agenda

Emergency Meeting of National Union of Students (United Kingdom) Trustee Board 16:00 16th January 2013 NUS HQ, 184-192 Drummond Street, NW1 3HP Members Officer Trustees Student Trustees Lay Trustees In attendance Staff Names Liam Burns (Chair), Vicki Baars, Stephanie Lloyd, Adrianne Peltz, Rachel Wenstone Edd Bauer, Tessa Birley, Matt East, Ilana Fenster, Jess Green, Varinder Singh Mike Alcock, Dame Karlene Davis, Dianne Nelmes, Alistair Wilson Matt Hyde (Group Chief Executive), Peter Robertson (NUSSL Managing Director), Jim Dickinson (Director of Policy and Delivery), Dave Farbrother (Group Finance Director), Graham Atkinson (Group Head of People)

Item Action Paper 1. Introduction and Administration 1.1 Apologies, quorum count and notice of the meeting 1.2 Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest from the agenda 2. Strategy 2.1 NUS Group Chief Executive Job Approve TB13/01/16A Description and Person Specification ES 2 NUS Group Chief Executive Pay Approve TB13/01/16B th Date of the next meeting: 5 February 2013 at 09:30 (Board informal the February)

No

Author LB LB LB

Time 10 mins

40 mins

LB night before - 4th

Trustee Board Cycle

NUS UK Board Meetings

06 Sep 12
Governance Standard items

29 Nov 12
Group

05 Feb 13
Finance

27 Jun 13
Induction

Board and NEC minutes Risk Register Summary Management accounts ARR Update KPI Update Governance Appointments C ode of C onduct update DPC report to Board on conference numbers C harity report National C onference report Finance Detailed Internal Budgets Update on audited accounts Receive and approve audited accounts Approve estimates to National C onference Strategy KPI annual report Strategic framework KPIs for the year ahead ES 1, 7 & 8 - C omms, Marketing, Membership & Events ES 2 - HR Strategy ES 2 - Senior manager pay ES 2 - Staff survey report ES3 - Financial strategy ES3 - Estates Strategy ES3 - IT strategy ES3 - Health and safety annual report ES 4 - E & E reports to NUSSL and the NEC ES 5 - Governance ES 6 - Equality and Diversity

Subject: Paper ref: Produced by: To: Date:

NUS Group Chief Executive Job Description and Person Specification TB13/01/16A Graham Atkinson NUS Trustee Board 15th January 2013

Paper already received by Paper destination Action for this body

None NUS Trustee Board Approve

Summary This is the proposed Job description and Person Specification which will be used in the recruitment for the new NUS Group Chief Executive. This paper is recommended for approval by the Board. Equality and Diversity issues None

Candidate Brief, January 2013 Group Chief Executive, National Union of Students

Job Description and Person Specification

For the recruitment of Group Chief Executive National Union of Students January 2013

www.odgersberndtson.co.uk

Candidate Brief, January 2013 Group Chief Executive, National Union of Students

Job Description
Job Title - NUS Group Chief Executive
Responsible (through the National President) to the NUS Trustee Board Responsible for: Director of Policy and Delivery Managing Director of NUS Services Director of NUS Charitable Services Group Finance Director Group Head of People

Job purpose
To provide leadership and focus to the activities of NUS, leading on the strategic direction of the NUS Group and managing the successful operation and long-term development of the whole Group.

Key responsibilities/accountabilities of role

To work with the President, Board and NEC Members to ensure leadership, vision and strategic direction to NUS, in accordance with the democratic decisionmaking as outlined in the constitution. To ensure the strategic direction and operational delivery of all NUS activities.

To lead the NUS Senior Leadership Team and provide the necessary strategic direction and leadership to achieve NUSs business and service objectives.

To drive continuous improvement and efficiency in service planning and delivery. To support and promote sustainable and improving governance arrangements. To ensure the NUSs Policies on valuing diversity, customer care and staff development are implemented effectively across NUS.

To promote effective partnership working within the membership and beyond.

To effectively promote the interests and enhance the brand and reputation of NUS regionally and nationally across a diverse range of stakeholders, both internal and external.

Resources
Be responsible for overall financial, resource and asset management including the development of strategy, effective business planning, and systems for effective financial, policy and process management within NUS.
www.odgersberndtson.co.uk

Candidate Brief, January 2013 Group Chief Executive, National Union of Students

Ensuring the preparation and development of medium and long term strategic and operational plans, to deliver the NUS Mission, Vision and Values.

