We've pulled out the key responsibilities and qualities of each role, to help you decide which position to run for. Remember, you don’t need any exprience to apply for a role. The most important aspect is that you are passionate about improving the university experience for students at Essex.  

SU President  

So you fancy yourself as being the Leader of the SU? But what does being SU President actually involve? You would: 

• be the President of the SU, which is a large charity across three campuses 

• be the Chair of the Trustee board and the Executive Managers Board  

• Be line manager to the 6 other elected members of the Leadership team.  

• Have a passion for improving the lives of other students 

• be responsive to current issues effecting students 

• be a leader 

• be creative and determined 

VP International  

This role will involve a lot of event planning. You will be responsible for delivering cultural events imortant to the current demographic such as One world Essex, Holi and Diwali. You will work with the International Student Association to ensure international students issues are heard and addressed. We are looking for someone who is: 

• Open to learning about other cultures 

• Passionate about sharing experiences 

• Organised 

• A team player 

• Is great at project planning 

• Is social media savvy 

• Is responsive to current events that may impact International students 

VP Student Experience  

So what does VP Student Experience do? You will be responsible for working with students in VTeam, Sports, Societies and Rebel. You will sit on the Essex Sports Board and be the President of the Blades. We are looking for someone who: 

• Understands the importance of sport to students health and wellbeing 

• Understands the importance of extracurricular experiences 

• Is passionate about volunteering in the wider community 

• Is a team player 

• Is comfortable talking in front of people and with people from a variety of backgrounds 

• Is social media savvy 

VP Education 

This role is all about ensuring that students on all three of our campuses are getting the very best education that they can here at Essex. You will sit on lots and lots of boards and committees. This is definitely a job for a detail orientated person. We are looking for someone who: 

• Understands the Higher Education environment and is responsive to current issues  

• Is detail orientated  

• Enjoys reading (you will have to read a lot!) 

• Is great at relationship building 

• Is passionate about our students getting a great education 

• Can work with live student feedback 

VP Welfare  

You will be responsible for ensuring the structures that are in place to assist students in their welfare are working and providing the right information and support. You’ll work closely with SU Advice, the student conduct team, SWIS, and all other departments where welfare concerns overlap. We are looking for someone who: 

• Is compassionate 

• Is willing to learn and understand communities outside of their own 

• Happy to work in a team 

• Can represent the welfare of the student body in university committees 

VP Community and Engagement 

In this role you will work with and mentor the Student Community Officers elected to represent each community. This role would suit someone interested in ensuring that minority and liberation groups are heard. We are looking for someone who: 

• Is passionate about empowering our students 

• Is a team player and can work in a collaborative way 

• Is compassionate 

• Is willing to learn about new cultures and communities 

• Is happy to be an ally for all our communities 

• Is social media savvy 

VP Southend  

You will ensure that students in Southend have the best university experience possible. You will work alongside the 6 other elected representaves and the Southend student community officers. You will be based at our Southend campus but expected to visit the Colchester campus on a regular basis. We ae looking for someone who is: 

• Determined 

• Confident 

• Happy to work independently and also as part of a team

Remember these are full-time, paid positions. You will have to take a year out of your studies or be graduating this summer. You can find the full descriptions of each role here.