The Vice President (VP) Student Welfare has the responsibility within the Student Leadership Team (SLT) of ensuring that the University provides the necessary support for students, enabling them to study; as such, it is a particularly wide-ranging remit.
Average number of hours: Averaging 5–7 hours a week, though this fluctuates through the year.
Meeting expectations: Meetings hosted by the OU will always fall within the working day – you should expect to attend at least one meeting per month in these hours.
Attendance at face-to-face meetings: Most meetings will be online except for in-person SLT meetings. However, there may be in-person workshops and conferences you are invited to.
Location: You must be based within the UK or continental Europe to apply for this role.
DBS required? Yes
Term length: 2 years from 1 August 2026 – 31 July 2028.
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What is the Student Leadership Team?
The Student Leadership Team (SLT) is a group of elected students who work together to improve the experience of Open University students. When you run in an Open SU election, you are standing to join this team. The President and Deputy President are paid full-time roles, while all other roles are voluntary.
How the Student Leadership Team work together
The Student Leadership Team (SLT) is made up of two teams: Elected Officers and Elected Representatives.
As VP Student Welfare, you are part of the Officer team. The two teams have very clear remits:
The Elected Officers
- Led by the President.
- Each officer has a specific area of responsibility e.g. EDI or Student Welfare.
- Focus on projects, campaigns, and improving student life.
- Work together to support Open SU’s strategic priorities.
- Meet monthly to collaborate on priority projects and student issues.
- Submit monthly reports and updates to the student body.
- Lead development of Open SU Policy and Position Statements, seeking input from wider SLT, representatives and the student body.
- Provide content and information for social media, news articles and campaigns.
The Elected Representatives
- Led by the Deputy President.
- Each representative has a focus area e.g. Scotland/WELS.
- Focuses on Student Voice.
- Provides accountability and scrutiny to the Elected Officer team.
- Work closely with appointed Student Representatives.
- Ensures student experiences, needs, and perspectives influence decision-making.
- Meet every 4 months to understand what is going on in the University and for students.
- Comment on and contribute to development of Open SU Policy and Position Statements.
- Provide content and information for social media, news articles and campaigns.
Members of SLT meet as a whole team three times a year to collaborate, share insights, and make decisions that affect the whole organisation. Major decisions, such as changes to governing documents or Open SU position statements, must involve both teams.
Shared responsibilities of all elected Student Leaders
As a member of the Open SU Student Leadership Team (SLT), you play a vital role in representing students, building community, and supporting the mission, vision, and values of Open SU.
You’ve been elected by students to make a difference, and here’s what that involves:
- Working as a team to support Open SU’s mission, vision, and charitable objectives.
- Living our values: Welcoming, Approachable, Bold, Adaptable and Sustainable.
- Taking part in key events: onboarding sessions, SLT meetings, and Open SU’s biennial conference.
- Communicating effectively with fellow SLT members and staff, using official spaces and email regularly.
- Collaborating with other volunteers and Student Representatives who deliver activities, services, and events for students.
- Being the public face of Open SU: raise awareness, create promotional materials, deliver presentations, and host student-facing sessions.
- Sharing your impact: submit regular reports and blogs about your role.
- Engaging with students: supporting Open SU involvement in student-facing events.
- Championing equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything you do.
- Acting openly and responsibly, and being prepared to be accountable for your actions.
- All elected representatives are expected to adhere to our Values and Behaviour Policy, Volunteer Policy and sign a Volunteer Agreement on commencement of the role.
Role specific responsibilities
- Champions the promotion of the OU’s Wellbeing and Mental Health services.
- Is a full voting member of the Student Leadership Team.
- Is required to produce regular reports and contribute to a collective report. There will also be opportunities to give feedback to students through a range of platforms.
- Works closely with the Open SU's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Belonging staff team.
- Works with the Student Advisors to support the Individual Representation Service.
- Works closely with other members of the Student Leadership Team, in particular VP EDI, and liaises with Area Representatives and Faculty Representatives on support-related matters.
- Liaises with the University’s Head of EDI and Student Welfare.
- Acts as a champion and Trustee of our student charity, Open University Students Educational Trust (OUSET).
Key skills and attributes
You will need to possess, or be prepared to develop rapidly, the following:
- The confidence to represent student issues at OU meetings.
- Willingness to engage with students through various means, including forums and social media.
- Good communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Commitment to develop skills and knowledge appropriate to the role.
Training and support will be offered to any successful candidate.
Example of meetings attended by VP Student Welfare
The nature of our SLT roles is that there are always additional Open SU and OU meetings that they will need to attend. This can include regular meetings or one-off activities. Below are some of the meetings that VP Student Welfare is required to attend as an ex-officio (mandatory) part of their role – a full handover of current meetings will be provided by the outgoing post-holder:
- Open SU Student Leadership Team Meetings – These are formal meetings where the SLT discuss Open SU business, the issues facing students, and progress against the agreed priorities for the SLT. These take place every four months.
- Monthly SLT Officer Team Meetings – These meetings provide the Officer team the opportunity to update on the progress of their agreed projects, seek feedback from others, and raise issues that they have encountered.
- Senate – This occurs four times per year at the Milton Keynes campus and is the highest academic authority at The Open University. It has oversight for all matters related to teaching and learning.
- Student Senate Reference Group – This meeting allows you to provide your viewpoints on the topics being discussed at Senate, helping inform the opinions of the Student Members of Senate. These meetings take place on a Monday morning, four times per year online.
- OUSET Trustee Meetings – This takes place two or three times per year.
Around these meetings, you will be required to prepare for the meetings by reading the papers ahead of the meeting, and being ready and willing to contribute to the discussions.
Where a meeting is scheduled to take place in person, you will be supported to attend through the provision of reasonable expenses; however, most meetings that are held in person will also have a hybrid option.
Essential role-specific information, including eligibility
To apply, you must meet the following:
Active student status
You must be a registered and active Open University student. This means you are either:
- Currently studying a module, or
- Have previously completed a module within the last two years and are registered on an OU qualification.
Eligible modules
- You must be studying Open University modules worth at least 30 credits.
- Students registered as Postgraduate Researchers or on Access modules are also eligible.
Academic progress
To support your academic success, we will not consider applications from students who have failed or not completed their three most recently started modules at the time of application. This ensures you can focus on your studies while contributing effectively to the role.
Ability to act as the public face of Open SU
Elected officers and representatives who are not charity trustees, but act as the public face of the organisation, carry significant responsibility. For this reason, all candidates are expected to meet the same eligibility standards required of charity trustees, including not being disqualified from acting as a trustee. You can read the official UK Government guidance on the automatic disqualification rules for charity trustees.
What you can expect from Open SU
- A supportive onboarding and training process.
- Guidance and support from a dedicated staff team.
- Appreciation and recognition for the work you do.
- A non-discriminatory environment that celebrates diversity.
- Reimbursement for reasonable expenses in accordance with our Expense Claims Policy.
- The freedom to pause, take a break or step down from your role at any time.
Student Leadership Team dates for your diary
- Friday, 17 July – Sunday, 19 July 2026: in-person (Handover Weekend)
- Friday, 4 September – Sunday, 6 September 2026: in-person (Onboarding Weekend)
- Saturday, 7 November 2026: online
- Friday, 5 March – Sunday, 7 March 2027: hybrid
- Saturday, 17 July 2027: online
- Friday, 12 November – Sunday, 14 November 2027: hybrid
- Saturday, 4 March 2028: online
- Friday, 14 July – Sunday, 16 July 2028: in-person (Handover Weekend)
(all 10am–4pm for the Saturday meetings)