We’re looking for 4 University of Liverpool students who care about representing others, to help shape the direction of the Guild and amplify the student voice. Want to take a stand on key student issues? Are you: empathetic, passionate, a good listener, approachable, understanding or inclusive? These are just a few of the qualities that would make you an amazing Student Officer!
We believe that any student has the potential to thrive in this role, and we are looking to reflect our diverse campus in our candidates and Student Officer team. Taking part in the Election is a unique experience and we are on hand to offer support to all candidates, making sure you’re ready to take on this amazing opportunity.
We’re a democratically led organisation for over 27,000 student members. Our staff team work together to carry out our mission, vision and values.
Every year, students are given the chance to vote for, and stand to be one of, the four Student Officers who run our organisation. The four who are elected are paid a salary and work full-time with us for one year. Their post involves representing students and making day–to-day decisions on behalf of the organisation. The Student Officers make up one-third of the Board of Trustees, which is chaired by the President.
Guild Elections use the single transferable vote (STV) system. This means the election is preferential. Voters can rank as many candidates as they choose, in the order they like them best. Voters can select from 1 to up to all 12 candidates. All candidates run for the President role, and the ‘top’ 4 candidates are elected in order; President, Deputy President, & two Vice Presidents.
The Role
Day-to-day you can expect to:
Attend University committee meetings, to represent the Student Voice
Talk to students, to find out what issues they’re facing
Work on campaigns – organise events for students, and advocate for what matters to them
Attend the Board of Trustees
The four who are elected are paid a salary and work full-time at with us for one year.
One of the great parts of becoming a Student Officer is the amount of support available to you. The Guild has over 70 full time staff on hand to make sure you have the resources and backing needed to bring your manifesto to life.
Running for Student Officer:
There is no interview for the role - the positions are filled each year through our Student Officer Elections. All you have to do is put yourself forward during our nomination period and then campaign before and during our voting week on why you’d be perfect for the job.
You can nominate yourself on our website when nominations open in Semester Two. At the point of nomination, you will need to give us your name + submit a manifesto.
Nominations are the process through which students put themselves forward for a role, and who then make up the candidates which voters can choose from in an election.
Unlike at some other SUs, at the Guild all candidates run for the same position – Guild President. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be offered the role of President. The other Officers elected will then be offered the role of Deputy President, and two Vice Presidents respectively.
To prepare for your election campaign, you will need to think about and plan for the following:
A 300-word written manifesto
Campaign Artwork Designs
Speaking to students
We will give you more details of these when nominations open.
For many candidates this is the first time they have undertaken anything like this. If you do decide to become a candidate, our staff team will be on hand to support you every step of the way. We have staff who are experts in campaigning, social media, graphic design and much more, who run training and give you the support and advice you need, on what wins elections and what makes a successful campaign.
You don’t need any experience to run for this role, and there is no interview. We believe that every student has the potential and the qualities to be a great Student Officer. Being a student yourself, understanding other students’ experiences and having a desire to support them is all you need for the role.
We have a range of training available for candidates this year including sessions on: how the Guild works, what issues students care about, how to campaign and write a manifesto, creating your own campaign video and artwork + print designs.
These sessions will be run as part of a Candidate Training Afternoon, shortly after nominations close.