Ensuring that staff are managed effectively, creating a high performing, customer/ member focused, forward thinking and proactive NUS.

Job Activities
Lead, manage, and oversee all operational resources of NUS to ensure achievement of the NUS mission, vision and values.

Ensure the delivery and continuing development of NUSs strategic vision through effective monitoring, review and target setting within a planning framework. Effectively monitor the performance of NUS against agreed strategic and operational plans.

Ensure the delivery of effective campaigns, supporting the NEC and student officers as appropriate.

Provide clear, timely and accurate information and advice to the Board and NEC to enable proper considerations of business and membership services, assured decision-making and delivery of the Mission, Vision and Values and relevant business plans. Ensure that NUS implements all of its statutory requirements including Health and Safety regulations.

Develop a productive and open relationship with NUSs stakeholders, constituent members and partners at the most senior levels.

Promotion and development of a positive and inclusive organisational culture, effective staff management and development policies and a learning environment.

General
Maintain and ensure a high standard of customer care in all NUS activities. To lead the Senior Leadership Team and ensure their delivery of objectives. Carry out all relevant activities required for the success of NUS.

To undertake any travel that may be necessary.

www.odgersberndtson.co.uk

To consistently promote NUS in all activities and at all forums relevant to the role.

To lead, develop and ensure delivery of organisational projects and programmes as required.

To work towards the achievement of organisational goals and quality standards.

Candidate Brief, January 2013 Group Chief Executive, National Union of Students

Person Specification
PART ONE
Experience and Knowledge
A suitable management qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience of successful people and organisational management, particularly in situations of organisational change;

Experience of successfully leading and delivering results in complex organisational or political environments where success has been about working in partnership and where accountability has been at Board level;

A track record of successful resource and financial management with experience of reporting succinct meaningful performance and management information to a Board; Successful track record of providing strategic advice and business planning at a senior level and of overseeing the development of an organisation; Financially and commercially aware, ideally with Board level experience of a trading company/subsidiary

Evidence of success as an organisational ambassador; effective PR and media management experience; A proven track record of successful, cross sector working;

Evidence of success in motivating people and brokering collaborative working relationships with a range of audiences, building partnerships across traditional organisational and sector boundaries to achieve results;

Experience of establishing and fostering multi-stakeholder networks with a proven track record of working effectively in co-operation with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders;

Experience of delivering results; developing and leading a performance, outcome focused and successful culture; Significant successful experience of leading and managing services to deliver outcomes across diverse geographical areas.

www.odgersberndtson.co.uk

Candidate Brief, January 2013 Group Chief Executive, National Union of Students

PART TWO
Ability and Skills
Ability to provide visionary leadership, promote and articulate the key priorities for the development of NUS, and translate broad objectives into real outcomes.

Strong interpersonal and strategic influencing skills, with the ability to manage the expectations of all stakeholders including Students Unions, higher and further education institutions, key partners, stakeholders, central and local government, and other relevant bodies. Excellent communication and presentational skills, with the ability to communicate ideas issues, systems and procedures successfully at all levels to a variety of audiences. Ability to co-ordinate and communicate the promotional activities of NUS.

Ability to exercise effective judgement with constrained time-scales and resources in light of competing pressures. An ability to quickly and succinctly analyse data around relevant student and education related date, and social policy trends. Ability to manage budgets and resources effectively. Well-developed skills in managing a range of complex functions in a disciplined environment. Ability to develop a knowledge and understanding of NUS and its strategic and operational opportunities and challenges

Personal Attributes
Political sensitivity & diplomacy;

An inclusive style;

Professional & credible, with a high degree of personal impact;

Energy & enthusiasm; resilient, persistent and dedicated;

Ideas generation a creative thinker, an entrepreneurial spirit.

Commitment to being an active part of an environment that promotes equality of opportunity whilst recognising and valuing diversity.

