Job Title:
Access & Participation Project Coordinator
Who we are
Part business, part charity, part membership body – students’ unions are all seriously fun places to work. They are organisations in their own right. Professionally run, but different. Professional teams support elected student leaders to make change, improve lives and fulfil potential; we help make it happen.
Founded in 1897, LSE Students' Union is one of the oldest Students' Unions in the UK and is the representative and campaigning body for students at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). We also fund and facilitate student activities on campus, including societies, sports clubs, media groups, and raise money for charities via Raising and Giving (RAG) initiatives.
About the job
Are you a highly organised, creative problem solver who is passionate about improving the experience of students from disadvantaged backgrounds?
Do you have strong project and stakeholder management skills, and exceptional verbal and written communication capabilities?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
The Access & Participation Project Coordinator is a brand new, exciting role designed to support LSESU’s work around access and participation.
The successful candidate will play a lead role in identifying areas where there is a need/opportunity for targeted interventions to support the experiences of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, before putting then translating these into evidence-based proposals.
The Access & Participation Project Coordinator will be responsible for designing, implementing and delivering these programmes, as well as for reporting back on them and proactively seeking ways of driving continuous improvement.
The role will also oversee the delivery of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Mentoring Scheme. This landmark programme, that was last year nominated at the National Diversity Awards, pairs students from ethnic minority backgrounds with LSE alumni, who provide the former with mentoring and support during their studies.
The successful person will be responsible for reviewing the programme and seeking to build upon its fledgling success to ensure it is bigger, better and more impactful than ever.
This role will also involve close working with stakeholders at LSE, especially those working on the delivery of LSE’s Access & Participation Plan (APP).
You would be joining a fantastic and friendly Advice Team, consisting of the Advice Caseworker and Advice Manager, that sits within the wider Student Voice Department, and which together oversees all of the Union’s advice, policy, democratic, campaigning and representation work.
Given the breadth of work undertaken within the department, expect there to be plenty of opportunities to grow, develop and pick up new skills outside of the main responsibilities of the role.
If you have any questions or would like an informal conversation about the role in more detail, please contact the hiring manager, Ricardo, at r.m.visinho@lse.ac.uk.
Who are we looking for?
The successful applicant will be a creative problem solver who is passionate about issues of social justice and committed to improving the experience of those from marginalised backgrounds.
The role will require finding opportunities for supporting disadvantaged student groups and then designing, implementing and delivering projects and activities. As a result, we are looking for someone who is highly organised, confident, self-sufficient, and able to deliver at pace, managing multiple competing priorities with enthusiasm and a ‘can do’ attitude.
Project management, stakeholder management and communication skills (both verbal and written) are considered essential, as is the ability to undertake research, policy, and monitoring & evaluation work.
However, we believe that what you do is just as important as how you do it. We are a hardworking but friendly and welcoming team, and so are looking for someone a genuine team-player. You will be a kind, positive and supportive individual who looks out for their colleagues and isn’t afraid to muck in to help those in need.
We particularly welcome applications from candidates who self-identify as coming from a disadvantaged or marginalised background.
People with prior experience of working in a students’ union and/or with knowledge of access and participation issues within Higher Education are encouraged to apply, although such experience is not considered essential.
Sabbatical officers with relevant, transferrable skills are also encouraged to apply.
If any of this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
Why apply?
Because you’re excited by the challenge! The exact opposite of corporate, we’re progressive, daring and creative individuals working to make a difference in unconventional workplaces.
How do we recruit?
We want to ensure all systems, policies and processes are free from bias or discrimination and are fair and accessible, therefore we ask that all candidates complete our Application Process in two stages:
Part 1. Complete a Supporting Statement, telling us about your suitability for the role (this is what will be used to determine if you are shortlisted for an interview). In doing so, please (1) ensure that your personal statement is no longer than 2 sides of A4, (2) ensure that you don’t include any personal details within your personal statement, and (3) use the job description and person specification as a guide to help write it.*
*Your supporting statement is all that we will see when shortlisting, so please be sure to cover everything that you’d like us to know about your suitability for this role within it, making it clear that you meet all of the job’s specification requirements.
Part 2. Complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring and Contact Form, so that we’re able to contact you if shortlisted for an interview. This will only be seen by our HR team (and will therefore have no impact on shortlisting), but it does help us gather and analyse demographic information about our applicants.
Part 3. Please attached your completed CV outlining the jobs or voluntary roles you have had.
Want to apply?
To apply for this role, please complete an online application – Vacancy (breathehr.com)
In the meantime, if you would like to have an informal conversation about this role, please Ricardo Visinho, Head of Student Voice & Advice at r.m.visinho@lse.ac.uk.
Job Application Timeline
Closing date: Sunday 28 July (23:59pm)*
?Intended Interview date: 8 & 9 August 2024
*Please note that we may close applications early if we receive a sufficient number.
Compulsory Requirement - The UK Government sets the legal regulations that we are required to follow. As an employer we must ensure that everyone is eligible to work in the UK and this is done by us checking and making a copy of the correct original identification/documentation before your first day of work. Currently we require you to have the right to work in the UK, as we are not a Home Office approved sponsor.