We are recruiting a Volunteer Centre Support Officer
Salary: £34,770 – £35,862 per annum – NJC spine point 18 – 20 (pay award pending Nov 2024, once announced will be backdated to 01/04/2024)
Responsible to: Volunteer Centre Services Manager
Duration: 2 years (extension subject to funding, with hope to making the post permanent)
Hours: Full time (35 hours per week, Mon – Fri)
Benefits: 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and 6% pension contribution
Location: Voluntary Action Islington, 200a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP
Deadline: 20/06/2024
We will be reviewing applications as they come in and interview people on a rolling basis.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for a highly effective person – someone who is passionate about volunteering and looking for an opportunity to work with Islington’s residents and our vibrant and diverse VCFSE sector.
Purpose of the role (and primary function)
We are entering an exciting new phase of development at VAI, and our ambition is to maintain our current volunteering support offer as well as developing new services.
We are seeking a Volunteer Centre Support Officer to:
- Deliver high-quality volunteering brokerage (connect) services to residents and VCFSE organisations.
- Lead on volunteering outreach in the community.
- Provide good practice volunteering support to VCFSE and corporate and public sector organisations.
- Assist with the day to day running of the Volunteer Centre including volunteer management and the continuous development of the service.
- Promote volunteering and assist with marketing of the Volunteer Centre service.
Key responsibilities of the role include:
a) Volunteer Centre Services
- To be the first point of contact for people using the Volunteer Centre Brokerage Services, responding to enquiries made by telephone, email and in person.
- To ensure that enquiries are dealt with effectively; providing best practice information, advice, and guidance personally; as well as referring onto appropriate partners where appropriate.
- To enrol volunteers, motivate them to overcome barriers, helping them to secure and sustain volunteering placements, and tracking their progress.
- To match potential volunteers to suitable opportunities which meet their needs, interests, and aspirations, in line with role descriptions and person specifications.
- To approve and maintain volunteering opportunities on our brokerage platform – ensuring that content is clear, concise, engaging, accurate and up to date.
- To lead on the recruitment, training, and supervision of small teams of community volunteering advisor volunteers to help deliver the brokerage service, including drop-ins and outreach.
- To liaise with local VCFSE, corporate, and public sector organizations to identify, develop, advertise, and ensure access to inspiring volunteer opportunities that meet diverse needs, abilities, and interests of residents.
- To keep abreast of national and local best practice guidance on volunteering.
- To contribute to supporting cross sector organisations to access and embed best practice policies, procedures and practices.
- To maintain and update a bank of model policy documents that organisations can adapt and use.
b) Promoting Volunteering and Social Action
- To promote local volunteering opportunities to Islington residents.
- To engage and work with small and larger groups and organisations working with communities facing inequality, poverty, and social isolation.
- To run information stalls at community events, volunteering fairs, give targeted presentations when required and participate in other outreach and recognition events for volunteers.
c) Working with Referral Agencies and Partners
- To signpost residents and VCFSE organisations to other specialist support services as appropriate.
- To take part in appropriate local networks and forums, meetings and events to promote VAI’s services and encourage partnership working.
- To work effectively in partnership with Islington council services such as iWork, Adult Community Learning, and health partners.
- To track referrals and signposting of residents to and from statutory and VCFSE partners.
d) Monitoring, Evaluation and Service Development
- To monitor work undertaken, providing quantitative and qualitative information including case studies for reports to funders and other partners.
- To participate in the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of projects, working in collaboration with VAI staff, associates, consultants and volunteers as required
- To contribute to the development of programmes arising from insight/knowledge gained from working with VCFSE and statutory partners
- To maintain and update VAI’s database of organisations and support provided
e) Infrastructure Development and Implementation
- To contribute to the development, implementation and maintenance of a new volunteer brokerage system, Volunteer Centre website and organisation’s CRM (development is in progress)
f) Communications
- To collate, disseminate, maintain and keep up to date the good quality information for local groups on VAI’s website, social media platforms, newsletters and printed materials.
- To contribute to the setting up and facilitation of training and development sessions online and in person, including those led by partners.
- To attend and make presentations at meetings and events as required, demonstrating our work and impact to the local authority and other partners as required.
g) General duties:
- To be committed to VAI’s core values of fairness, effectiveness, and transparency and to demonstrate this commitment in the way they carry out their duties.
- Ensure that our equity, diversity and inclusion and all other VAI organisational policies are actively implemented and adhered to in all areas of your work.
- Work with VAI staff, volunteers and trustees towards the effective achievement of the organisation’s strategic aims.
- To treat with confidentiality any personal, private, or sensitive information about individual organisations, VAI service users, staff, and others.
- To contribute to VAI’s organisational strategies, plans, policies and procedures
- To contribute to VAI’s role as Islington’s Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) by developing and maintaining a general awareness of Islington’s VCFSE sector and its general requirements.
- To use and assist others in the use of information technology systems, to carry out duties in the most efficient and effective manner.
- To assist with the occasional cover of reception and other VAI Resource Centre arrangements at 200a Pentonville Road, dealing with enquiries, signposting service users, and other requirements which may arise, to ensure high standards of customer service.
- To assist in fundraising and income generation activities to meet VAI strategic aims.
- To undertake training and personal development opportunities that assist with the effective development of the post holder.
- To constructively take part in meetings, i.e., taking minutes and chairing when necessary; supervision; appraisal; seminars.
- To carry out additional tasks that may be required from time to time to achieve agreed service outputs and outcomes, and personal appraisal targets, as agreed with the line manager.
- To carry out additional tasks or reasonable duties that may be required from time to time to achieve agreed service outputs and outcomes and personal appraisal targets, as agreed with the Volunteer Services Manager
- The postholder will be required to attend occasional evening meetings and events.
- VAI reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post-holder at any time according to the needs of the organisation’s business.
How to apply:
Please send an up to 6-page supporting statement highlighting how you meet the person specification criteria. Please also send a copy of your CV and the completed equal opportunity form to recruitment@vai.org.uk
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Thursday 20 June 2024.
We will be reviewing applications as they come in and interview people on a rolling basis.
For an informal discussion about this position, please contact Marta Aparicio, Volunteer Services Manager by emailing Marta.Aparicio@vai.org.uk
Download the full job description here
