Academic Affairs & Representation Lead

Context and Background  

The Technological University of Dublin Students’ Union (TU Dublin SU) is a Constitutional Body that represents the interests of the students of TU Dublin. It is student owned, student led, student accountable and officially recognized by the Governing Body of TU Dublin as the autonomous voice of the students of the university. Its mission is to support student life by providing a range of student services including events and campaigns, providing advice & advocacy and representation in the defense of students’ rights in academic, social, and personal matters and is independent of TU Dublin. 

The TU Dublin Students’ Union has two structures, one of which is a democratic political structure, the Student Council; this establishes policy for the Union and to which all Elected Officers are accountable. 

The Constitution of TU Dublin SU has also established TU Dublin SU CLG, a company owned by students which manages the financial, commercial and human resource assets of the Students’ Union. It is constitutionally authorized to enter into contractual arrangements for and on behalf of the Students’ Union. The Board of Directors of this company is made up of a majority of students, with a minority of external Directors, bringing specific expertise to the Board’s deliberations. 

This role is core to the work of the Students’ Union and has been developed as part of our sustainable staffing structure to ensure focussed and high-quality service provision for all our student members into the future. 

Principal Purpose of the Position (the general nature, level, purpose, and objectives of the job): 

The Academic Affairs and Representation Lead role will oversee and support the educational policy development, advocacy functions and representation processes of the Students’ Union. The jobholder will direct the development of membership and student democratic engagement strategies and activities to maximise participation in union structures, in consultation with the elected Officers. 

Principal Functions: 

• Lead contributor on academic policy development to ensure that the elected Officers can deliver successful information and awareness campaigns and services within the academic affairs brief.  
• Lead contributor to the development and implementation of appropriate processes to support the delivery of the democratic functions of the Students’ Union and the agenda of the elected Officers. 
• Oversight of compliance with all representational processes and procedures set out in the Constitution. 
• Developing processes to enable the student voice to be accurately reflected and heard in key university procedures.  
• Developing collaborative and productive working relationships with key stakeholders including the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and other Officers, the Board of Directors, and key contacts within the University.   
• Assist the General Manager in the development, implementation and review of Board strategies and priorities as set out in the Workplan.  

Key Responsibilities  

The key accountabilities and associated duties include – 

Academic Representation 

Ensuring that the academic priorities and concerns of students are accurately reflected in the activities of the relevant elected Officers and in the activities of the union more generally. 

• Providing accurate and appropriate advice, information, and support to develop a strong and effective student voice in relation to academic and educational matters, in line with TU Dublin SU CLG policies and practice.  

• Working with elected Officers to ensure that the University responds appropriately and effectively to the student voice on academic matters and priorities. 

• Ensuring that our Student Advisors have the information and tools required to provide effective signposting of students to the relevant areas in the University and to external bodies to deal with academic matters and concerns. 

• Working closely with elected Officers and wider team to develop the Union’s academic priorities as set out in the Workplan. 

• Working closely with key University departments and staff in representing the academic interests of all students.  

• Assist the elected Officers in providing student input into University’s policies, procedures, and projects, specifically where these are related to the academic experience of students.  

• Actively participate in the organisation, training and support of the Class Representative system at the University. 

• Represent students on committees to seek improvements in academic processes where required. 

• Support Union submissions to relevant external quality reviews. 

Academic Policy & Campaigns 

Working with the elected Officers to develop clear, consistent, and relevant policies, campaigns and communications that publicize, support and develop the education agenda and goals of the elected Officers and the union more widely. 

• Enabling the elected Officers to deliver on union policy objectives and mandates, specifically in the development and implementation of advocacy and awareness campaigns and events within the Education brief. This includes research, budgets, scheduling, and developing implementation plans. 

• Preparing briefing documents, compiling data and reports for elected Officers on core areas related to the Education brief, on relevant topics from within the university and at national level. 

• Enabling the development of training and guidance resource materials for the elected Officers and students on education matters. 

• Generating content across core university channels (copy, images, video and other) that builds meaningful connections and encourages community members to engage and take action. Maintaining a focus on communications objectives including enhancing the student educational experience, supporting and celebrating student success, reputation management and communicating academic excellence. 

• Working with the elected Officers on projects and initiatives to increase and maintain student participation in the union through relevant policy development, projects, and activities.  

Democracy and Representation 

Oversight of democratic processes to ensure compliance with the Constitution and ensuring that the engagement of students in these processes is maximised.  

• Oversight of the planning and implementation of the TU Dublin Students’ Union Elections, referenda, and other union democratic processes. 

• Providing guidance to the elected Officers on the effective ways of running democratic processes for the union. Ensuring that all matters pertaining to the TU Dublin SU Constitution are upheld such as key dates, motions, policies etc.  

