Northumbria Students’ Union is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. As the Students’ Union for the University of Northumbria, it has over 40,000 members around the world, with the majority studying in the city of Newcastle. An integral part of the University offer, the Union provides a wide range of services to students with a focus on those organised by students for their peers. The Union has an annual turnover of £3.3m, comprised of block grant and earned income, and employs over 150 staff a year, two-thirds of whom are student staff.

The University itself has the 12th largest undergraduate intake in United Kingdom with strong roots in the region as well as intakes of international students primarily from China, India, Middle East and West Africa. Reflective of the region, a significant portion of its UK students come from widening participation backgrounds and key to its mission is the successful expansion of higher education. In recognition of its growth in research and teaching to become a new kind of university, Northumbria was University of the Year 2023. With a new Vice Chancellor, it is looking to build on this success through a new strategic plan with the Students’ Union as the heart of the campus.

As one of the UK’s most dynamic students’ unions, the Union works hard to have a positive impact on Northumbria students’ lives. It supports a comprehensive network of over 1,200 student representatives at all levels of the University, over 100 societies with 5,000 members whose work is organised by over 500 student volunteers in leadership positions. It offers students a full range of commercial activities including food, drink and entertainments.

In recognition of its successes, it holds a range of awards and accreditations, including Investors in People Silver (the national accreditation scheme for employers) and Student Crowd 2022 (one of the top 10 best clubs and societies and top 20 students’ unions as voted for by students). It is a very exciting time to be part of this dynamic and unique organisation.

The Trustee Board of NSU is responsible for setting the direction of the Union and ensuring that it has a clear strategy, complies with the law, and is financially sound.

The role of the Board has five main parts:

1. To lead the Students’ Union, establish its mission, vision and values, and ensure that it has a clear purpose and an overall framework of policies and standards
2. To develop overall strategies to achieve the Students’ Union’s aims and ensure that there is a clear system to delegate implementation of the strategies to the Chief Executive and the staff team
3. To monitor the performance of the Students’ Union against standards and ensure that it provides the highest quality of care, balanced with the effective, efficient and economic use of the Students’ Union’s resources and assets
4. To ensure compliance with the law and accountability to the Students’ Union’s stakeholders
5. To ensure that the Board itself performs effectively and contains people with the skills and experience it needs and makes plans to ensure the recruitment, induction and development of new Trustees

The Board is made up of 14 members:

• 6 x Sabbatical Officers (Elected students)
• 4 x Student Trustees (any current student that is appointed to the Board for one year)
• 4 x External Trustees (non-students who bring external expertise and experience to the Board)

Trustee - Marketing / Communications

The successful candidate will likely have held a leadership role in marketing and / or communications, and bring a proven track record in brand development and member/customer engagement strategies. They could be from either the private, public or charity sectors, and the Union is open to first-time non-executives. The Trustee will, however, understand and accept of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship.

Trustee - Legal / Governance

The successful candidate could be, for example, a solicitor, barrister, General Counsel, senior paralegal or Company Secretary. They could come from a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, charity law, employment law, risk, health and safety, contract law and/or EDI. A legal qualification is not essential, and the Union is open to first-time non-executives. The Trustee will, however, understand and accept the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship.

The Trustees will act as a critical friend, and be able to guide the Union's senior leadership. They will be collaborative, able to bring young people's views forward, and have a non-hierarchical approach. Above all, the Trustees will be passionately committed to the Union's mission to have a positive impact on the lives of all its students.

A list of current Trustees can be found here. 

There are an average of six Board meetings per year, which take place on Thursdays between 2-5pm, with lunch provided from 1pm.  Usually there may be an extended day once per year for more reflective and strategic planning. Additionally, the Trustee will be expected to join one of the Board's two Sub-Committees: the Audit & Risk Sub-Committee or the HR & Remuneration Sub-Committee. Committee meetings last for two hours, the week of or week before the main Board meetings.All meetings can be held over Teams though attendance to the Board meetings in person would be desirable. The appointment is for a four-year term, which can be renewed once. The appointment is unremunerated but reasonable, pre-agreed, expenses will be reimbursed.

The successful candidate will be UK-based and ideally able to attend in-person meetings.

In line with its commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Northumbria Students' Union is looking to broaden the profile and experience of the Board so that it better reflects the communities which it serves. As such, the following groups are encouraged to apply:

• Are Black or from another ethnic minority
• Were first in their family to go to University
• Have a recognised disability
• Identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer
• Identify as a different gender than the one assigned at birth
• Were a care leaver or estranged from family
• Were a commuter student, a student carer, mature student or from a military background

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.