The Role
To support effective delivery of the Unite Foundations governance, operations, external stakeholder engagement and communications. Working across all areas of activity of the organisation, from student welfare to Ministerial engagement, this role will provide logistical and administrative support to enable delivery of the Unite Foundations strategic plan in line with our governance documents and charity regulations. The role reports to the co-Directors, providing executive support across the full range of co-Director responsibilities, as well as ensuring smooth functioning of the Board and the full team.
About the Unite Foundation
The Unite Foundation is an independent charity that supports care experienced and estranged students in higher education. We offer free accommodation scholarships to care experienced and estranged students, helping to remove barriers to university life and create lasting change. Our small, passionate team works collaboratively with universities, partners, government and students to deliver our accommodation scholarship, All of Us - our community for all care experienced and estranged students, as well as advocacy and influencing work that supports more care experienced and estranged students to be able to get to, and stay in, higher education.
Unite Students set up the Unite Foundation in 2012 and have been our principal corporate donor since then. As a Unite Foundation employee you`ll be employed by Unite Students and seconded to the Unite Foundation.
What You`ll Be Doing
* Governance support
* Organise and attend Board and Committee meetings, prepare agendas, packs, and minutes.
* Maintain policy schedule and ensure timely updates to organisational policies as well as content on the website.
* Manage governance-related admin including Charity Commission/OSCR and ICO updates.
* Executive assistance
* Provide diary and travel management for co-Directors.
* Schedule stakeholder meetings and coordinate team events and awaydays.
* Support travel arrangements for our Trustees when needed
* Team operations
* Support agenda development for team meetings.
* Organise content for internal training and team development activities.
* Manage merchandise design, quality control, stock levels, and ordering.
* Assist with student account checks and sourcing items for student packs.
* Attend stakeholder meetings and provide secretariat support.
* Communications management
* Coordinate newsletters, social media and article drafting or proofing.
* Support publication production and maintain brand consistency in any external communications
* Financial Administration
* Reconcile credit card transactions and process invoices.
* Liaise with auditors and support audit preparation.
As with all team members we`d expect you to adhere to data protection and safeguarding policies to ensure safe and lawful handling of information.
What We`re Looking for in You
Essential Skills
* Strong organisational skills - Ability to manage diaries, schedule meetings, and coordinate logistics efficiently.
* Excellent written and verbal communication - Confident in drafting, proofreading, and managing communications across channels.
* Attention to detail - Accurate minute-taking, document preparation, and policy tracking.
* Administrative competence - Experience with financial processes, record keeping, and general office administration.
* Digital literacy - Comfortable using Microsoft Office products, databases and other online collaboration tools.
* Discretion and professionalism - Able to handle confidential information and engage with senior stakeholders appropriately.
Desirable Skills
* Experience in the charity or higher education sector
* Familiarity with governance frameworks and charity regulations
* Basic design skills or experience working with designers
* Experience in event planning or project coordination
* Knowledge of data protection legislation (e.g., GDPR)
* Experience using CRM systems or content management systems