Events Manager
About the role
Would you like to shape Freshers’ Week for incoming students? Are you passionate about finding creative solutions to objectives, and working on exciting, student-led projects?
We’re looking for someone to show off their project management skills and work alongside a large number of student groups and external contacts. The Students’ Union is committed to delivering a positive experience for its members, and this is your chance to help shape that.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who understands the needs of students, has experience in balancing multiple projects, and is excited about developing a diverse and dynamic programme of events.
The Team in Events is made up of 2 permanent staff (Manager and Co-ordinator), two graduate staff recruited from our student body as well as a team of students working as events crew, sound engineers and nightlife safety advocates. The key role of the team is to work with students, other staff (both within the Students’ Union and University) and, importantly, the elected representatives of the student body to put together an exciting, fun and diverse programme of entertainment catering to the needs of our membership - every registered student here at Sussex. We want to involve students in putting on events to make best use of the wide range of skills and talent available at Sussex University to ensure students are at the heart of everything we do, but also so we can learn from them as much as they can learn from us!
The Students’ Union enables students to do amazing things: to improve their course, fight injustice, play the sport they love or just have fun. We’re looking for an Events Manager to lead the Union’s events team in an exciting period of change, and work with students to help them deliver their own activities throughout the year. One day you may be delivering a multi-stage festival, and the next could see you bringing a group of therapy dogs to campus to promote wellbeing for students. No two days are the same, and your experiences in the events industry will help improve the services we offer to students at the University of Sussex.
Testimonial
"As Events Manager at Sussex Students' Union, I was constantly inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of our student body, and grateful for the opportunity to explore this in an exciting and creative working environment. You never know what opportunity is going to present itself, and it's a real joy to lead a team that is passionate about delivering positive change."
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title: Events Manager
Responsible to: Deputy CEO
Responsible for: Events Coordinator, Nightlife Safety Advocates, Events Assistant, Student staff related to Events
Salary: £30,199 - £32,047 full-time equivalent pro rata. It is normal to be appointed at the first point on the pay scale but this is open to negotiation in certain circumstances.
Hours of work: 36.5 hours per week. Part-time hours are considered for people with care commitments or as reasonable adjustments but will more than likely be flexible to include some evenings and weekend work during term time.
Contract: Permanent
Location: Falmer House, University of Sussex, BN1 9QF. However, we are supportive of hybrid working with this role expected to work a minimum of 75% of their hours from the office.
* Please note that student applications will NOT be considered for full time positions, as it exceeds the recommended hours of work for individuals in higher education. This applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship: Please note that we do not currently offer Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship, however, this is reviewed on an annual basis.
For more details please see the full Job Description and Person Specification.
If you have any questions ahead of submitting your application, please feel free to reach out to Anna (anna.m@sussexstudent.com) for an informal chat.
KEY DATES
Applications close: Monday 26th of February, 9am
Interviews: Thursday 7th / Friday 8th of March (Interviews will take place virtually, via Google Meet, but if you require an interview in-person or via telephone as a reasonable adjustment please make a request)
Expected start date: ASAP
COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION
We are committed to maintaining a diverse workforce because we know how important it is to have decision makers and collaborators with varied lived experiences and backgrounds that reflect the range of needs from our diverse student community.
We welcome applications from everyone, and we want to strongly encourage applications from; people with an ethnic minority or Chinese background, people with a disability, people with dependants, and people who identify as LGBTQ+. We conduct anonymous shortlisting and all of our interview panels have Unconscious Bias Training in order to support the above. We also consider flexible working for those with care commitments. If you have any suggestions as to how we could improve our language or application process please let us know.
ABOUT US
We are looking for skilled, friendly and highly motivated people who share our vision and values.
With our vibrant environment and organisational culture, the Students Union is a dynamic workplace only a few places could match. Led by students we are all about working with students to help them get the most out of their time here at the University of Sussex or Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Whilst being located on Sussex Campus - close to Brighton & Hove - we are separate from the University, something that is crucial to our campaigning and lobbying work.
According to last year's Staff Engagement Survey, the best things about working here is the supportive environment with great people who you can trust and respect as well as the ability to work flexibly for most roles.
Although we have different departments we think of ourselves as one big team and are often working all together on projects or helping each other out at big events such as Freshers week or Elections.
Whilst we cannot really brag about offering the most competitive pay, as is often the case in the third sector, we feel we have a lot of other things going for us, which more than make up for our less competitive salaries.
Working on Sussex Campus and for the SU has lots of perks: Our staff get access to enhanced time off, which normally amounts to an extra 6 days leave in addition to 20 days of annual leave per year, and bank holidays. Plus, owning our own venues means we have £1 Staff Drinks in our Bars on a Friday - a great and fun way to get to know your coworkers. We also organise regular staff socials and events throughout the year and pride ourselves on having numerous learning and development opportunities for all our roles and creating a supportive workplace with regular 1 to 1s, an employee assistance programme and professional health services. You can read up more about our benefits below or on our benefits package.
If this sounds like the workplace you’d like to join, we would love to receive your application and get to know you!
STAFF AND APPLICANTS WITH LONG TERM CONDITIONS
The Students’ Union aims to implement reasonable adjustments for all staff and applicants with disabilities, creating a culture of cooperation, shared responsibility and proactiveness to ensure equitable access to jobs. We want to make sure everyone is supported in our selection processes, and are equipped to work safely and get as much as possible out of their role as possible.
For more information about the support we have available follow this link
STAFF BENEFITS
GETTING PAID
Everyone working in the UK needs a National Insurance number in order to get paid. If you are a UK citizen you will automatically have this, however if you are not a UK Citizen you might want to apply for an NI number at the same time as you apply for a job so there is no delay in your payments. You can do so using this link: https://www.gov.uk/apply-natio....
Please note you cannot apply for a National Insurance Number until you're in the UK, but this should not stop you from completing your application for this role.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Due to legal regulations we have to ensure that everyone is eligible to work in the UK and this would be done by us checking and making a copy of the correct original identification/documentation before your first day of work. However, we do not ask for your eligibility to work during the application or interview stage. You may also be limited in the number of hours you would be allowed to work.
Find out more information about applying to work in the UK. In any case, we would encourage anyone to apply for a job in one of our friendly departments to give yourself the chance of being selected, and we would look to see the appropriate original documents before your first day of work.
MORE INFORMATION
To find out more about working for the Students' Union go to: