We are looking for two trustees with leadership experience to support the Union’s strategic development.
South Bank SU is the recognised representative body of 15,000 students studying at London South Bank University. Our mission is to build a students’ union that is relevant, responsive, and truly transformative for our diverse members.
South Bank students are ambitious, setting high expectations for themselves in the face of complex lives and the pressures of balancing competing commitments. Many don’t identify primarily as students, but instead as carers, nurses, engineers, parents, designers, workers, entrepreneurs, apprentices, and last chance learners.
Over the past few years, we have realigned our work to meet these diverse needs. We realised much of our activity was not engaging significant parts of our student population and thus made bold changes to meet the needs of our students. This has doubled the number of students who engage with us and our services.
We are continuing along this positive trajectory in line with our strategic plan for 2025, whilst, at the same time, thinking about a longer term refresh to our strategy and considering other new ways to support our students, and we are looking for new Trustees to oversee this work.
Our ideal Trustee is someone motivated by taking a creative approach to changing student lives, and able to contribute their expertise to support an SU which is unapologetic about doing things differently during our next strategic phase.
Our trustee board meets in person at our campus in Elephant & Castle, London, at least four times a year. Additionally, there are opportunities for Trustees to sit on sub-committees and get involved with other areas of the Union’s work. We provide annual training for board members, and meet at least twice a year for developmental and strategic conversations. We also offer opportunities to mentor students and developing staff, and we welcome applications from first time Trustees.
Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
SBSU’s simple vision of disrupting inequality is the heartbeat of the organisation and it is this which steers its decisions, practice, and priorities. It unifies our services, and it drives our staff to remove societal barriers so that all people can achieve their full potential.
SBSU believes that in order to truly disrupt inequality for its members, it must also strive to do this for its workforce – in short, staff must experience it in order to deliver it!
Our Union benefits enormously from having a team of staff with a range of diverse lived experiences. We understand that some life circumstances might be more complex, and that some will have had to overcome more barriers. We value the unique perspectives that are formed by an individual’s background and believe that ‘bringing your whole self to work’ is essential for informed decision making and collaboration and paves the way for high performance so we welcome applications from all, especially if your background and circumstances are traditionally under-represented in the workplace.
Further Information
To find out more information about South Bank Students Union and the role, including the job description and person specification, you can download the External Trustee Recruitment Pack. You can also download our five-year strategy to help you understand more about our vision for SBSU.
If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, contact Chief Executive, Amy Eden at amy@lsbsu.org for an informal discussion and additional background on the role.
Process
To apply, you will need to:
- submit a copy of your CV
- submit a supporting statement (a maximum of two sides of A4) that details your interest in, and suitability for the role in PDF format. (please read this guidance for tips on how to write a great supporting statement)
- answer some questions relating to your eligibility for employment.
- provide some details about your individual identity (not mandatory)
Candidates will be shortlisted based on how well their application demonstrates they meet the criteria in the job description and person specification. Your CV will provide information on your education and work experience, however, your supporting statement is your chance to show why you are right for the role and an opportunity to stand out from others. It should provide clear and relevant examples of how you have met the key criteria, and the successes you have had in your previous roles. An application which does not provide this detail is unlikely to make it through to an interview so please take the time to make sure you have given this full consideration. This website provides a good guide to writing a great supporting statement. ?
The job description and person specification can be found here.
We are proud of the ethnic, age and experience diversity of our Trustees, but would benefit from additional gender diversity on our board and especially welcome candidates who do not define as male to apply.
Applications should be submitted electronically here. The closing date for applications is midday (12:00pm), Friday 3 May. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered.
Shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation to an interview, with a panel of SBSU Trustees and elected officers.
It is anticipated that interviews will take place during the week beginning 13 May, however this may change depending on applicant and panel availability. Successful candidates may also be invited to observe a trustee meeting on 20 May.
The students’ union is unable to offer feedback to non shortlisted candidates; however, every applicant will be informed of the outcome of their application.
Accessibility
We encourage applications from candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and life circumstances and want to make sure that this recruitment process is accessible to all, so should you require support related to this process or attending a digital interview, please let us know at any point during the process via careers@lsbsu.org.