Oxford Brookes Students’ UnionCEOAppointment BriefSeptember 2019

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We make a huge difference to the lives of our members through the work that we do with them; from making sure they receive an excellent education to helping them make lifelong friends, from campaigning for better mental health support, to enabling them to celebrate the end of the year in style. Everything we do is for our members.

As we approach our centenary in 2021, joining us will give you the opportunity to work with the Board, the elected officers and your team to shape the Union’s future for the next 100 years. We’re hugely excited about the journey ahead. We want you to be as excited as we are, yet able to see through the excitement to make our plans and aspirations a reality. We’re looking for someone who is passionate, inspiring and visionary, but not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in occasionally.

We have three key priorities for the future: income, impact and engagement. We know we have significant positive impact on our members’ lives; now we must find effective ways to measure, report and demonstrate this impact. This is crucial to ensuring our ongoing funding. We also know that we need to find ways to sustainably grow new income streams and diversify our non-University grant income to enable us to meet our aspirations.

In order to truly understand our members, and their needs, we need to build better engagement with them. Our student body is diverse and we know it’s important that we ensure all of our members’ voices and views are heard, amplified and acted upon. It is through this that we can build a greater sense of belonging amongst our members. I very much look forward to receiving your application and hearing how you can help us to successfully navigate the next stage of our journey.

Harry Bower, President and Chair of Trustees

WELCOMEBrookes Union is an amazing - and unique - organisation. Every student who enrols at Oxford Brookes University automatically becomes a ‘member’ of the Union. We, like all students’ unions, work to create opportunities for our members, so that they can fulfil their potential. Students’ unions have come a long way from the era of cheap club nights with £1 pints of beer. They have responded to the changing concerns of students, who now care more about mental health, wellbeing, employability and getting the most from their degree than they did several years ago.

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WHO WE AREWe are a membership organisation that exists to serve the needs of the students of Oxford Brookes University. As a students’ union we have a dual role as a political body providing democratic representation of our members and high quality services that enable our students to make the most of their time at Oxford Brookes University.

Oxford Brookes Students’ Union is an unincorporated association registered with the Charity Commission in 2010.

OUR MISSION To ensure every student has the opportunity to fulfil their potential at Oxford Brookes. We understand our members, we know that University is about so much more than just studying. We also know that for most of our members studying at University is a significant life changing experience. We want to make sure that everyone has the chance to make the most of their time at university.

OUR VALUESPURPOSEFUL We do things that make a difference.

EFFECTIVE We use our resources effectively to deliver value for our members and funders. As a small, single source funded organisation we are careful to ensure that the way we use our resources is impactful for our members.

DIVERSE We provide opportunities for participation that recognise and celebrate the diversity of our community.

RESPONSIVE We respond positively to change; making choices and taking actions that are driven by our mission.

WHAT WE DOOur student voice service provides mechanisms for students’ views to be powerfully represented within the University’s decision making structure. Incorporating our network of more than 500 academic reps we amplify and empower individual experiences and concerns to create a powerful collective voice for positive change.

Student activities provide our members with the chance to make friendships, develop skills and have unique experiences that enhance their experience of studying at Oxford Brookes. We affiliate more than 100 student societies annually with a total membership in excess of 4,000. Our support enables our student volunteers who organise these societies to focus on providing experiences that range from deeply powerful movements for social change to truly extraordinary life changing moments that help our students to find their place in the world.

In excess of 3,500 students per year access the expertise and knowledge of our Advice Service. Paula, and her team, recovered over £600,000 for students last financial year. The service is relatively unusual within the Students’ Union sector as we provide a generalist advice service able to support and empower our students to deal with a range of issues beyond issues related to their academic studies.

To learn more about our services click here or visit our website.

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GOVERNANCE & STRUCTUREThe Trustee Board comprises the four elected Sabbatical officers, three appointed student Trustees and four external Trustees. The trustees (similar in responsibilities to company directors) of Oxford Brookes Students’ Union have overall responsibility for the organisation. The management of the organisation is delegated to staff.

