About Us

We’re Heriot-Watt University Student Union, an independent charity buzzing with energy, driven by and for our students. We’re all about doing good, that’s why all surplus funds generated through Liberty’s Café, Geordies Bar and the Student Union Shop are channelled straight back into crucial student support services like our Advice Hub. So, yes, we're a charity, but we also mean business.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At HWUnion, diversity isn’t just celebrated; it’s our strength. We thrive by bringing together voices from all walks of life, and we’re excited for you to help us champion this mission. At HWUnion, you’ll find more than just a job - you’ll find a community eager to welcome your talents. Let’s do something great together.

Role Overview

As our Student Engagement Coordinator you’ll be the key player in making sure students’ voices are heard, valued, and acted upon. Your role is about empowering students to shape their student experience through structured feedback, effective representation, and collaboration with university staff.

You’ll develop the student voice in all aspects of representation (e.g. academic, liberation and governance). Most importantly, as part of the wider student engagement team, you’ll work for students to equip them with training, insight and confidence to lead change in their student experience.

What You’ll Do

• Empower Student Reps (30%) – Recruit, train, and support our Department Officers, Class Reps, Executive and Accountability Panel - giving them skills and confidence to be the voice of their peers. You will be there to guide, inform and empower students to represent their peers effectively across all aspects of their student experience.
• Deliver Training & Resources (30%) – Develop and run training sessions, toolkits, and resources to equip student reps with everything they need to influence academic decisions. This will include supporting students running for elections through guided sessions on manifesto development and support before, during and after elections.
• Help deliver on Student Priorities (30%) – working with the Full-Time Officers, Head of Student Engagement and a range of internal and external stakeholders you will be providing high-level research and influencing skills. Work with our 5 Schools and 28 Departments to make sure student voices shape learning and teaching. You will also be a key part of a Global Network working with counterparts in Dubai and Malaysia to enhance the student experience across Heriot-Watt.
• Work across HWUnion – from working with the Full-Time Officers to the Advice Hub, you will be working on a range of student-led and staff-directed projects and tasks which will be varied and deeply rewarding. This is often dependent on peak times of the Union (e.g. Elections, Welcome Events, Inductions)

Key Responsibilities

• Develop & Support all Representatives – Recruit, train, and empower our student reps, giving them the confidence, skills, and knowledge to advocate for their peers.
• Nurture Communities – You will be in dialogue with reps every day. We want someone who will be able to make connections, drive change for students and look for new ways of enhancing the student experience across the Heriot-Watt community.
• Shape our Union’s Democracy – work on a democracy review. Put simply, we want to engage and better-represent all of our members. You will be working with the Head of Student Engagement and others to design, implement and maintain our representation structures.
• Project Delivery – you will be working on Projects and in cross-disciplinary teams. You will be working within a Project Management framework to ensure we deliver for students and with students.

Your Superpowers

• Insightful & Student-Focused – You connect student feedback with real academic change, making sure reps feel heard and empowered.
• Skilled Communicator – Whether you’re chatting with students, University staff, or external partners, you adapt your approach to build strong, effective relationships.
• Proactive & Organised – You’re a multitasker who thrives on juggling projects, planning big events, and keeping things running smoothly.
• Curious & Impact-Driven – You love turning data and insights into action, using evidence to influence decision-making and improve the academic experience.

VALUES YOU’LL Champion

• Inclusivity: Make sure all our activities and communications are welcoming and make every student feel valued.
• Student Focused: Keep student needs at the heart of everything you do, building a vibrant and supportive community.
• Team Spirit: Collaborate effectively with staff, officers and students, creating a positive and engaging environment.

JOIN US

If you’re fired up about student voice and want to help shape a university experience where everyone feels heard, supported and celebrated – we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need to tick every single box, and we welcome lived experience as well as professional expertise.

If there’s anything we can do to make the recruitment process more accessible, just let us know. We’re happy to chat.

What Next?

For the full information about this role, including the person specification, click here to download the job description.

If you'd like an informal chat about the role, please contact Ian, Head of Student Engagement on Ian.Glen@hw.ac.uk.

We can't wait to hear from you!