What is a Students' Union Officer?

The Students' Union Officers are the elected leaders of the Students' Union.

They are elected by the students of Sheffield to work full-time (c.£17.8k pa) to defend and extend the rights of students at the University.

They are the voice and the face of the organisation when we're in the media or campaigning. They're the people making big decisions about the Students' Union and how it's run. They're working with and lobbying the University to ensure that every student at Sheffield loves their student experience. They're in the Students' Union every day making things happen and making a difference.

The Students' Union Officers work as a team to:

• Lead the organisation
• Make decisions about the future strategy and direction of the Students' Union
• Represent students to the University and wider society
• Communicate with students
• Lead campaigns on behalf of students.

For example, over the last few month the Students' Union Officer team has:

• Successfully lobbied the University to remove its injunction against campaigning and protesting on campus
• Represented Sheffield students at hundreds of committee meetings and events on campus and across the country
• Had a key role in shaping the plans for the University House re-development
• Met with the Deputy Prime Minister and agreed a timetable for regular meetings, ensuring your voice is heard at the top of the UK Government.

Being a Trustee

A key part of the Students' Union Officers' job is to be a trustee of the Students' Union. This means that the Officers are ultimately financially and legally liable for the organisation.

In order to become a trustee, individuals must meet some basic criteria, basically to ensure you are trustworthy and suitable to be at the head of a large organisation. While you can be elected to become a Students' Union Officer without meeting these criteria it may affect your ability to do your job fully. We therefore ask you to consider this before entering your nomination.

Examples of the criteria include being at least 18 years old, not being an un- discharged bankrupt and not having an unspent conviction relating to an offence involving deception or dishonesty.

For more information about the basic requirements, contact elections@sheffield.ac.uk.

More information is also available from the Charity Commission.