Independent Members of Council

University of Sussex

Location: Brighton

Salary: Unremunerated role

Hours: Part Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Closes: 20th February 2026

The University of Sussex is a diverse and globally minded community of staff, students and alumni. We work together, and with partners near and far, to make the world a progressively better place by educating generations of change-makers and by creating, disseminating and applying ground-breaking knowledge and understanding. Sussex’s distinctive commitment to interdisciplinarity continues to open new ways of thinking and solutions to environmental, scientific, social and technological challenges.

Council is the University’s senior governing body, and its role is to act in the best interest of the University as a whole, ensuring it strategically delivers its mission to high standards with the necessary financial stability and long-term sustainability.

The University of Sussex is currently recruiting for the following vacancies on Council:

• Chair of the Remuneration Committee
• Two Independent Members of Council

In a rapidly changing external environment – with increasing financial, regulatory and reputational pressures across the UK higher education sector – these roles offer an excellent opportunity to contribute to the governance of a distinctive, values-led and globally engaged University.

Chair of the Remuneration Committee

The Chair of the Remuneration Committee plays a critical role in supporting Council’s responsibilities around senior pay, performance and reward, ensuring decisions are fair, transparent, evidence based and aligned to the University’s values and public interest responsibilities. Working closely with the Chair of Council and senior officers, the postholder will provide confident leadership and constructive challenge at a time of strategic change.

Independent Members of Council

Independent members play a vital role in Council’s oversight, bringing external perspective, independent judgement and constructive challenge. They contribute to informed decision making and to Council’s collective stewardship of the University’s strategy, resources and institutional performance.

The University of Sussex is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process it is Council’s clear stated aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities. The University particularly welcomes applications from women, people from black and minority ethnic communities, the LGBT+ community, and from disabled people.

How to apply

To apply, please send a covering letter and CV to sussexcouncil@minervasearch.com by noon on Friday 20th February 2026.