Cambridge Student Union (SU) is looking for a new Chief Executive Officer, who will face mounting problems associated with low student engagement and trust.

The CEO will be part of the twenty-three member SU staff team, alongside the eight elected sabbatical officer roles. The position is expected to pay between £60,000 and £65,000.

Although not stated in the job description, the new CEO will have to handle fallout from the SU data breach that was discovered in January 2023. Sources told Varsity that sensitive data on students’ self-identification was available to students running elections through the Cambridge Students’ Union voting platform. The issue allegedly took nine months to resolve. 

The last CEO, Rich Wiltshire, oversaw the SU during this period. As part of his role, he was Senior Information Risk Officer responsible for data protection. This month, he will begin as the new CEO of the charity The Pace Centre, which works to support children with neurodisabilities.

In March 2023, a planned student-led inquiry into the reports of a data breach was axed and replaced with an external inquiry. The trustees of the SU found that the decision to launch an inquiry went beyond the remit of the student council. 

The students in charge of the now-defunct inquiry said at the time that they had “serious concerns… about the ability of the SU to handle sensitive data and conduct itself professionally.”

The successful candidate should also have “a commercial mindset and acumen”, whilst also being “an inclusive, collaborative and empowering leader”. Prior directing experience is also required.

The incoming CEO will also have to tackle low student engagement with the SU. In the last election, which saw Fergus Kirman voted in as the undergraduate president-elect, turnout was only 10.8%. As no candidates stood for the BME and women’s officer sabbatical roles, a by-election is also taking place this Easter term to fill these positions.

At a meeting last week (02/05) the SU was unable to vote on any proposals, including the budget for next year, as not enough postgraduate representatives of the Council were present. 

Sam Hutton, chair-elect for the SU’s ethical affairs campaign, told Varsity at the time: “I think a lot of students have been disappointed by the fact that the SU just can’t function.”

The job advertisement has specified that the CEO is expected to “drive forward the necessary workstreams to fulfil our strategic plan”, and “to be committed to developing true partnerships across the collegiate University”. 

The application deadline is the 15th of May. The first round of interviews will be take place remotely on the 24th of May. Final interviews will be in-person at the Cambridge SU on the 6th of June.