HELOA voluntary roles provide our members with the opportunity to build networks across the sector and can support career progression with development of new skills and experience outside of job roles.
Volunteering with HELOA has been professionally invaluable. It has deepened my understanding of the higher education sector and provided opportunities to connect and network with colleagues across various universities and HELOA partners.
National Roles
Each group is led by a volunteer committee that organises events and supports group activity planning in coordination with the HELOA UK Committee.
Charity Trustees
- HELOA members can stand for a charity trustee position as the UK Chair, UK Vice-Chair (Finance & Governance) or, as a Group Chair.
- Elections for these positions is through an informational interview and election process, communicated through national and group emails, in accordance with the HELOA Standing Orders .
- The position of HELOA UK Chair cannot be held by a member from a Non Publicly Funded Institution or Further Education College.
- A maximum of ONE position on the HELOA Operational Group, and ONE position on the UK Committee, can be held by members from a Non Publicly Funded Institution, with the same restriction applying to members from Further Education Colleges.
Operational Group
- The Operational Group consists of the UK Vice-Chairs who work at a national level to help support the UK committee in meeting the goals of the strategy.
- Appointment of these positions is through an application and interview process, communicated through national emails.
- A maximum of ONE position on the HELOA Operational Group, and ONE position on the UK Committee, can be held by members from a Non Publicly Funded Institution, with the same restriction applying to members from Further Education Colleges.
Appointed Officers
- There are many appointed officer roles who work at a national level to help support the UK committee in meeting the goals of the strategy. These include Conference Managers, Partnerships Managers and Digital Communication Managers.
- Appointment of these positions is through an application and interview process, communicated through national emails.
Current Vacancies
For further details on current post holders and how these roles sit within HELOA, see the Committee Page page of the website and the UKC Structure Chart.
Group Roles
Each group is led by a volunteer committee that organises events and supports group activity planning in coordination with the HELOA UK Committee.
Group Chairs – Charity Trustees
- HELOA members can stand for a charity trustee position as a Group Chair.
- Elections for these positions is through an informational interview and election process, communicated through group emails, in accordance with the HELOA Standing Orders.
- A maximum of ONE position on the HELOA Operational Group, and ONE position on the UK Committee, can be held by members from a Non Publicly Funded Institution, with the same restriction applying to members from Further Education Colleges.
Group Vice-Chairs
- In addition to the Group Chair, there are also group Vice-Chair positions, Group VC (Membership & Communications), VC (Training) and VC (Partnerships).
- These are elected positions and are communicated through group emails.
Current Vacancies
For further details on how groups operate within HELOA, see the Group Page of the website and the Group Structure Chart.
Institutional Roles
Each institution nominates one primary contact, who will be the representative of all HELOA members within the institution. This is the main administrative contact for HELOA at the institution.
Primary Contact
- The primary contact for each institution is decided by its HELOA members.
- For details on the role of the primary contact, please see the Primary Contact role descriptor.
- The role of primary contact can be transferred to another institutional member by completing the Primary Contact Form.
Current Vacancies
National Roles
HELOA UK Vice-Chair (Membership Engagement)
This is an appointed role within the association and sits within the Operational Group.
The role will be responsible for engaging with HELOA’s wide and varied membership and will consider new ways to increase membership engagement. The postholder will work closely with the Group Chairs to support the strategic development of groups’ work with the membership ensuring activity reflects the aims of HELOA, encompasses training, partnerships and an engaged membership.
Application Process
To apply for the VC (Membership Engagement) role, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability to Keir Robinson via the HELOA Office office@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm Monday 13th April 2026.
Interviews will be held on Friday 17th April via Teams.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss aspects of the role in more detail, please contact Keir Robinson, HELOA UK Chair at chair@heloa.ac.uk.
HELOA Partnerships Manager (Strategic Partners’ Lead)
This is an appointed role within the association and sits in the UK Committee within the Partnerships team.
As the Partnerships Manager (Strategic Partners’ Lead), you will maintain existing partnerships as well as growing a number of new partnerships, as outlined in the HELOA strategy and the Partnerships Framework. This is a great opportunity to work in partnership development at a strategic level and network with key organisations within the sector, as well as develop skills and knowledge in higher education sector policy and changes.
Application Process
To apply for the Partnerships Manager role, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability to Sarah Weir via the HELOA Office office@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm Monday Monday 13th April 2026.
Interviews will be held on Monday 20th April via Teams.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss aspects of the role in more detail, please contact Sarah Weir, HELOA Vice-Chair (Partnerships) at weirs@hope.ac.uk.
Group Roles
South East Group Chair
This is an elected role within the association and is a trustee role within HELOA.
The Group Chair plays a vital role in shaping the group but also acts as a conduit between the UK Committee and the group to ensure the views of members are being fed into the UK strategy. The post holder will chair group meetings and ensure their members are informed of developments across the higher education sector, using their views to shape future agenda items.