Our democratic structure is a key component of our organisational governance with the four sabbatical officers, elected by the members of the Union, having ex officio roles as trustees of the Union, in addition to their portfolio of responsibility for key areas of activity. They serve as the representative voice of the students of Oxford Brookes both within the institution, and to the wider community.

Appointments sub-committee

Trustee Board

Finance & Risk sub-CommitteeAGM

Management Group

Student Council

Chief Executive

Sabbatical Officers x4

Venue Manager

Membership Services

Co-ordinator: Student Activities

Membership Services

Co-ordinator: Student Voice

Duty Managers

Sales & SponsorshipCoordinator

Finance & HR Co-ordinator

Administrator

Advisors x2

Student Money Advice & Outreach

Worker

Graphic Designer & Website

Co-ordinator

Communications,Campaigns &

Insight Officer

Membership Services Manager

Head of Income Generation & Business

Development

Receptionist

Marketing, Communications &

Campaigns Manager

Head of Finance & Resources

Advice Service Manager

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FINANCESWe are in good financial health, with income in excess of expenditure at year ending 30th June 2018.

University grant £1,240,000

Other grants £3,128

Charitable activities £63,354

Other trading activities £133,673

Other income £9,974

We need to diversify and grow our non-University grant income. We have made progress in this area over the last twelve months, securing a number of significant valuable relationships with brands and have recognised this with a senior role in income generation and business development. We are not a traditional students’ union and so don’t have access to the usual channels for income generation of retail, entertainments and food and beverage sales. This means we have to be innovative and creative in our approach to income generation.

INCOME: £1,450,129 EXPENDITURE: £1,399,021

Raising funds £23,920

Charitable activities £1,375,101

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1. ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

“Every student has an academic experience that enables them to fulfil their potential.

We use our student voice service, and its embedded mechanisms, such as the academic reps to ensure that the University meets its commitments to our members.

In addition, we are piloting an innovative and collaborative approach to combine student led activity with student voice and co-curricular activity to deliver an enhanced student experience.

2. STUDENT LIFE

Every student has the opportunity to “live their best life” at Oxford Brookes.

We campaign on behalf of our members to secure improvements to service provision within the University and the city in relation to their health and wellbeing.

During this period we will develop our theory of change to define and articulate the Union’s positive impact for our members.

3. ORGANISATIONAL HEALTH

“A sector leading organisation that consistently demonstrates best practice in everything it does”.

To make sure our students have the best possible experience we believe that we need to be the best organisation we can be. We have defined key areas that we are focused on improving.

• Diversifying and growing our non-University grant income.

• Strength of our team – we are only as good as our people.

• To complete the implementation of our governance action plan.

4. MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT

“Every student is able to make their voice heard”.

To build on the excellent work we have carried out in the last few years to develop our systems and approach to engage our members and hear their views. This enables us to make evidence based representation and to shape our services and activities based on our members input.

To review our impact and to see why we have climbed 45 places in the WhatUni? Students’ Union rankings since 2018, see our Impact Report.

OUR STRATEGY AND AMBITIONS Over the next three years we will seek to build upon our recent success and achievements, translating our strategic objectives into operational outcomes that deliver impact and benefit for our members, reinforcing our position as the representative body for the students of Oxford Brookes.

It is important to understand that within this period it is likely that we will revisit our strategy within the context of the University’s development of its own medium term strategy, and the Chief Executive will have a key role in leading and facilitating our engagement with this process, and then ensuring we are taking account of the University strategy in future iterations of our own strategy.

Our ambitions are defined within four strategic pillars:

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MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Strategic leadership

• Ensure strategy is developed and implemented to meet the charitable objectives of the Students’ Union in line with student led values

• Lead the development and delivery of long-term strategic planning with appropriate engagement of students, Student Officers, staff, and stakeholders.

• Ensure that Brookes Union’s strategic plans are underpinned by a viable long-term financial strategy, which is approved and regularly reviewed by the Trustee Board

• Lead on creating a staff and governance culture that enables good governance, effective performance, and ensures staff and student officer well-being.

• Ensure that the organisation attracts, retains, and motivates committed and effective staff.

2) Support student leadership and governance:

• Promote democracy, membership engagement and student leadership.

• Ensure comprehensive induction and continuing professional, ‘political’ and personal support is provided to the elected Student Officers.

• Support the Trustee Board and assist with the recruitment and induction of volunteer student trustees and independent external trustees.

• Support Student Representation, attending meetings and providing advice to Officers and members.

• Advise Officers, Trustees and relevant student leadership on their responsibilities within the legal framework that applies to Brookes Union (e.g. Charity Law, Education Act, Licensing legislation and health and safety). Ensure that the Students’ Union has, and reviews, procedures to maintain its accountability to its members.

• Ensure compliance with all legal and financial requirements, and with Charity Commission guidance on good governance.

JOB DESCRIPTIONJOB TITLE: Chief Executive

LOCATIONHeadington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford

SALARY:c. £60,000 per annum REPORTING TO: Trustee Board

RESPONSIBLE FOR: • Head of Finance and Resources• Head of Income Generation and Business

Development• Advice Service Manager• Membership Services Manager• Marketing, Communications and Campaigns

Manager

LIAISON WITH OTHER PERSONNEL:Trustees, Student Leaders, Senior University Staff, Union staff, Students’ Union Sector and wider charity leaders BENEFITS:6% contributory pension in NEST scheme and death in service benefit of 5 x annual salary.

JOB PURPOSE:1. Strategic vision and leadership to ensure

delivery of maximum impact with and for our Union membership;

2. Union performance, values and compliance within the Students’ Union’s governance and accountability structures;

3. Culture and systems necessary for effective Operational leadership to the staff team in a student led setting.

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3) Lead the Management Team:

• Provide effective and visible values based operational leadership.

• Ensure that SLT work effectively together with the Student Officers.

• Ensure appropriate accountability and responsibility for performance to deliver on the Students’ Union’s goals and values.

• Promote and support continual professional development.

4) Manage and develop key relationships:

• Student Officers – provide personal and professional guidance and support to Student Officers and encourage development of their relationships with SLT and Students’ Union staff.

• Staff – work with the Management Team to deliver consistently good internal communications and effective performance management for all staff.

• University – maintain good personal relationships, and advise the Student Officers on their relationships, with senior University Officers and staff.

• National Union of Students (NUS) – develop effective working relationships with key staff, and appropriate Officers, of NUS and associated national organisations, and advise the Officers on managing their relationships with the organisation.

• Local community and wider Charity sector – ensure that the Students’ Union has positive relations with relevant charity and community leaders and organisations.

5) Operational management:

• Ensure the Students’ Union is managed and operates in alignment with the objectives and goals set out in the strategic plan.

• Review and develop performance measures to ensure the Trustee Board have a clear oversight of progress towards strategic goals.

• Ensure that organisational values are understood by staff, reflected in their behaviour and championed by the Management Team

• Ensure that there are effective arrangements for business planning and departmental performance review.

• Ensure that the Management Team are given appropriate support and guidance to develop operational strategies for their areas of responsibility.

• Ensure that there are effective procedures to manage risk and seize opportunities.

6) Income Generation

• Provide effective and supportive leadership to the Head of Income Generation and Business Development to ensure the development and implementation of a medium term plan for sustained growth of income growth across a diversified range of sources.

• Work collaboratively with the Head of Income Generation and Business Development to develop a consistent organisational approach to managing and reporting the income generation process.

• Work collaboratively with the Head of Income Generation and Business Development to identify and recommend realistic but challenging targets for income generation to the Board of Trustees.

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Impact demonstration

• Provide strategic leadership on the development of Brookes Union’s theory of change and its embedding within the Union’s strategic direction, and subsequent operational planning.

• Work collaboratively with the Marketing, Communications and Campaigns Manager, and Head of Income Generation and Business Development to develop a coherent and effective model of impact reporting.

• To ensure that effective information gathering and analysis is embedded within all operational activities within the Students’ Union, and that this contributes positively to the development of an impact reporting model.

Other responsibilities:

• Ensure appropriate decision making in incident response.

• Ensure that the Students’ Union has a positive reputation in the University, locally and nationally, supported by effective networking and public relations strategies.

• Ensure both student and staff facing policies and processes are appropriate for changing organisational need e.g. external speakers’ policy, staff and student discipline, in accordance with Students’ Union policies.

