Community Living Officer

CANDIDATES

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HASEEN RAIHAN

HIMANSHU LAMBA

MOHAMMAD ASHABUL HAQUE (RAAD)

job description

Start date: 1st July 2024 *Please note: there will be some training before the start date for University Council.

End date: 11th July 2025

Hours of work: Full-time, working 37 hours per week Monday – Friday (with commitment required to work outside regular working days on occasion as required)

Contract: Fixed term contract starting on 1st July 2024 and ending on 11th July 2025 (with option to stand for one further year)

Induction: 1st July – 29th July, compulsory

Salary: Spinal Point 11 which is £25,189 per annum (inclusive of London Allowance)

Benefits:

25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and university closure days
Pension scheme
Free TOTUM card
Opportunity to develop key leadership and negotiation skills, whilst acting to deliver positive impact on the experience of more than 15,000 student members
Guest list access to Union club nights
Free Union Sport Membership

Training:

Full month-long induction period
Summer training courses provided by NUS
Access to University training programme
Role specific learning and development opportunities

Time required for the role:
This is a full-time paid position with a monthly salary.

Term of office:
54 weeks, commencing at the end of the academic year. This includes a 2-week transition period.

Qualifications for the role:
Must be a current student at the Brunel University London when elected and be a Full member of the Union of Brunel Students. Must also be able to declare legal capacity to serve as a Trustee and Company Director under Charity Law and Company Law.

Each Sabbatical Officer has three related roles they must fulfil:

1. FT Community Living Officer: The Community Living Officer is the senior representative on all matters relating to student living such as, student safety, student housing, student hardship. Their role is to represent Brunel students’ interests more broadly (outside of academia) with matters associated to everyday student life and the student experience, within the community.

2. Union of Brunel Students Trustee: Sitting as a member of the Students’ Union’s Board of Trustees which oversees the strategic direction, financial stability, and legal/reputational risks of the organisation.

3. University Council: As an elected full time officer, you may be nominated by the Union of Brunel Students to sit on University Council. The Union of Brunel Students elections are conducted on the basis that the successful candidate may also be appointed as members of the University Council. Therefore, if you decide to nominate yourself for this role then you should be prepared to fulfil this role and meet the "fit and proper persons" requirements for members of university governing bodies and charity trustees (detailed further below).

While each role has distinct responsibilities (outlined in the detailed job description) sabbatical officers have a range of general duties and work as a team to help each other solve the challenges they face.

Main purpose of the role:
The Community Living Officer is the senior representative on all matters relating to student living such as, student safety, student housing, student hardship. Their role is to represent Brunel students’ interests more broadly (outside of academia) with matters associated to everyday student life and the student experience, within the community.

Working closely with the College Officers to ensure that both the Union and the University is functioning effectively, is well supported and providing a welcoming community to all.
The Community living officer will work to make Brunel a fun and vibrant place to live and study. They will do this by building new communities and growing existing ones. They will champion our clubs and societies and help to create a creditable and diverse social experience on campus that appeals to all. They will drive ideas and energy into our One Brunel, Team Brunel and Party Brunel brands, helping to ensure that they remain relevant to our student base.

General Duties

To represent the views and interests of Brunel students to Brunel University and any other relevant parties by: A. Attending and contributing to university meetings, B.Organizing and supporting campaigns and activities for the benefit of students, C. Working the University senior leadership to help them understand students views and needs, D. Ensuring that marginalised groups are appropriately represented and supported.
To engage with the relevant teams within the Union to achieve their goals and aims as officers.
To attend and contribute to all appropriate democratic meetings.
To attend and contribute to all appropriate team/planning meetings.
To hold other student officers accountable and to support them in their roles.
To contribute to the wider work of the Union of Brunel Students
To engage with the roles assigned mentor.
To support the Community Living Officer run key union campaigns on issues including but not limited to: housing, money, health, safety, wellbeing, liberation, and equality and diversity. To work in conjunction with the relevant officers and liberation groups to do so.
To work with local and national political bodies including but not limited to the NUS, BUCS and Hillingdon Council.
To attend misconduct and appeal hearings as and when required.

Community Living Officer Specific Duties (within the Union):

To lead on the development of welfare policy, campaigns, initiatives, and improvements, with a specific focus on student living.
To lead on the development of appropriate support for Brunel students to help empower and guide them through the cost-of-living crisis.
To raise awareness and drive engagement in our One Brunel activity, ensuring Brunel is a place that celebrates its diversity and offers opportunities for different groups to share and celebrate their cultures with others.
To drive forward Team Brunel sports clubs and societies, ensuring that their importance to student life is recognised and supported, working to support them in achieving their aims and develop relationships and skills that will enhance their future.
Improve accessibility, safety and security on campus.
Making links with the wider community in areas that may positively impact on a student.
Encourage and develop student volunteering and campaigning, as well as being the lead officer to liaise with the student living team.
Promoting and developing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on campus. champion intersectionality and belonging amongst student communities.
Leading on the creation of new and exciting communities outside of the traditional sports and society structures.
Ensure there is a thriving social life for all on campus. Promote and grow our Party Brunel offer so that it appeals to the student base and helps Brunel students to come together and have a good time, to build communities and to have a positive student experience.
Help us to create our best ever fresher’s week, welcoming new students to campus with amazing events, nightlife, and the opportunity to make friends and join groups, helping to set our students up for a brilliant year ahead.
Work with us to create and deliver large scale campus events and activities that showcase our communities and encourage students to come together, such as varsity, campus catch up week, carnivals and much more.
Help to create an active and healthy campus, informing students of the benefits of physical activity, and driving and helping us to grow initiatives such as Active@Brunel and Brunel Moves.
Attend Team Brunel Committee meetings, Societies Guild Committee meetings and Team Brunel and Societies Guild Forums.

