Call for the position of Coordinator for Equality
General information:
The Executive Committee (EC) hereby issues the call for the position of Coordinator for Equality at the European Students’ Union (ESU), which will be held for 12 months, from July 1st, 2023, to June 30th, 2025.
The ESU Coordinators are expected to be experts in their respective areas of responsibility. They must report on their activities to the ESU board twice a year during the Board Meetings. Between the Board Meetings, they are accountable to the Executive Committee, which has to ensure that their activities follow the Plan of Work and the priorities set by ESU policy, the EC, and the coordinator.
According to ESU’s Standing Orders, the Coordinator for Equality shall mainly:
- Oversee the implementation of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
- Oversee the implementation of equality measures in all of ESU’s work and activities.
- Contribute to the development of policy relating to equity and equality in higher education and within ESU,
- Attend and organise capacity-building training in the field of equality, including developing and conducting gender sessions and sessions related to equality during BMs, European Student Conventions, and EC-Meetings.
- Represent ESU in external events discussing fields relating to equity and equality according to what the Executive Committee mandates them to.
According to the ESU’s Plan of Work 2023-2024, the Coordinator for Equality shall also work, together with EC, on the following points:
- The Executive Committee will put forward to the Board a statement on Disabled students and enhance cooperation with organisations working for Disabled people.
- ESU will promote the inclusion of the student dimension in the European approach to mental health, including through the promotion of ESU Mental Health Charter. ESU also recognizes access barriers to education for menstruating individuals and will therefore work on increasing awareness and conversations surrounding menstrual equity and promote fighting period poverty.
- ESU will liaise with the European Parliament and other European stakeholders to promote the measures proposed in the recent statement on gender-based violence and evidenced by data collected through UniSAFE or Eurostudent.
- ESU will be engaged in the elaboration of the new EU’s LGBTIQ(A+) strategy, advocating for a strong component related to student rights in higher education.
- ESU will seek opportunities, for example through CERV grants, to apply for a project that offers micro-grants to national and/or local unions of students for projects in the area of social dimension, for example for LGBTQIA+ students, similar to the framework of the Together Moving Forward project.
For more information on the working areas as decided by ESU’s Board, candidates are welcome to take a reference of ESU Strategic Priorities and the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy.
Selection criteria:
Candidates are expected to have a genuine interest in contributing to the development of the European Students’ Union in this field and have the appropriate knowledge, experience and capacity in the area of equality and in the student movement for carrying out the mandate and tasks as outlined above. The candidate is also expected to be able to demonstrate ideas for developing the position and the work it entails.
In addition to specific knowledge of the portfolio, the applicants are required to possess the following competencies required to perform successfully in this position:
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines,
- Ability to work as an active, reliable team-member on multiple tasks simultaneously,
- Ability to work and communicate effectively as part of a multicultural team, mainly working,
- Ability to deliver oral and written presentations on this policy area,
- Ability to work independently and mostly through online channels,
- Proficiency in spoken and written English.
ESU Coordinators are entitled to receive a monthly allowance of 500 EUR. All expenses related to coordinators performing their duties (such as attending internal ESU events or representing ESU in external events, if mandated) will be covered by ESU in accordance with internal ESU rules (Financial Standing Orders, EC Rules of Procedure).
Being a Coordinator in ESU entails a considerable commitment, both in terms of time and workload. This position requires a dedication of at least 20-25 hours per week on ESU related work, as well as responding to online communication regularly. The coordinator is expected to work from home, but be available for frequent travel. It is required that the written motivation of the applicant reflects the experience in response to the above-mentioned criteria.
In case of being selected, the coordinator must be available to attend the physical handover with the entire team. In extraordinary circumstances, online participation in the handover may be accepted. The physical handover will take place between the 28th of June to the 4th of July 2024 in Romania. Attendance at the sessions during those days is required.
Selection procedure:
According to the ESU Standing Orders, the Coordinators are selected by the Executive Committee.
When composing a selection committee, the EC ensures regionally and gender-balanced composition, the expertise of the members as well as avoidance of conflict of interest. The committees are agreed by the EC on the proposal of the Presidency.
The committee will evaluate the applications according to the criteria described in this call, and organise Zoom interviews with the candidates. Interviews will be conducted by the selection committee. After the interview, the notes of the interview will be made available to the Executive Committee.
The whole procedure for selecting coordinators can be found here.
Application documents and deadline:
Candidates are required to send:
- Their Curriculum Vitae
- Their Motivation Letter
A reference or recommendation letter is also accepted, with a letter from an ESU member (full, associate, candidate) being considered an asset.
Applications must be submitted in writing to the ESU Executive Committee. Therefore candidates shall send their full application by email to ec@esu-online.org. The deadline for submitting applications is the 30th of May 2024, 23:59 CEST. The applicants should be available for a Zoom interview in the week starting on the 3rd of June 2024.
Should any explanation or further details be needed, please feel free to contact us at hacks@esu-online.org.
Yours sincerely,
ESU Executive Committee
