Students' Union Exec Elections
12 Jan 2022
Nominations open for Students' Union Executive Officer roles on Monday, 7 February
The University of Manchester Students’ Union is a charity, independent from our University, that exists with one mission: to be the voice of students at Manchester, effecting change and enriching student life together.
Every year elections takeplace to choose the Exec Team - the trustees and leaders who represent 40,000 members.
What roles are available?
- Union Affairs Officer, who exercises their influence through a range of relationships, networks and meetings to promote, defend and extend the rights of students
- Activities & Culture Officer, who champions student societies and ensures they get the support, development and recognition they need and advocates for international students
- Research Officer, who represents Postgraduate Research students, advocating for their wellbeing and overseeing the Union’s social and development opportunities for them
- Wellbeing & Liberation Officer, who directs the Union’s work on equality, diversity and liberation. They support student liberation campaigns and champion under-represented students, as well as advocating for student health and wellbeing at the Union and across campus
- Humanities Officer/Biology, Medicine and Health Officer/Science and Engineering Officer. These Officers work with their Faculties to improve students’ education, exercising their influence at University Senate and other academic Committees to represent students’ academic interests
- City and Community Officer, who ensures students are engaged with their local community and help them make real change on issues that affect their everyday lives
Why should students run?
Campaigning during the elections period is a great opportunity for students to tell others their ideas for change, and communicate what they care about. In previous years, students have raised issues such as building a more sustainable campus, lobbying the council for rent caps for students and improving support for mature students.
Even if students don’t win the election, campaigning builds skills such as public speaking, persuasive communication and teamwork. Training is offered during the nominations process to ensure students are on an equal footing and get the most out of the elections.
If they do win, the Exec Officer role is a great way to kickstart a career while making a real difference.
Who can run?
Exec Officer roles are full-time positions, paid £19,944 per annum, that begin in August 2022. Any current student can run - if they’re not in their final year, they will take a sabbatical from their degree. We will support international students if they require any changes to their visa.
Nominations open on Monday, 7 February and close on Monday, 21 February at noon, with voting taking place online 7-10 March. Students will need to complete the online nomination form, where they’ll need to outline their ideas for change and why they want to run for election.
What you can do
Please share this information with your students or direct them to the Students' Union.
If you’d like to recommend a student for a role, you can fill out our Suggest a Student form and someone from the Students' Union will be in touch.
Find out more
If you have any questions or would like to talk to an SU staff member in more detail, please email suelections@manchester.ac.uk to talk to a member of our Democracy team.