Student Voice 

Working with the team and elected Officers, to deliver high levels of participation by the student population in the democratic processes and work of the Students’ Union. Enabling the voice of the student to be heard in the university’s quality assurance processes and procedures.  

• Enabling the elected Officers to devise and implement strategies that will strengthen and enhance the Class Rep system in TU Dublin. This includes the planning, delivery and evaluation of training programmes and other supports. 

• Developing processes to increase student engagement with Reps and strengthen their impact within the university’s quality assurance structures, including at programme, School and Faculty level. 

• Identifying and implementing KPIs to evidence progress in student participation in and engagement with the union. 

• Supporting the development of an emerging and robust Volunteering programme for the organisation. 

• Working with the elected Officers to identify and deliver resources and personal development training opportunities and programmes for students and officers in the areas of leadership, coaching and mentoring. 

People Leadership 

Providing day-to-day leadership of the team and liaison with the elected Officers to give the Organisation a structure and vision that supports the delivery of the goals and objectives agreed by the Board. 

• Line management of the Academic Affairs & Representation Team.  

• Communicating clearly the vision, direction, and deliverables for staff in the team to support the goals of Board and elected Officers. 

• Setting key goals and performance targets for the team and ensuring that these are converted into performance standards for all employees of the team. 

• Ensuring continuity of structure and processes within the TU Dublin SU that enable the incoming elected Officers to deliver against their platform and policy aspirations. 

• Developing, promoting, and maintaining an effective working environment/culture for the team. 

• Recruiting, selecting, and line-management of all employees in the team in line with the agreed staffing plan. 

• Maintaining a learning and development plan for the team to support career aspirations where possible, the delivery of performance standards, and the creation of an attractive working environment that enables the effective attraction and retention of staff. 

• Ensuring that elected Officers and the Academic Affairs and Representation Team work collaboratively and collectively to drive service delivery and development in line with the objectives of the elected Officers and the Board.  

Stakeholder and Political Relationships 

Using influencing and negotiating skills to ensure that positive outcomes are developed to meet the needs and aspirations of key stakeholders including elected Officers, and the Board. 

• Supporting and advising elected Officers on democracy and representation aspects of their work during their term of office.  

• Establishing and maintaining key relationships with key University colleagues to develop productive working relationships. 

Job Specification – The ideal candidate will have the following: 

Essential Criteria 

• A minimum of 2 years' experience in a busy office environment. 
• People management and proven track record in the development and leadership of strategy and projects. 
• Strong IT skills. 
• A good understanding of data, how to present and evaluate systems in a way that is understandable. 
• Strong organisational skills and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.  
• Ability to troubleshoot difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently and effectively. 
• Excellent communication and presentation skills. 

Desirable Criteria 

• Post Leaving Certificate or equivalent qualification. 
• Experience working within an education and/or member services environment.  
• Previous experience in the delivery of compliant constitutional and democratic processes within a membership organisation. 
• Experience working with third-level students and/or youth advocacy groups 
• A good working knowledge of educational and democratic policy development would be an advantage. 
• A good working knowledge of Students’ Unions or similar membership-based organisation would be an advantage.  
• Basic understanding of Data Protection (GDPR).  

Competencies: The ideal candidate will demonstrate behaviours which align with values and mission of TU Dublin SU. 

1. Student Focus - Demonstrates a passion for student rights and interests or the rights and interests of other groups or cohorts of a given population. 

2. Relationship Building - Builds effective working relationships quickly and successfully; communicates and collaborates with others and earns their respect. Helps to create a sense of team spirit. 

3. Attention to Detail – Demonstrates the ability to organise and process detailed information quickly and efficiently whilst ensuring that procedures are maintained, and the work meets high quality or other standards. 

4. Delivery Focussed - Understands the academic procedures within the University and the democratic and constitutional procedures of the union and is able to deliver high quality results that enable high levels of participation. 

5. Interpersonal Skills - Demonstrates respect for the dignity of individuals. Supports the equality, diversity, rights, and goals of individuals. Is seen as a direct, truthful, and insightful mentor for elected Officers, Board members and staff alike. 

6. Goal Focussed – Develops appropriate goals and milestones and keeps self and the team focussed on the timely and on budget achievement of those goals. 

7. Collaboration - Builds collaborative working relationships quickly and successfully; co-operates with others productively and earns their respect. Works collaboratively with other colleagues, members of the elected Officers, and management across our locations to achieve the desired outcomes. 

8. Perseverance – Demonstrates a passion for student issues and the needs of students and a determination to achieve positive results for oneself, elected Officers, the wider student population and the SU.