• Ensure arrangements are in place for an annual performance appraisal, providing student and external trustees with the opportunity to establish objectives and evaluate the performance of the Chief Executive and consider proposals for continual professional development.

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PERSON SPECIFICATIONEXPERIENCE/SKILL

Background• Experience within a membership organisation, with

a strong understanding of member’s needs

• Proven success in generating and growing income from a diversified range of sources, and of implementing systems and processes to make this sustainable

• Developing and implementing organisational strategy in collaboration with stakeholders resulting in successful organisational development

• Providing strong and effective leadership

• Managing complex corporate governance structures

• Developing relationships with and balancing the needs of a broad range of stakeholders

• Managing, interpreting and planning finances to ensure sustainability

• Working with and embracing diversity opportunities

• Experience of managing major funders, particularly large organisational funders

• Experience of developing and implementing effective impact measurement and reporting

• Project Management experience (Prince 2 desirable)

• Managing in a range of settings and styles

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

• Demonstrating a flexible approach to leadership and willingness and ability to work in a student-led setting adjusting styles as necessary

• Mobilising the collective energy of stakeholders to achieve true collaboration

• Developing and coaching others, providing personalised support

• Managing change effectively to build strong teams and deliver impact

• Possess a leadership qualification such as ILM level 5 or above is desirable

• Interpersonal skills; ability to communicate confidently with a wide range of people to quickly build trust and listening and reflecting in communication with others

• Experience of a variety of different communication measures to inform stakeholders of the impact of the Student Union

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Handles interpersonal relationships effectively and empathetically

• Demonstrates high emotional intelligence

• Inspiring others at every level of the organisation and beyond

• Providing vision and innovation with a passion for excellence

• Facilitative leadership style and able to put others before themselves

• Values driven with a strong moral compass

• Resilient and displays positive energy and drive

• Non-judgemental and able to demonstrate points of view appropriately

• Displays and actively encourages a ‘can do’ attitude

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HOW TO APPLYTo apply for this position, please upload a CV and a supporting statement of no more than two pages of A4 onto our website.

Please provide evidence of your suitability against the criteria in the Person Specification in your statement as well as explaining your interest in becoming Chief Executive of the Oxford Brookes Student Union

We ask that you complete the equal opportunities information online when you submit your application via our website. The information collected will be treated as confidential, used for statistical purposes only, and will not be treated as part of your application.

Finally please ensure that you have included mobile, work and home telephone numbers, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the indicative timetable.

Applications should be made via the Prospectus website at: https://www.prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00176023

TIMETABLEClosing date: 23 October 2019

Initial interviews with Prospectus: 5 – 15 November 2019

First interviews with Client: w/c: 25 November 2019

Final interviews with Client: w/c: 2 December 2019

These dates may be subject to change and applicants will be advised in advance should this happen.

RECRUITMENT PROCESSShould you decide to make a formal application, you will receive feedback within seven working days of the closing date.

QUERIESIf you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information or would like to have an informal discussion, please contact Sara Livesey or Roberta Giubilini at Prospectus on 020 7691 1920, or email

sara.livesey@prospect-us.co.ukroberta.giubilini@prospect-us.co.uk

ABOUT PROSPECTUSProspectus is passionate about finding new solutions to entrenched social problems and does this through our extensive networks in the beyond profit and commercial sectors. In the last two years we have delivered over 180 ‘C-Suite’ appointment in the last two years through executive search. We conducted 1,000s of interviews and have strong relationships and networks across Great Britain. Our business has grown every year since 2011, and last year we also opened our first Global practice, delivering searches for roles based outside the UK.  We passionately believe that talent for this sector can be found within and outside it, and our research team are experts at identifying and engaging talent from all sectors. We continuously strive to support our clients to build diverse teams, and in the past two years 25% of our placed candidates came from outside the sector, 51% of our executive and board placements were women, and more than 18% were from BAME communities. Our expert and dedicated team, with over 118 years of collective experience, are driven not only by the genuine passion we have for the beyond profit sector but by the contribution we can make by helping you achieve your vision by finding you just the right person for your role.

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