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 9 months, from  October 1st, 2024, 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 2024-2025, 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 and the  Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 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 remotely and digitally 

● 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.

As the coordinator joins the team due to a vacancy, handover sessions will be conducted online  for which the coordinator must be available.  

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 virtual 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 22nd of September 2024, 23:59 CEST. The applicants should be  available for a virtual interview in the week starting on the 23rd of September 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