Work for us

Would you like to join the OU Students Association team?

We have around 40 staff currently in the team, all based close to the OU Students Association office at the OU campus in Milton Keynes (we have a blended approach to home and office working). Our staff team works closely with our elected student representatives, and are responsible for delivering the wide range of services, activities and functions undertaken by the Association.

Meet the teams

We have six teams within the Students Association. Click on the links below to find out more!

EDI and Belonging

Our EDI and Belonging team supports all OU students to get equal access to appropriate services, regardless of the different challenges that they face. The team looks after our student volunteer work, incorporates our Student Advice team, and overviews our three Support Groups – OU Pride, Disabled Students Group, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Group.

Programmes

Our Programmes team manages and leads on the Association’s portfolio of events and projects, such as Welcome Week and University Challenge. They support a variety of societies and clubs that OU students can join, and create opportunities for students to chat with each other through Community Drop-In sessions and meet-ups. The team looks after our organisational strategy, and also provides training and support for all our degree ceremony volunteers.

Student Voice

Our Student Voice Team are responsible for ensuring the student voice is heard across the University. They support our Student Leadership Team, and is also tasked with supporting and empowering our Student Representatives. The team also looks after our research work, and supports our external engagement activities on topics related to student experience and the Higher Education sector.

People

The People team is the Association's small HR team, and they lead the way in best practice for people management. They keep the organisation running through organising all of our official governance meetings, taking and sharing minutes, and looking after staff training and wellbeing.

Finance

Our Finance team monitors the Association's financial standards, looks after our budget-setting, and helps to process volunteer expenses. The team is also in charge of managing the OU Students Shop.

Marketing and Communications

Our Marketing and Communications team share important updates from the Association, manage our social media channels, website and branding, and create newsletters to keep you in the loop. They also help to promote student events, campaigns and initiatives, and keep an eye on our student online magazine The Hoot.

Benefits of working for us

We are an organisation who value integrity, openness, equality and inclusivity, collaboration, kindness and compassion. Here are some of the MANY benefits of working for us:

Annual leave

Generous annual leave allowance with 30 days+ to ensure
you can bring your best self to work after a proper rest!

Skills and development opportunities

Plenty of skills and development opportunities via both
regular team training and specific trainings suited to you.

Image of University mortarboard cap used at Graduation ceremonies.

Study opportunities

You can study any course with The Open University for free!

Family-friendly organisation

We have policies for people's personal lives,
including maternity leave, fertility treatment and a policy for carers,
as well as opportunities to take career breaks.

Flexible working

You can start when you like between the hours of 7am and 10am,
so you can fit work around other commitments.
We are also set up to work from anywhere, so you can work from home, the office or even in a café if it suits the work you are doing

Wellbeing

We have a team of dedicated Mental Health Champions,
special wellbeing days out of the office,
opportunities to undertake mental health training
and free access to the Employee Assistance Programme.

Eye tests

Free eye tests are available through Specsavers,
plus reduced prices of glasses.

Our vacancies

Head of Commercial Operations

Contract: Full time, 18 months (with possible extension)

Salary: £38,784 - £41,064
Location: Hybrid working between home and OU campus in Milton Keynes

Please note: This role is being recruited for externally via an agency so please send your CVs and direct any questions to Simon Fabry on rtr@retailtalent.co.uk.

Volunteering Administration Assistant

*** IMPORTANT: DUE TO AN EXTREMELY HIGH NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SINCE THE JOB WENT LIVE ON FRIDAY 2ND JANUARY, WE HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE VACANCY EARLY. ANY JOB APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY 8TH JANUARY WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED ***

Contract: Part time - 22.5 hours per week, Permanent

Salary: £27,319 - £30,378 pro-rata
Location: Hybrid working between home and OU campus in Milton Keynes

How to apply:

Please send over your CV and a supporting word document to oustudents-jobs@open.ac.uk answering how you meet the below criteria in no more than one page of A4:

1. Please describe your experience of providing administrative support as part of a team.

2. Tell us about a time you supported people from a range of backgrounds or with different needs (for example students, volunteers, service users or customers)

3. Please give an example of how you have supported a project, programme or event, and how you contributed ideas, solved problems and worked with others.

Please email your CV and supporting statement over to oustudents-jobs@open.ac.uk where you will receive confirmation of receipt within a couple of days.