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
Be part of the UK Committee as a Trustee, Vice-Chair in the Operational Group or as an Appointed Officer.
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.
- There are no restrictions on the number of Non Publicly Funded Institution members, or Further Education College members standing for UK appointed officer roles.
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.
- There are no restrictions on the number of Non Publicly Funded Institution members, or Further Education College members standing for Group Vice-Chair roles.
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
UK Vice-Chair (Finance & Governance)
The Vice-Chair (Finance & Governance) is accountable for managing the money of the charity responsibly and accurately by supporting volunteers to achieve good value for money for members in line with the charitable objectives. It is a crucial role within HELOA, enabling the organisation to achieve its charitable objectives. As well as being the main contact with charitable bodies in England & Wales and Scotland, you will advise the organisation on governance and policy issues, keep key policy documents up-to-date, and work on a variety of one-off and ongoing projects.
This is an elected trustee role within the association and the successful candidates will be part of the HELOA UK Committee, providing a fantastic professional development opportunity and the chance to shape the Association. The role is for up to three years and the post-holder must be a HELOA member.
Application Process
To put yourself forward for nomination, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability to Keir Robinson, HELOA UK Chair via HELOA Governance governance@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Late nominations 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.
On this occasion, applications may only be accepted from HELOA members based at publicly funded institutions.
This post is subject to an informational interview before candidates’ nominations are circulated to the membership for voting. Informational interviews will be held on Wednesday 1 July via Teams, 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 have any questions or would like to discuss aspects of the role in more detail, please contact Clive Sheridan, Vice-Chair (Finance & Governance) at finance@heloa.co.uk.
Policy Project Manager
This is a new role for 6-9 months to review, update and amend HELOA’s Constitution and Standing Orders to ensure they remain fit for purpose, legally robust and are aligned with the charity’s strategic direction and current ways of working. The post holder will be part of the UK Committee and will work with key stakeholders to coordinate consultation, draft revisions, and oversee the governance process required to implement constitutional changes. The post holder will ensure that member views are embedded throughout the review process.
This is an appointed role within the association and the successful candidates will be part of the HELOA UK Committee, providing a fantastic professional development opportunity and the chance to shape the Association. The role is for up to three years and the post-holder must be a HELOA member.
Application Process
To apply for the Policy Project Manager role, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability to Keir Robinson, HELOA UK Chair via HELOA Governance governance@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 1 July 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.
Partnerships Manager (Strategic Partners’ Lead)
This is a call for interest for the Partnerships Manager (Strategic Partners’ Lead). The successful candidate will be part of the HELOA UK Committee, providing a fantastic professional development opportunity and the chance to shape the Association. The role is for up to three years and the post-holder must be a HELOA member.
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 Partnership Manager role, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability to Sarah Weir via HELOA Governance governance@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 1 July 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
Midlands Vice-Chair (Partnerships)
This is an elected role within the association and sits within the Midlands committee.
The post holder will work collaboratively with UCAS to coordinate constructive feedback on and suggest and action improvements to the UCAS portfolio of products and services, and the UCAS network of events to ensure students are able to make informed decisions.
If you have any questions about the role, please direct these to midlands@heloa.ac.uk.
Application Process
If you would like to put yourself forward for nomination, please complete the nomination form and return it to midlands@heloa.ac.uk by 5pm 22 June 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 midlands@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.