Find out more about the roles!
Below you can find out more about the officer roles.
These positions will be up for Elections this April.
(Nominations will open on the 15th of April)
KPA President
KPA President – £21,908.28 (full-time Sabbatical position)
This is a full-time, paid Sabbatical position, with a paid one-month handover commencing on Monday 5th June . The President will take over formal responsibility for the role on 1st July 2023, with the role ending on 30th June 2024.
The President is the leader of the organisation; a Trustee of the KPA and Chair of the Board of Trustees. They will be involved in all aspects of running a charity. This includes line managing two permanent paid staff members (the KPA Co-ordinator and Senior Clubhouse Manager) as well as overseeing the work of all the elected Officers. They must ensure that they and all the elected Officers are visible and accountable to the membership whilst carrying out their roles. The President will liaise, when required, with various University departments such as the Finance Team, Human Resources Department and Payroll. They will be expected to understand, oversee and influence the finances of the Clubhouse and the Association.
The President is expected to report to members and the trustee board regularly on their work and is jointly responsible (with the Vice President) for the implementation of policies and budgets as approved by the KPA Board of Trustees.
The President is the lead representative of postgraduates to the University and an ex-officio member of University Council. The President is responsible for articulating the needs, thoughts and concerns of postgraduate students to the University through various channels. The most central of these is University Council, where the President acts as a Governor of Keele University with specific expertise in students, rather than as Chair/President of the KPA. The President will also attend a number of other University committees and represent students, through consultation events and written contributions.
KPA Vice-President *
KPA Vice-President - - £21,908.28 (full-time Sabbatical position)
This is a full-time, paid Sabbatical position, with a paid one-month handover, commencing on Monday 5th June . The Vice-President will take over formal responsibility for their role on 1st July 2023, with the role ending on 30th June 2024.
The Vice President is the deputy leader of the organisation and a trustee of the charity. They support the President in undertaking their duties and are expected to undertake all duties and responsibilities of the President in their absence. The Vice President is also responsible for assisting in the day-to-day running of the Association and should make themselves familiar with all matters being dealt with by the President. This includes overseeing finances and staffing matters.
The Vice-President shall be a public spokesperson for the Association.
The Vice President will be jointly responsible for communication with the University and is also expected to act as Deputy Returning Officer in the KPA Elections.
University meetings attended by the Vice President will predominantly focus on improving the academic provision at Keele University. The successful candidate will be the KPA’s representation on Keele University Committees, including but not limited to; Education Committee, all the Faculties’ Education Committees, Race Equality working groups, student experience committee and also will be invited to attend student disciplinaries as a panel member. The Vice President is a trustee of the charity.
Association Secretary *
£6,572.48 per year (0.3 of Full Time Equivalent)
This is a part-time, paid officer role, commencing on Monday 5th June and ending on 30th June 2024. There is no paid handover period for this role.
The Association Secretary has a number of responsibilities including, but not limited to: all matters regarding Association membership; the creation of agendas and keeping minutes for General meetings; sharing responsibility for chairing these meetings (with the Student Trustee); the running of all elections of the Association (acting as Chief Returning Officer) and representing postgraduate students at various levels within the University. The Secretary also has a share in student-facing communication, being responsible for gathering information and keeping members informed about upcoming events, issues and postgraduate-related news on a regular basis.
As with other roles, as an Officer of the Association there are many opportunities and responsibilities associated with the role. This means that some of the responsibilities of the Association Secretary are open to negotiation, affording them the opportunity to campaign or in some way contribute to something that they wish, subject to approval from the President. The Association Secretary is a Trustee of the KPA.
To find out more about the role, email kpa.elections@keele.ac.uk
Student Trustee *
A Voluntary Role, commencing on 1st July 2023 and ending on 30th June 2024.
The student trustee is an elected student member of the KPA Trustee Board. Their responsibilities include ensuring that the Association acts at all times in the best interests of its members. Along with the President, Vice President, Association Secretary and the external trustees, the Student Trustee is responsible for ensuring good governance and the financial stability of the organisation, as well as contributing towards the overall strategy. The trustees hold senior staff to account and set the staffing and financial policies of the Association. The Student Trustee is also responsible for Chairing KPA General Meetings, alongside the Association Secretary. The Student Trustee is a trustee of the KPA.
To find out more about the role, email kpa.elections@keele.ac.uk
Activities Officer *
Voluntary Role, commencing on 1st July 2023 and ending on 30th June 2024.
The Activities Officer is responsible for the planning and execution of events designed to help support and improve the experience of postgraduates. They are expected to draw up events designed to provide a range of activities for postgraduate students from a wide range of backgrounds and should work closely with all the other Officers to ensure that this happens. The Officer may be required to work with KeeleSU in order to ensure that the wide variety of backgrounds and tastes found among the postgraduate community are catered for. The Activities Officer will also, from time to time, have the opportunity to attend and contribute to University committees and task and finish/working groups associated with events and activities across the University. A budget will be dedicated to this role to assist the Officer in achieving their manifesto pledges. The amount will be agreed after the election process has concluded. The Activities Officer is NOT a trustee of the KPA.
To find out more about the role, email kpa.elections@keele.ac.uk
Equality and Diversity Officer *
Voluntary Role, commencing on1st July 2023 and ending on 30th June 2024.
The role of the Equality and Diversity Officer is to ensure all Association activities are accessible and represent the diverse population of Keele’s postgraduate community. The Officer is expected to engage with the University’s Equality and Diversity strategies and help to promote equality throughout the University. The Officer should run at least one campaign per year focusing around these themes. The Equality and Diversity Officer will also from time to time have the opportunity to attend and contribute to University Committees and task and finish/working groups associated with the role. A budget will be dedicated to this role to assist the Officer in achieving their manifesto pledges and to run the one campaign they are required to do. The amount of this budget will be agreed after the election process has concluded. The Equality & Diversity Officer is NOT a trustee of the KPA.
To find out more about the role, email kpa.elections@keele.ac.uk
Heading 1
International Officer
This is a voluntary role (unpaid), commencing on 1st July 2023 and ending on 30th June 2024.
The International Officer’s role is to ensure that all the Association’s activities take in to account and represent international students as a priority. The Officer will actively engage with the University’s internationalisation strategies, helping to direct the strategy to ensure that postgraduate International students are fairly represented, that their needs are catered for and that they find the postgraduate community is accessible to them.
They should work to promote cultural understanding within the community and help international students with the transition to life at Keele, particularly during arrival periods. The International Officer is expected to run at least one campaign focused around internationalism and cultural understanding over the course of the year. The International Officer will also from time to time have the opportunity to attend and contribute to University committees and working groups associated with the role.
The International Officer is a member of the KPA Committee but is not a trustee of the charity.