Contribute to proposed ARMA West Midlands regional group

As part of our commitment to enhance our networking offerings for ARMA members, we are planning to establish a new regional group in the West Midlands. The geographical region was chosen, together with London and the North East, for the initial pilot programme with the objective of connecting our members, as individuals and as research organisations. The proposed regional group will bring together ARMA members based in the West Midlands to network at a local level, share knowledge, and discuss their interests in research management and matters that impact the particular region.

We are now seeking up to five ARMA members who would be willing to become the West Midlands regional group champions, and assist with setting up and running the new group.

Why you should become a regional group champion

This is a fantastic development opportunity! Becoming a champion will allow you to:

• Apply your skills, experience, creativity and knowledge to new challenges
• Gain governance and leadership experience by coordinating local activities and initiatives
• Connect with like-minded individuals and engage with key stakeholders in your region and across the sector
• Make a difference in your region by addressing local needs and challenges
• Increase your visibility and raise your personal and professional profile.

The regional group champions will work together to plan and deliver at least two topical and networking events annually, with one of these taking place in-person. A grant will be made available at ARMA to enable regional group champions to organise and deliver the in-person event. The champions will curate good practice regional resources on the ARMA website and also facilitate discussions on the regional group JiscMail list. For more information about the role, please read the Regional Group Champion Role Description.

The appointed regional group champions will work with the ARMA Executive Office initially to develop a proposal for the Member Engagement Committee to review and approve the creation of the regional group. Therefore, you will be considered a founding member of the regional group.

How to express interest

If you are interested in becoming a champion of the West Midlands regional group, please send your supporting statement (up to 400 words) to amaka.nwagbara@arma.ac.uk by Thursday 4 September 2025 with the subject line, ‘West Midlands regional group champion vacancy’. The statement should outline your professional background, why you are interested in becoming a Regional Group Champion and what you will bring to the role.

To discuss the opportunity or for more information, please contact Amaka Nwagbara at amaka.nwagbara@arma.ac.uk

While you are not required to be an ARMA member to express interest in the regional group champion role, in the event that you are successful, you will be asked to join ARMA.

How regional group champions will be selected

All supporting statements will be reviewed and scored by a panel of members of the ARMA Member Engagement Committee and the Executive Office. All statements will be anonymised with the name and current organisation redacted, so if you can avoid using these details in your statement that will be helpful.

The panel will score the statements based on the below areas:

• Relevance of background/experience
• Motivation and ability to engage the regional community
• Interest in the regional group champion role

Our commitment to EDI

ARMA is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. It is a strategic priority for us to improve representation within our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from groups who are underrepresented within our community. We are committed to taking active steps within our recruitment process to reduce bias and minimise barriers to application and participation. We are also committed to offering a flexible and inclusive working environment for our employees. We offer a range of adjustments throughout the process to enable full participation. If there is anything further we can do, we encourage you to get in touch.