Experience

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  H&m

  Aug 2004 - Jul 2006

  Sales assistant

  - Trained new members of staff- Accuracy in numerical skills when cashing up the tills.- Customer Service- Worked in a busy environment overcoming and solving problems as they arose.

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  Brighton & hove city council

  Nov 2006 - Apr 2013

  Responsible for: managing and maintaining the case management database in which social workers record their information; overseeing the processes and systems in place are correctly followed and maintain a high quality of data.Monitored and reported on the progress of assessment work undertaken by practitioners in order to meet National Performance Indicators for the department through the use of Excel spreadsheets and database reporting.Managing deadlines with minimal supervision.Acting as the link between all levels of staff and management across departmental boundaries. Improved the database making it easier to use and more reliable to overcome staff resistance and inertia. Attended Performance meetings, Senior Management meetings, Quality Assurance meetings; involved in the preparation for OFSTED inspections, office moves, department restructures, and the introduction of new IT systems Show less

  • Information Officer

    Aug 2008 - Apr 2013

  • Team Administrator

    Nov 2006 - Aug 2008
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  University of sussex students'​ union

  May 2013 - Aug 2024

  Role responsibilities:Managing a large team to support Students' Union elections, referenda, the student representative scheme, policy and research, and internal governance structures including Union Council. Setting and managing a budget of over £350,000Managing the Students' Union's Advice service, who provide support to students dealing with complex University systems and advocating for them when needed. Dealing with safeguarding issues and complaints.Working closely with and supporting the elected officers and representatives in a highly political environment. This includes maintaining positive working relationships at all levels both internal and external to the organisation.Managing formal committees, including briefings, training and report writing, often explaining complex information to others including finances.Leading on policy development, ensuring the organisation is adhering to and implementing relevant policy and procedures.Overseeing the running of the Student Rep Scheme in collaboration with the University; continually reviewing and evaluating the scheme and making improvements based on student feedbackSupporting over 400 elected student representatives as well as staff in the Student Voice Team. Leading on the recruitment and training of staff; managing workloads, performance, giving pastoral support and personal development.Working across the organisation to assess and increase stakeholder engagement within all areas of the organisation in line with the strategic aims. Show less Responsible for the management and oversight of the Students’ Union’s Buddy Scheme and Language Café, supporting and managing relevant staff and volunteers.Establishing and developing the Buddy Scheme and Language Café by devising innovative ideas to publicise the opportunities and increase student participation and engagement, targeting hard to reach groupsSupporting the Student Participation Assistant in the running of the Buddy Scheme and Language Café, ensuring volunteers are well supported and engaged. Coordinating the recruitment, selection and training of students involved in the Buddy Scheme and Language Café to enable them to carry out their role to the best of their ability.Planning, organising and promoting a programme of events and activities for student participants to attend Managing funding, budgets and planning for the Buddy Scheme and Language CaféMonitoring and measuring performance against all agreed targets and to report on them to relevant groups.Partnership working with the University to increase the potential opportunities for students to engage with the Buddy Scheme and Language Café Show less Responsibility for coordination of both the Advice and Representation Centre, the Students’ Union’s “Buddy” scheme and Language Café.Advice role: - Giving confidential advice to students on housing, academic and money issues, in person, via email, phone and an online chat program; often dealing with students in distress and those with mental health issues. - Keeping the Advice and Representation Centre organised with up-to-date information online and in the resource centre; managing invoices, user feedback, service statistics, and publicity through online means. - Recruiting, training and supporting a team of volunteersBuddy Scheme role: - Running the Students’ Union’s Buddy Scheme including recruiting, supporting, and training the volunteers.- Ongoing development of the Buddy Scheme through physical and online promotion and networking with key University departments and societies to increase the number of students participating. - Planning interesting and varied activities for the participants to help integration and have fun, such as an International Food Party, pub quizzes and trips to London. Language Café: To establish a weekly Language Café in partnership with the Sussex Centre for Language Studies to create an informal, social space in which students can learn and practise speaking languages together Show less

  • Student Voice Manager

    Jan 2017 - Aug 2024

  • Student Participation Coordinator

    Aug 2014 - Jan 2017

  • Advice and Representation Centre Coordinator

    May 2013 - Jul 2014
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  Brighton & hove city council

  Sept 2024 - now

  Overview & scrutiny officer

  - Facilitator for Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee: working closely with the Chair and other elected councillors to ensure a cross-party approach to major decisions being made in the city that fall under Place Committee's remit. - Writing reports and preparing agendas and minutes for formal scrutiny committees- Ensuring processes are followed and legal timelines are adhered to for Place Committee- Leading on forward planning and impact monitoring for Place Committee- Organising and facilitating in depth Task & Finish groups bringing Councillors, Officers, the public, and external stakeholders and experts together to look into topics affecting the city.- Advising and supporting officers through the scrutiny process- Organising last minute special committees and call-ins when needed- Working in a statutory role in a highly politically sensitive environment- Lead on a Task & Finish group looking into the topic of Short-term Lets in the city. I arranged 7 evidence-gathering meetings with 28 witnesses including Rachael Maskell, MP and civil servants from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, representatives from short term lets industry including AirBnb, local hotelier, Planning Officers from England, Wales and Scotland, the fire service and City Clean. I wrote the final report which was presented at Place Committee on 25th March and received positively with all recommendations being referred to Cabinet. The report was shared with Rachael Maskell, MP; Peter Kyle, MP; DCMS and MCHLG (central government teams) to inform national policy on Short-term Lets. The report will be presented at a special session In May to MPs working on a private members bill with Rachael Maskell, MP. Show less