Apply to the board at ReLU NTNU
Shape the future of AI at NTNU. Joining the ReLU board gives you hands-on leadership experience, a massive network within the tech industry, and a front-row seat to the latest developments in machine learning.
About the positions
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Head Of Finance
As Head of Finance for ReLU, you will have overall responsibility for the organization’s finances and financial administration. This includes tasks such as making payments, reimbursing project leaders for expenses, issuing invoices, and keeping the bookkeeping up to date through proper documentation. You will also be responsible for submitting VAT (MVA) reports from the accounting system when required.
You will become part of the board and participate in weekly board meetings. This means you will get direct insight into how an organization is governed, and you will share responsibility for steering ReLU’s direction and priorities. In practice, this includes maintaining financial control and helping the board make informed decisions based on the organization’s financial situation.
Examples of tasks the current ReLU Head of Finance has handled include managing day to day financial follow up, issuing invoices to both Norwegian and international partners, and ensuring reimbursements are processed correctly. The role has also involved submitting VAT reports when needed, as well as building budgets and presenting them to the board to support planning and decision making.
A strong candidate is structured and reliable, understands basic accounting, and is comfortable taking responsibility for ReLU’s finances. At the same time, you should be able to contribute in board discussions with a good overview and sound judgment.
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Head of Marketing
As Head of Marketing, you are responsible for ReLU’s overall communication strategy, both internally and externally. This includes managing social media, event planning, communication, and communication and work with sponsors. You lead the marketing group and are responsible for coordinating, managing, and supporting the members of the group, to make sure that tasks are distributed effectively while also contributing hands-on wherever you are needed.
The role combines strategic and practical responsibilities, with a strong focus on how ReLU presents itself to students, industry, and external partners. As part of the board, you take part in discussions and decisions that influence ReLU’s development as an organization and can help shape it.
The position offers a lot of freedom and responsibility in shaping how ReLU is promoted externally. Since the role is newly been established, there is substantial room to further develop ReLU’s visual profile, communication strategy, and outreach, as well as define what works best in contact with both industry and students. As a result, taking initiative is an important factor for succeeding in this role.
A central aspect of the role is communicating the purpose and value of ReLU, and showcasing all of the impressive work that is being carried out across the organization. An interest in strategic communication and the ability to think about messaging and presentation are therefore important for succeeding in the role. -
Head of Knowledge
As Head of Knowledge, you lead the mentor group responsible for all educational content in ReLU. This includes lectures, workshops, and finding interesting guest lectures, with the overall goal of maximizing how much members learn about AI alongside their project work. The role involves deep-diving into a wide range of AI and machine-learning topics to make the lectures. Because of this, Head of Knowledge might be the role that learns the most about AI in the organization.
It is a common misconception that you must already know a lot about machine learning to be Head of Knowledge. However, you have time to prepare for lectures, allowing you to learn what you need to be confident when presenting topics that you may have had no knowledge of before.
The time commitment varies, but the role can be demanding during active periods. I personally spent around 20 to 30 hours per week, but this is more than what is necessary. This includes attending the ReLU work days, lectures, social events, and weekly mentor and board meetings. However, most of my time is spent preparing lectures because that is what I learn the most from. A bunch of slides can be reused next year, so this won’t necessarily require as much time next semester.
Since Head of Knowledge is a board role, you also take part in discussions and decisions that shape the direction of ReLU.
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Leader
As Leader, you will have overall responsibility for ReLU, the board, and where to evolve the organization. Beyond supporting the board with their tasks, this means evaluating and proposing changes to are new ways to develop the organization. You will also be responsible for signing documents and communicating ReLU’s plans both internally and externally.
You will lead the board by initiating and delegating tasks, and finding projects and tasks that benefit ReLU. Key tasks include recruiting and sourcing of projects, as well as helping the board with their tasks and the handling of unforeseen events. This involves communicating with partners and external organizations what ReLU does, and building connections. This might include representing ReLU at events with external organizations.
The time commitment varies, but the role can be demanding during active periods. I personally spent around 20 to 30 hours per week, but this is more than what is necessary. This includes attending the ReLU work days, lectures, social events, board meetings, in addition to all other internal/external meetings and work during the week. However, most of my time has been spent planning and communicating, ensuring the board is ready for key events in the semester. A bunch of plans and “traditions” can be reused next year, so this won’t necessarily require as much time next semester.
Being able to plan ahead and take initiative is beneficial as Leader. A strong candidate has a rough idea of what they want ReLU to become in the future, and has a strong interest in working to make ReLU a great place for all current and future members.
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Head of Technology
As Head of Tech for ReLU, you will have overall responsibility for the technical solutions ReLU uses. This encompasses practical, atomic tasks such as managing member access on Slack, Google accounts, and GitHub, as well as more diffuse tasks like steering the organization's overall direction regarding how project assignments are solved and which frameworks and techniques are used.
You will become part of the board and will share responsibility for sourcing and recruitment. This involves assessing whether planned projects will be a good fit for ReLU, as well as setting up and defining project scope where possible. Recruitment responsibility involves processing portions of incoming applications, conducting interviews, and evaluating whether candidates are suitable as members of the organization.
Examples of tasks the current ReLU Head of Tech has performed include setting up LLM access for all members and determining the use of `uv` and other technologies for project groups. Investigations into which compute resources ReLU members can access have also been conducted, but this is work that should be continued by the incoming Head of Tech, as demand still exceeds supply.
A strong candidate has an overview of modern frameworks and techniques used in industry, both within AI and in more traditional software development.
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Deputy Leader
As Deputy Leader in ReLU, and in other organizations, you function as a regulating part of the leadership pair. In different settings, you may act either as a supporting partner or as a counterweight to the Leader. Your task is to contribute with original input and your own perspectives that can add depth to discussions around ReLU’s operations and purpose. This ensures that the Leader always has a person to lean on when making difficult decisions. Issues that have previously been discussed include decisions regarding the board’s structure, which measures can be used to motivate members both to join ReLU and to remain in the organization. Discussions regarding bylaws, funding from sponsors, and selection of projects are also matters the leadership pair often needs to agree on. It has often been the case that the leadership pair clarifies their views first and then seeks approval from the rest of the board.
More concretely, the areas of responsibility of the Deputy Leader in ReLU can be divided into two: general administration on behalf of the board and work towards a self-defined focus area. The Vice Leader is responsible for planning and holding board meetings. This includes sending invitations, preparing meeting documents, and acting as chair during the meetings. The Deputy Leader must also respond to inquiries from external parties, organize meetings for project collaboration, book meeting rooms for work days and Town Halls, and cooperate with the Head of Finance in connection with orders and purchases for the organization. This comes in addition to other board tasks such as conducting interviews, staffing stands, or general promoting in lectures.Deputy Leader can also have a self-defined focus area. In my case, this has been keeping the OUS project active and promoting research in ReLU. This has been done through ownership of interview decisions in OUS, responsibility for contact with relevant research environments at NTNU and abroad, the person responsible for pursuing the conference trip to Prague, as well as general collaboration with the project lead in OUS regarding scholarship funds and competitions. These tasks are something I have personally engaged in and are not expected as part of the deputy leader role. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that as deputy leader in ReLU, you have a unique flexibility that other board roles do not have.
To thrive in the role of Deputy Leader it is important to be comfortable with holding long discussions, have the ability to plan and organize, and have a desire to utilize the available flexibility to leave your own mark on ReLU NTNU.