ROLE DESCRIPTION
Title:
Society Secretary
Department:
Student Activities
Your lead Sabbatical Mentor:
Vice President Activities
Your lead Staff Mentor:
Societies Coordinator / Coach Lane Student Engagement Manager
Who you support:
Society committee volunteers within your society. All members and
potential members of your society
Who supports you:
Societies Leadership Committee
The Student Activities team.
Welcome Desk Staff
Purpose of your Role:
You sit on your society committee and you are integral in deciding
the direction for your society during your term of office. You are
responsible for administration of your society including promoting
and facilitating Society events throughout the year.
Typical time commitment:
15- 25 Hours per month
Key additional benefits:
Eligibility for the Northumbria Volunteer Awards
Volunteer Training
National Student Awards
How you will be selected:
Committee elections take place in March every year through an
Annual General Meeting (AGM) for all society members. This will be
conducted as a meeting where you will be required stand in an
election.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
1. To be responsible for all updates to members of regular society activities including, meetings,
trips events and social activities. To notify members of last minute changes to society events.
2. To keep an up to date record of all paid members of the society including, name, email address,
phone number and emergency contact details.
3. To manage and regularly update your Society webpage on mynsu, separate society websites and
any social network accounts.
4. To ensure that your society is operating within the health and safety policy of the Students’
Union. This includes trip packs, risk assessments and guest speaker forms completed within
deadlines.
5. To ensure that the society provides a safe and secure environment during society activities.
6. To understand the different levels of society status (active, restricted and dissolved) and to keep
your society active.
7. To prepare agenda and arrange committee meetings when instructed by the President of the
Society
8. To take minutes for any society meetings and distribute these minutes to society committee
members.
9. To book rooms through the Students’ Union for both rooms in the Union and the university.
10. To take responsibility for the recruitment of members to the society and support the Treasurer
to ensure that all students pay their membership fee.
11. To coordinate social events for the society.
12. To liaise with the info desk for up to date membership names for the society.
13. To support the President in planning the end of year Society celebration.
14. To coordinate the completion of the constitution, risk assessment and health and safety policy
and ensure they are handed into Student Activities.
15. Where the opportunity arises, work with similar societies in Northumbria Students’ Union and
across the UK.
16. To actively encourage good communication between NSU activities, Society Reps, society
committees and society members.
17. To attend any additional training appropriate to your society, to communicate training offered by
external organisations to the lead staff member (e.g. Societies Coordinator), and to make them
aware of any further training needs.
18. To fully understand the importance of your role within the structure of Societies, NSU and the
University and to uphold the values of Northumbria SU and Northumbria University.
19. To give other committee members two weeks’ notice if you intend to go on holiday or if you
have upcoming academic commitments which will impact on your role, and to give at least one
month’s notice if you intend to step down from your role.
Other Duties and Responsibilities (which we would expect of all NSU volunteers)
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To aspire to the highest standards of customer care at all times.
To attend appropriate and relevant training events, courses and conferences as required.
To be committed to NSU’s values of Democracy, Inclusive, Ethical, Innovation, Quality and
Partnership
To abide by the Students’ Union Constitution, policies and procedures at all times.
Key graduate attributes that you can develop through this role:
Leadership
Time Management
Organisation
Verbal and Written Communication
Initiative
Report Writing
Promotion
Presentation
Working to Deadlines
Motivation
How you will know you’ve been successful in your role:
You will see an improvement in the quantity and quality within your society, including an increase in the
numbers of members and the variety of activities.
You will be able to track this contribution to your society through minutes of meetings, photos of
delivered activities and feedback from society members.
Thanks to your involvement your society will become bigger and better! Your work will leave a lasting
legacy which will ensure that Northumbria Students can enjoy the society for years to come.
To ensure that you are fully aware of all of the benefits that you are entitled to as a key NSU volunteer,
and that you know what to do if you encounter any difficulties in your role, please refer to our
Societies Handbook: