JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR OFFICERS
Chairman:
- To act as the public face of the Association, representing the Association as necessary.
- To provide overall guidance and leadership to the other Directors/Officers and to the Executive Representatives, who together form the Executive Committee, encouraging and supporting them in the pursuance of their roles.
- To oversee all Association event procedures.
- To liaise and work with other members of The Open University Community in promoting the Association.
- To recruit and appoint office staff, in consultation with other Officers, and have responsibility for their welfare and the day to day running of the AOUG Office.
- To take the chair at AGMs, Officers meetings, Executive Committee meetings and other meetings, where appropriate.
To ensure that all required paperwork is produced and that all necessary records are maintained.
Vice-Chairman:
- To support and encourage the Chairman in the leadership and co-ordination of the Association`s agreed policies.
- To deputise for the Chairman, when required.
- To be available to assist other Officers in their duties
- To arrange for AOUG processors to attend Degree Ceremonies.
- To make arrangements for the annual AOUG Foundation Lecture.
- To arrange the necessary reviews to maintain an up to date Fact File.
Treasurer:
- To provide a comprehensive financial service to the Chairman, the Executive Committee and members of the Association.
- To be responsible for the proper accounting of the Association`s funds.
- To present the annual accounts to the Directors/Officers for their approval; and at the Annual General Meeting, present and report upon them, to the general membership for information.
- To prepare draft budgets, for approval, which meet the needs of the Association`s prevailing plans and come within the finances available.
- To advise on the financial implications of decisions.
- To be responsible and oversee the monitoring and control
- of spending.
- To supervise the work of the Financial Administrator
- To have responsibility for the activities of the Trading Limited.
Publicity Officer:
- To maintain the image of the Association, to reflect its aims and objectives.
- To create and co-ordinate opportunities for making the work and interests of the Association widely known, particularly among students, graduates and elsewhere within the OU and other appropriate bodies.
- To be active in the recruitment of new members and support the efforts of others in this endeavour.
- To ensure provision of display materials and to create opportunities for their use.
- To have overall responsibility for OMEGA and the AOUG Website and Social Media.
Development Officer:
- To support, advise and encourage Executive Representatives, in their work within the Regions and Nations.
- To investigate ways of enhancing their roles.
- To collate reports from the Executive Representatives for OMEGA, the website and other printed material as required.
- To be responsible for the preparation and distribution of Newsletters.
Generally:
All elected Directors/Officers work informally as a team and when appropriate and/or necessary will share individual responsibilities.
GDPR:
All Staff, Officers, Executive Representatives and Local Contacts, plus any other volunteers who require access to members’ contact detail to fulfil their role, must sign an annual Data Protection, Data Handler’s Form. At the end of their ‘Term of Office’ they must sign another form to state that they have destroyed all physical, or removed all electronic, previously held AOUG data using safe and secure methods.
EXECUTIVE REPRESENTATIVE FOR A REGION OR NATION OR THE REST OF THE WORLD
The Executive Representative is the public face of the Region or Nation, or for the Rest of the World, the co-ordinator and the communicator between the Executive Committee and their area but they are not expected to do everything themselves. The more local members they involve in the area, the greater a support system will develop and the easier, and more enjoyable, the work will become.
It would be helpful to have enthusiasm and good communication skills.
All Executive Committee members are volunteers and have different calls on their time. Other members of the committee are available to help whenever situations are difficult.
Responsibilities at Executive Level:
- Four Executive Committee (EC)meetings a year – three at Milton Keynes and the fourth at wherever the annual AGM is being held.
- If you cannot attend an EC meeting then you are requested to try to send a substitute.
- Submit a written report on progress in their area before each EC meeting.
- Submit a written News report for each OMEGA, plus a set of Diary Dates.
- Ensure that information for the website page for their area is up to date.
Responsibilities in their Area:
- Ensure a varied programme of events are arranged – ensure well advertised
- Communicate the information from EC meetings to members.
- Seek opinions from their members and communicate this back to the EC.
- Ensure that three local News Letters are produced, ratified and distributed each year.
Local Contact:
A Local Contact is the link between Local Members in a local area and is responsible to the Executive Representative in their overall area. It is not necessary for Local Contacts to write formal reports, attend meetings or to stand for election.
- To be an AOUG Member
- To agree for their contact details to be advertised in the OMEGA and on the Website.
- To be responsible for arranging one event three times a year.
- To be responsible for supplying details of the event to their Executive Representative (or Development Officer when there is no Executive Representative in post) in time for the event to be advertised in the OMEGA. Submission dates are available in OMEGA
- To be responsible for contacting other local members to remind them of the forthcoming event.
- To be responsible for attending the event even if no other members have given their advanced intention to attend.
- To be responsible for contacting their Executive Representative (or the Development Officer) if any unforeseen circumstances prevent their attendance.
- To be responsible for sending feedback on the event to their Executive Representative (or the Development Officer) and where possible to send photos for publicity purposes.
OMEGA Editor
It is not necessary for the OMEGA Editor to be an AOUG Member but is desirable.
- To have computer skills with access and knowledge of email
- To have the ability to save material in text or picture format to disc or usb memory stick
- To work in collaborationwith the Publicity Officer
- To follow the Executive Committee Policy for the production of OMEGA.
- To attend Executive Committee Meetings as a non elected observer. (expenses will be paid)
- To meet with the Publicity Officer or other Officers on occasions in connection with the production of OMEGA.
- To liaise with the printers and send detailed instructions to the printers.
- To compile three editions of OMEGA each year
- To write an Editorial for each publication.
- To proof read and discuss with other proof readers
- To send amendments back to the printers.
- To request approval for the final sign off from the Publicity Officer.
Website Editor
It is not necessary for the Website Editor to be a member of AOUG. This is an appointed post, voted for by the Executive Committee at the February EC meeting each year.
This is a voluntary post and runs for one year. The Web Editor is required to be computer literate and have personal access to email and internet.
- To have the ability to save material in text or picture format
- To be able to offer time to suit AOUG requirements.
- To work under the direction of the Publicity Officer.
- To follow the Executive Committee policy for the production of the Website.
- To refresh the website regularly.
- To meet with the Publicity Officer or other Officers on occasions in connection with the production of the Website. (expenses would be paid).
- To liaise with the Development Officer over items concerning the Regions and Nations.
- To proof read all items submitted.
- To acknowledge and thank all contributors.
- To comply with all deadline copy dates set by the Officers.
- To keep access to the Website confidential.