An understanding of and commitment to working effectively within a democratic environment. Respect for the role of student leaders across the NUS Group.
www.odgersberndtson.co.uk

Subject: Paper ref: Produced by: To: Date:

ES 2 NUS Group Chief Executive Pay TB13/01/16B Graham Atkinson NUS Trustee Board 15th January 2013

Paper already received by Paper destination Action for this body

none Trustee Board Approve

Summary The following paper outlines the recommendation for the NUS Group Chief Executive remuneration. This paper is recommended for approval by the Board. Equality and Diversity issues None

Remuneration of the Group Chief Executive

Further to the discussion about the appropriate salary level for the Group Chief Executive, we have sought advice from Odgers Berndtson, the consultancy contracted to conduct the executive search, as well as accessing the ACEVO annual survey on Voluntary Sector Chief Executive pay. This proposal includes some information to support a proposal that the salary for the Group Chief Executive should be pitched at 90,000-100,000. The below comments are specifically based on Odgers Berndtsons experience in recruiting Chief Executives in not-for-profit organisations routinely. They include some tangible examples of recent placements and organisations comparable to NUS for the purposes of benchmarking. When agreeing the salary level for this role is worth noting: No-one has an interest in pushing salary up (including Odgers Berndtson they are appointed on a fixed fee arrangement). The aim is to appoint someone exceptional for a salary that is commensurate with their experience, and appropriate for the size and substance of NUS and the role of CEO. If the chosen candidate can be secured for less than 90k, so much the better. Odgers will go to market keeping salary conversations relatively open, and neither raise false hopes, nor predicate a salary level unnecessarily. There is some disparity in the not-for-profit sector between size of organisation, activity (e.g. service delivery, campaigning etc), structural and stakeholder complexity - and their remuneration practices. Some large and complex organisations pay below market rate, some small/medium organisations pay above depending on the particular CEO role and its focus it can therefore be helpful to have a degree of flexibility when recruiting to make sure we avoid cutting off our nose to spite our face in attracting the very best candidates with the right skills and experience.

It is also valuable to refer to surveys such as the ACEVO salary survey as a benchmarking tool, which collates information available in the public domain and classified salary level according to size of organisation in income and staff terms. Talented individuals in the charity sector are motivated by salary as well as by a cause whilst some candidates naturally take pay cuts to take certain roles, they also know that they can earn well in the sector and strive to achieve a better market rate as the sector continues to professionalise, particularly given they compete with talent from the commercial sector who can command more. Deciding on salary is not an exact science and is inevitably influenced by practical experience and Odgers will avoid being prescriptive. NUS is no ordinary campaigning organisation, and our many facets and Group structure command a level of complexity beyond what our size or number of staff would suggest the same is true of other membership bodies or federated organisations. In specific relation to NUS, the current Chief Executive salary is 86k, however the point has been made a few times this is a different job to the one that Matt Hyde was recruited to now a Group structure with leadership and oversight of three distinct parts. NUS is a highly professional organisation with significant complexity. Its a job that calls for leadership of a mature (not a reference to age!) and strategic/high-level nature. The Group Chief Executive role will call for someone who can operate at very senior levels with credibility and authority. They will be more likely, therefore, to be found in medium-sized or larger organisations with national reach and breadth of activity, operating at Director, or CEO level where they will have already had some degree of exposure to the running of the organisation, its governance system (proximity to Chair/Trustees), fronting senior stakeholder engagements and being accountable for sustaining/developing revenue. This means they are more likely to already be earning in the 70,000 to 90,000 range. Whilst there may be individuals operating at this level on lower salaries, in our experience the majority of individuals experienced enough to do the job will be near the 80,000/90,000 mark.

The ACEVO* salary survey cites on page 11 the median salary for CEOs of 15m+ charities to be 90,000. The NUS Group turnover is currently 17m in total and in addition there is a 70m purchasing consortium. Not only in terms of our size, but also our breadth and reach, our commercial activity, our stakeholder complexity and membership size make this a much bigger job than many of its counterparts in that income bracket, and this feels to be a suitable level. Below are some direct comparators and some recent examples of Chief Executives appointed, based on information from Odgers which may prove useful benchmarks: Drinkaware Trust an education charity created to campaign for public awareness and understanding of responsible drinking, income circa 5m, CEO salary 105,000. Young Enterprise, the UKs largest business and enterprise education charity with a similar structure, income circa 5m, CEO salary circa 125,000. The Conservation Volunteers, a circa 20m volunteering charity with a large national federated structure, CEO salary circa 120,000. British Lung Foundation, campaigning, service delivery, research activity, income circa 8m, CEO salary 120,000. YMCA England, comparable national confederation c. 22m, CEO salary 80,000-90,000.

The National Youth Agency, 6m income membership body for youth organisations, CEO salary 90,000-100,000. The Terrence Higgins Trust, HIV/sexual health, circa 20m, CEO Salary 80,00090,000. The Challenge Network, the youth and community volunteering charity delivers the National Citizen Service, c 15m, CEO salary c.80,000.

* The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntray Organisations, Pay Survey 2012/2013