Volunteering Matters Looking for Project Coordinator (Southend) at Southend-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea (Hybrid) Full Time

Project Coordinator

12 Month Contract
Job Ref: V425
Hours/Days per week: 35 hours per week – (Flexible days/hours)
Salary: £25,000 plus attractive employee benefits package
Start date: 1st November 2022
Location: Southend on Sea (homebased & office based)
Closing date: 27th September 2022
Interview date and Location: TBC, online

Volunteering Matters

At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues. From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great. And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive.

People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK. We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England. We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team. We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business.

Role Purpose

Grandmentors is an innovative volunteering project where older volunteers use their lifetime of skills and experience to support and mentor under-supported young people (aged 15-25) with experience of the care system. These young people often need a guiding hand and role model to support them to find work, continue their education or begin training – giving them the skills and self-belief to lead successful and independent lives.

Volunteers meet with a young person regularly to boost their confidence and work towards goals, which are unique to each young person.

The postholder will be leading on establishing the Grandmentors project, working closely with Southend-on-Sea County Council and other Grandmentors projects nationally. Post holder will be required to have a flexible and adaptable approach.

Postholder will be expected to maintain relationships whilst developing new ones and will be working to achieve match and referral targets whilst ensuring young people are getting the support they need from their mentors.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• To effectively deliver the service to ensure the project meets its agreed match targets and milestones.
• Maintain effective relationships with stakeholders and local authority staff.
• To ensure volunteers are recruited, engaged, and retained by taking them through the appropriate on[1]boarding process i.e., interview, application, training, DBS checks, regular supervision etc.
• To maintain accurate records on all aspects of the project and submit data onto the CRM database.
• To manage and maintain effective monitoring and evaluation records to capture impact and outcomes for reporting purposes.
• To implement and maintain appropriate risk assessment management processes.
• To promote and adhere to Volunteering Matters Equality and Diversity Policy and all other Volunteering Matters policies which relate to the work of Grandmentors.
• To comply with Health and Safety and Safeguarding regulations

Skills

• Excellent communication skills – listening, written and verbal
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a demanding and developing workload
• Ability to assess risk and carry out risk assessments
• Evidence of good administrative skills and the ability to maintain project monitoring and administrative records
• Excellent IT skills including use of Outlook, Microsoft Office, and video calls
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and partners
• The ability to motivate, enthuse and empower yourself and others
• Evidence of recruiting and managing volunteers
• Ability to listen and work with young people to ensure their needs are met where appropriate
• Able to collate impact data and to present this in an informative and/or creative way

Experience Required

• Has supported young adults and/or understands the issues they face
• Has recruited, trained, and managed volunteers and/or staff

Qualifications

Relevant experience and values alignment is more important for this role than specific qualifications.

Other

Location:

The post offers a hybrid approach. Applicants can work from home or in an office, or a combination of the two.

When working from home the postholder will require good internet access to enable remote working and a suitable home office space. I.T. equipment and infrastructure will be supplied.

DBS/ PVG

This role does require full DBS clearance

Our Values & Way of Working:

In all that we do, we embrace a philosophy of ‘Freedom within a Framework’ and are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward.

This job description is intended to include the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but while some variations will be expected, these will be at an appropriate level for the role.

Diversity & Inclusion

Volunteering Matters welcomes all applicants and are keen to ensure our team reflects the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We encourage applications from disabled, LGBT and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, along with candidates with any protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups.

Disability Confident & Reasonable Adjustments:

We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role. Please provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required in the “Experience/Skills” section of this advert. To be considered for a guaranteed interview or to discuss any reasonable adjustments during the process, please state this in your application or contact our HR team for more information.

We have also committed to the following pledges which positively encompass our recruitment and selection processes and methodology: The Promise, Show The Salary, Salary History.

Benefits

Our employee benefits reflect our culture which is built on an approach of full flexibility with accountability, and designed to let you make your most positive contribution; we offer Flexible Working by Default (re hours & place of work), Unlimited Annual Leave, Employee Pension scheme, Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced sick and family leave. We are also open to discuss job share applications.

GDPR Statement

If you apply for a role with us, we will retain your contact details including your name, address, email address and phone number to help us manage your application for up to 6 months.  We will not use your personal data for any other purpose or share it with any third party. You can contact us at any point to update your personal information or ask us to delete it from our records.