The Position (Academic Representation Co-Ordinator)
The Students’ Association is central to the leadership and development of an active system of student representation, providing the space and tools for strengthening and building consultation and collaboration on key issues affecting the student community. The Director of Education (our full-time, Sabbatical Officer responsible for learning, teaching, and research) coordinates a group of democratically elected academic representatives who drive essential student voice mechanisms, community-building, and enhancement activity at the University of St Andrews. This position will work with and provide vital support to Sabbatical and Student Officers to ensure that the Students’ Association’s representation system continues to be at the heart of student engagement at the University of St Andrews, working in partnership to influence the University’s decisions on academic experience for undergraduates and postgraduates alike.
The core of the role involves delivering a robust training and development programme for volunteers, coordinating academic representative elections, advising and mentoring student leaders, and delivering annual projects and programmes (such as the Teaching Awards).
Principal Duties and Responsibilities of post-holder
1. Provide strong and regular support and guidance to our Director of Education to assist them to deliver their stated ambitions during their term in office and to help them engage with and consult the other members of the academic representation as appropriate.
2. Design and deliver our Class Representative, Postgraduate Representative, School President, Faculty President, and Postgraduate President training programmes, helping to ensure that Reps are empowered to represent with confidence and independence, and know when and how to communicate with the Association and access support.
3. Supervise the Academic Representation and Postgraduate Representation Interns, ensuring that your team provides excellent project support and advice for academic representatives.
4. Coordinate the delivery of annual Class and Postgraduate Representative Elections.
5. Liaise with key university staff and stakeholders, such as the Proctor’s Office, the Student Experience Team, the Policy & Quality Team, the Careers Centre, IELLI, academic departments, and others to help representatives to utilise university channels to achieve their goals.
6. Stay up to date on key issues, priorities, and opportunities in the sector, such as through engagement with Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland (sparqs) and building relationships with other Students’ Associations.
7. Support the Director of Education and other elected officers with research into Higher Education policy including examples of good practice in the sector. Assist student officers in preparation for relevant meetings.
8. Work with Design and Marketing staff to ensure that the Association communicates clearly to our students, the University and internally on academic representation matters. Lead on communication and events which celebrate the impact of our academic representation work.
9. Deliver the annual Academic Representation Awards as well as lead administrative and logistical support for the student-led Teaching Awards.
10. Provide administrative support to Association committees and working groups including the Education Committee, Undergraduate Academic Forum, and the Postgraduate Academic Forum.
11. Work alongside the sabbatical officers to create an effective democratic structure for representation in the area of education.
To contribute to the overall effectiveness of the Association
1. Actively participate in meetings, personal development, and training events where there is a clear link to our strategy, your role or personal development.
2. Ensuring that statutory and legal obligations are met.
3. Ensure our financial sustainability by adhering to all financial procedures and processes of the Students’ Association.
4. Contributing to the positive image of the Students’ Association with students, the University and the local community.
5. Working across the Association to share skills, improve capability or capacity and in support of service delivery.
This job requires a flexible approach to work; the successful applicant will need to work across a variety of sites, may travel on occasion, and will regularly need to work unsociable hours.
The job description may be altered at any time in the future in line with the level of the post to meet changing requirements, in full consultation with the post holder.
The University of St Andrews Students’ Association is committed to promoting diversity and equality for all and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We particularly aim to include perspectives from people with disabilities, from BAME backgrounds, and those with diverse sexualities or marginalised gender identities.