Community Living Officer Specific Duties (within the University):

To be the lead student representative on major projects or policy changes at the University concerning student living such as housing, finance and wellbeing.
Provide feedback on the student campus experience, enabling us to build on this information to adjust and develop our activity so that it engages more students and helps us to achieve our goals around community and experience, as stated within our strategic plan, and in turn helps us to support all students in thriving at Brunel.
Attend the Student Experience and Welfare Committee: Ensuring the student experience remains a focus for the University and the Union.
Attend Diversity and Inclusion meetings - Working with appropriate colleagues to ensure the student voice informs the development of university work relating to diversity and inclusion; working to develop and also monitor progress on matters relating to diversity and inclusion for students at the University. Also feeding into activities on all protected characteristics and reviewing priorities.
Teaching and Learning - Working with the College Officers to ensure students' views are considered by the University when making decisions on all teaching and learning matters and ensuring the diverse needs of students are being considered.
Attend the Access and Participation Committee - Monitoring the University's progress against the Access and Participation targets.

As Trustee:

Ensure that the Union of Brunel Students acts in accordance with its charitable objects, constitution and other guiding documents and, in particular, remains true to its Mission, Vision and Values.
Help the Union of Brunel Students achieve its objectives.
Ensure that the Union of Brunel Students complies with all relevant legislation and regulations, including relevant charity acts and education acts.
Ensure that the Union of Brunel Students does not undertake activities that put its financial stability, members or reputation at undue risk.
Work with other trustees, staff and volunteers in a constructive manner and for the greater good of the Union of Brunel Students.
Participate fully in Board meetings and join one of the Board’s Committees.
Use their personal skills and experience to ensure the Union of Brunel Students is well run and efficient.
Seek external professional advice where there may be material risk to the Union of Brunel Students or where the Trustees may be in breach of their duties, or at any other appropriate moment.
Add value to the Board and the Union of Brunel Students through generating ideas, challenging the status quo, broadening thinking, and supporting and promoting innovation and creativity.

Student Trustees and Officer Trustees have a particular responsibility to:

Ensure decisions of the Board and its Committees take account of the needs and views of the Union of Brunel Students members.
Ensure the Union of Brunel Students is considering the needs and views of all student groups, for example postgraduate, international and part-time students.
Ensure effective communication between the Union of Brunel Students and its members.

University Council

A member of the Council is a representative of the University and is expected to act appropriately with due regard for the reputation of the University. There is an expectation that Council Members will:
Safeguard the good name and values of Brunel University London.
Maintain the legal obligation to act in the interests of the University as a whole.
Act in accordance with the principles of public life drawn up by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the “Nolan Principles”) which embrace selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Elected Officer Members
Elected Officer Members of Council must, as with all Council members, put the needs of the University first; they are not there specifically to advance the interests of students. They are full members of Council and will be required to attend all meetings of Council and all meetings of some of its committees such as the Finance Committee and the Governance and Nominations Committee.

Elected Officer Members are required to produce a report for every Council meeting setting out the work and key priorities of the students’ union.

Specific Undertakings of all Members of Council
Nominees for Council Membership are required to note that there are legal restrictions on who may be a Member of Council and additional restrictions placed by the University as set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances. Before appointing a new Council Member, Council must make sure that the appointment meets the requirements of the University's governing regulations and the law. As part of this process nominees for Council Membership are required to declare:

They are willing to assume the full responsibilities of a charitable trustee, as set out below, and are fully aware of the University’s regulations as set out in the Charter, Statutes, Ordinances and other provisions as may be described in other governing or regulatory documents.
They meet the OfS definition of a fit and proper person.
“A fit and proper person:
Is of good character.
Has the qualifications, competence, skills and experience that are necessary for their role.
Is able by reason of their health, after reasonable adjustments are made, to properly perform the tasks of the office or position for which they are appointed.
Has not been responsible for, been privy to, contributed to, or facilitated any serious misconduct or mismanagement (whether unlawful or not) in their employment or in the conduct of any entity with which they are or have been associated.”

This is also a requirement of charity trustees and, because the University is a charity, Council Members are also charity trustees. Charity Commission guidance on the fit and proper persons test refers to the HMRC guidance and provides some examples of situations that might give rise to a trustee not meeting the test. If an individual is bankrupt, removed or disqualified from being a trustee by a regulator or has been involved in tax avoidance, they may be considered not to be fit and proper.

As charitable trustees, under the Charities Act 2011 they are required to perform the following duties:

Act reasonably and prudently in all matters relating to the University.
Always act in the best interests of the University.
Apply the income and property of the University only for the purposes set out in the governing document.
Protect all the property of the University.
Invest the funds of the University only in accordance with their power of investment.
Regularly review the effectiveness of the University.

In addition to the above declaration Council Members are required to confirm:

That they are not disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or removed from trusteeship of a charity (including, without limitation, another university) by any regulator, the Court or the Commissioners for misconduct or mismanagement.
They do not have any unspent convictions for offences involving deception or dishonesty.
They are not an undischarged bankrupt.
They are not under a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
They are not and have not been involved in any tax fraud or tax avoidance schemes or arrangements.

Confidentiality
All appointees must agree to maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information of the University and not disclose it to any third parties. This extends to information about individual members of the University.
You will be required to sign a form to confirm you understand the responsibilities of a Council Member at Brunel University London.

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