NGOs and partner academic institutions  

• Responsible for developing and updating monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems in line with project needs and donor expectations

• Provide technical support to ensure that MEL systems are effectively implemented by team members across project partners, and lead MEL capacity building

• Work with partners to develop systems for learning to support an adaptive management approach to the project, facilitate the dissemination of learning through effectively communicating with partners, donors and other associate organisations

• Work with other PCU members to support the Project Management Board

• Responsible for the management of the risk register, including assessment and mitigation of risk

London South Bank University Students’ Union is on a mission to totally transform the way a students’ union works in a modern university. We are now seeking an outstanding professional leader to join the organisation as Chief Executive to take forward its future development, operational delivery and management across a growing team of staff and volunteers.

About the role

LSBSU is the recognised representative body of 18,000 students at London South Bank University. Many of our students come from less privileged backgrounds and have had to overcome significant barriers in life simply to get to university.

South Bank students have high expectations and ambitions for themselves but lead complex lives where they are faced with the pressures of trying to balance their studies with work and juggling their lives at home. Many don’t identify primarily as students, but instead as carers, nurses, engineers, parents, designers, workers, entrepreneurs, apprentices, last chance learners, and Londoners.

In recent times, realising that much of our activity was not engaging significant parts of our student population, we have taken a long hard look at ourselves. We know that we can do so much more for our students.

Following a period of transition, we have set out an ambitious vision for 2025 that will take us on a journey of improvement and innovation. Our goal is to be a truly transformative students’ union that improves the lives of students on every course and beyond at London South Bank University. We have set a plan for year one, and goals for year five, but how we get there could take many routes and we will need you as CEO to steer that journey.

This is a brilliant opportunity to support an SU which is rebuilding itself from the ground up. We have invested heavily in our transformation, started to build a more inclusive and equitable workplace, and we have significant changes to governance in the pipeline for 2021.

As CEO, you will have the chance to bring people into the senior team and work collaboratively with our Officers, Board and University partner to establish the best way to achieve our goals for 2025.

Who we're looking for

Our ideal Chief Executive will be able to provide dynamic leadership, be motivated to change students’ lives and be passionate about building an organisation that is relevant and responsive to those it seeks to serve.

You need to have strong communication skills, emotional intelligence and an ability to build relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders. It is essential that you are committed to role modelling inclusive behaviours, building equity and removing the systemic barriers that exist to hold our students back.

We are actively looking to diversify our Trustee board and leadership team as this has not been as diverse as our student population in the past. We are especially interested to hear from candidates from BAME communities and/or candidates that have overcome other significant barriers in their lives.

If you are inspired by the job, we highly recommend you contact Peridot for an informal discussion and background on the role.