Application Process
This post is open to members of the South East group and is subject to an informational interview before candidates’ nominations are circulated to the membership for voting. The informational interviews will be held on Friday 17th April and we ask nominees to make a note of this date.
For candidates successful at the informational interview stage, an anonymised election will be carried out. The aim of this is that candidates are selected on their suitability for the position, reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias. Only the name of the elected candidate will be announced. To support this, please refrain from including identifying information when compiling your covering letter.
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please send a covering letter to Clive Sheridan (UK Vice-Chair Finance & Governance) at governance@heloa.ac.uk by 12.00pm on Thursday 16th April 2026.
Late nomination forms will not be accepted. You will need to provide the names of two nominators, both of whom must be members of HELOA, and obtain your line manager’s approval of your nomination. Please forward emails from your nominators and line manager confirming their support to governance@heloa.ac.uk.
Wales Group Chair
This is an elected role within the association and is a trustee role within HELOA.
The Group Chair plays a vital role in shaping the group but also acts as a conduit between the UK Committee and the group to ensure the views of members are being fed into the UK strategy. The post holder will chair group meetings and ensure their members are informed of developments across the higher education sector, using their views to shape future agenda items.
If you have any questions about the role, please direct these to Ben Kibble-Smith (outgoing Group Chair) and Llinos Williams, VC (Membership & Communication and previous Group Chair) at wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Application Process
This post is open to members of the Wales group and is subject to an informational interview before candidates’ nominations are circulated to the membership for voting. The informational interviews will be held on Thursday 30th April and we ask nominees to make a note of this date.
For candidates successful at the informational interview stage, an anonymised election will be carried out. The aim of this is that candidates are selected on their suitability for the position, reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias. Only the name of the elected candidate will be announced. To support this, please refrain from including identifying information when compiling your covering letter.
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please send a covering letter to Clive Sheridan (UK Vice-Chair Finance & Governance) at governance@heloa.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Late nomination forms will not be accepted. You will need to provide the names of two nominators, both of whom must be members of HELOA, and obtain your line manager’s approval of your nomination. Please forward emails from your nominators and line manager confirming their support to governance@heloa.ac.uk.
Wales Vice-Chair (Membership & Communications)
This is an elected role within the association and sits within the Wales committee.
The post holder will service a group committee, planning meeting locations and dates and promote these along with the work of the committee through communications, as well as leading on elections within the group.
If you have any questions about the role, please direct these to Ben Kibble-Smith (outgoing Group Chair) and Llinos Williams, VC (Membership & Communication) at wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Application Process
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please complete the nomination form and send it to Ben Kibble-Smith, Wales Group Chair at wales@heloa.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Late nomination forms will not be accepted. You will need to provide the names of two nominators, both of whom must be members of HELOA, and obtain your line manager’s approval of your nomination. Please forward emails from your nominators and line manager confirming their support to wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Appointments to these roles are via anonymised elections. The aim of this is that candidates are selected on their suitability for the position, reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias. Only the name of the elected candidate will be announced. To support this, please refrain from including identifying information when compiling your nomination form.
Wales Vice-Chair (Training)
This is an elected role within the association and sits within the Wales committee.
The role will be responsible for planning training sessions for the Wales group, either face-to-face, online or hybrid, based on the requirements of group members, and therefore supporting members’ development.
If you have any questions about the role, please direct these to Ben Kibble-Smith (outgoing Group Chair) and Llinos Williams, VC (Membership & Communication) at wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Application Process
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please complete the nomination form and send it to Ben Kibble-Smith, Wales Group Chair at wales@heloa.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Late nomination forms will not be accepted. You will need to provide the names of two nominators, both of whom must be members of HELOA, and obtain your line manager’s approval of your nomination. Please forward emails from your nominators and line manager confirming their support to wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Appointments to these roles are via anonymised elections. The aim of this is that candidates are selected on their suitability for the position, reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias. Only the name of the elected candidate will be announced. To support this, please refrain from including identifying information when compiling your nomination form.
Wales Vice-Chair (Partnerships)
This is an elected role within the association and sits within the Wales committee.
The post holder will ensure liaison between the national Partnerships Team, Strategic Partners and Supporters and the Wales group. They will also lead on researching and developing good quality, relevant, group level partnerships, based on the requirements of members.
If you have any questions about the role, please direct these to Ben Kibble-Smith (outgoing Group Chair) and Llinos Williams, VC (Membership & Communication) at wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Application Process
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please complete the nomination form and send it to Ben Kibble-Smith, Wales Group Chair at wales@heloa.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Late nomination forms will not be accepted. You will need to provide the names of two nominators, both of whom must be members of HELOA, and obtain your line manager’s approval of your nomination. Please forward emails from your nominators and line manager confirming their support to wales@heloa.ac.uk.
Appointments to these roles are via anonymised elections. The aim of this is that candidates are selected on their suitability for the position, reducing the risk of conscious or unconscious bias. Only the name of the elected candidate will be announced. To support this, please refrain from including identifying information when compiling your nomination form.