Volunteering Matters are a national volunteering and social change charity. We believe that everyone across the UK should have the opportunity to thrive. We bring people together through the unique power of volunteering, to overcome some of society’s most complex issues.

We are looking for a talented, dynamic, and professional Volunteer Engagement Manager to join our team in the City of Edinburgh. The right candidate would be someone who can work flexibly, is driven, and is passionate about supporting parents and families. It is also important that the post holder can commit to our organisational values – being Compassionate, Empowering, Inclusive, Positive and Straightforward.

An introduction to the role

In this role you will support the delivery and development of our established Family Supporters programme across the City of Edinburgh. Family Supporters is an effective mentoring programme which offers practical, emotional, and social support to parents and families across Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges and issues. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. The programme supports parents and families in lots of ways such as improved living standards, budgeting skills, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, help to access Education, Employment or Training, access to physical and mental health and wellbeing resources/aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few.

Further information on Family Supporters Edinburgh can be found online, and on our website.

Information on Employee Benefits

Our ambition is to be the best place to work in the charity sector. We offer lots of employee benefits including:

• Fully flexible working
• Unlimited annual leave, to achieve a positive work-life balance
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loan (public transport)
• Competitive and supportive maternity/adoption/family leave provision
• Competitive and supportive sick leave provision
• Access to our free Employee Assistance line

Our ways of Working

We offer flexible working by default. This means that our staff have significant flexibility when it comes to place of work, working hours, and are empowered with the responsibility of managing their own diary and workload.

Part of your working week will need to be based in local communities within the City of Edinburgh, meeting with volunteers, parents and families, partner organisations and others. For the remainder of the time, you can be based from our City of Edinburgh office or at home (must be locally). If working from home, you will need good internet access and a suitable home working environment, all IT equipment, mobile phone and any home working supplies will be available.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Role model and display our organisational values – being Compassionate, Empowering, Inclusive, Positive and Straightforward
• Teamwork across the regional staff team and the wider charity, working in a flexible way
• Deliver and develop the Family Supporters programme across Edinburgh, meeting ambitious goals and milestones, ensuring all volunteers and families involved achieve positive outcomes
• Attract, recruit, train and provide ongoing support to a team of dedicated volunteers, from a wide cross-section of the community
• Maintain Volunteering Matters standards around quality and effective Volunteer Management
• Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with stakeholders including colleagues, volunteers, families, Social Services, Health and Education teams, third sector partners and others
• Support appropriate risk assessment, safeguarding, quality assurance and audit processes
• Develop relevant promotional material and information, for Family Supporters, and for our organisation locally
• Ensure quarterly statistical data is collected and that the programme meets its agreed goals, reporting format and schedule as required by our funders.
• Administration tasks including the use of Office 365, Microsoft Teams and other relevant software

This job description is intended to include the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. While some variations may be expected, these will be at an appropriate level for the role.

Person Specification

Skills & Knowledge Required

• Excellent knowledge of the life challenges and issues that parents and families face in Scotland, and an understanding of “The Promise”
• An understanding of how to assess the needs of an individual, using a person-centered approach
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent people skills, able to build professional, long-term relationships with various stakeholders, to influence and motivate others
• Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy workload and prioritise effectively
• Excellent IT skills including the use of Office 365, Microsoft Teams, and other software (training provided)
• A good problem solver, able to work independently and use own initiative

Experience Required

• Experience working directly with families, particularly those who face life challenges
• Experience in all aspects of effective Volunteer Management (recruitment, training, support)
• Experience developing strong working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of project management, achieving goals, managing a busy workload, and working to deadlines
• Experience of measuring the impact of mentoring/volunteering, and understanding the results
• Understanding of, and full commitment, to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Role Reports To: Project Manager for Edinburgh

Qualifications

We are not looking for any specific qualifications, for this role. Relevant experience and skills are more important, along with a commitment to our organisational values.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG)

This role requires membership of the PVG scheme. Having a conviction is not necessarily a barrier to employment. If you are not currently a member of the PVG scheme, we can support you with the application process (fees will be reimbursed by Volunteering Matters).

Come and join the team at Cyrenians Communities.

Are you passionate about working with young people seeking asylum?

Do you want to work in a small team making a big difference in young people’s lives?

Do you want to work somewhere which ensures that the voice of those with lived experience and staff is central to decision making?

If so, then our Senior Key Worker role at Lotus may be the one for you.

About Our Lotus Community

The Lotus Community is based in North Edinburgh, we offer accommodation and support to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The purpose of the community is to provide a safe and supported living environment for the young people to live, learn and develop together while they go through their asylum journey.

About the role

You’ll be:

· Providing direct line management to a small team of staff

· Ensuring the referral, induction and moving processed are effective and trauma-informed.

· Ensuring our Safeguarding and Human Trafficking prevention processes are maintained to the highest standard.

· Providing occasional groupwork sessions as part of a programme of wellbeing activities.

· Overseeing the volunteer placements at Lotus and providing support when needed.

About You

We are looking for a flexible, well organised and passionate individual who is aware of the challenges our young unaccompanied children face. You will have experience of working with a similar client group, excellent communication skills, and a creative approach to problem solving. You will also have line management experience, and be motivated to work towards positive change.

You will be joining a staff team committed to the highest quality of care and support, and always striving to develop further. This means there will be great opportunities for you to both learn and develop, while sharing your skills and experiences.

How we’ll support you

An experienced and knowledgeable team member will provide full induction, and your line manager will provide regular support and supervision. You’ll also have access to wider Cyrenians support, including our learning and development programme, and staff wellbeing services.

About us

At Cyrenians we tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness by taking a Public Health Approach to Homelessness Prevention. We take a values-led and relationships-based approach to delivering all our services.

You can find out more about our impact and our values online.

We have an exciting new opportunity for an individual who is passionate about community development lead and volunteer coordination at The Salisbury Centre. We are recruiting a Community Development Lead and Volunteer Co-ordinator.

As our Community Development Lead and Volunteer Coordinator, you'll be instrumental in collaborating with our committed community members, volunteers, centre attendees, and outreach initiatives. In your role as volunteer coordinator, you'll lead the recruitment, organization, administration, and engagement of volunteers, with a strong emphasis on ensuring each volunteer feels valued, supported, and aligned with the Centre’s core values. As a Community Development Lead, you'll guide and empower individuals and groups to pursue their interests and aspirations within the Centre. This involves mentoring individuals to participate in community events, volunteer work, and share their skills.

Essential Skills

• Excellent communication skills including networking.
• Strong interpersonal skills, to manage a diverse range of people.
• Experience in volunteer coordination, recruitment, training and/mentorship.
• Facilitation experience – hosting and supporting community events.
• Capacity to inspire and motive others.
• Experience in community outreach.

Desirable Skills

• Experience working with vulnerable groups.
• Relevant volunteer qualifications/training
• Experience managing, mentoring, and evaluating mentorship and volunteering.

Enthusiastic, adaptable, and passionate about the arts and community? Join us!

We are looking for a Community Shed Manager to join our team.

Join us as our Community Shed Manager, overseeing the project’s development and growth. Your role will involve supporting local people in building and nurturing the project, fostering positive community connections, and ensuring sustainability. The Community Shed aims to encourage people to have fun, share skills, grow their self-belief and confidence through positive collective action.

You will be joining the team at an exciting time of change and growth, overseeing the Shed’s return to the expanded and refurbished NEA venue, which will include the Shed’s new workshop.

With an interest in and passion for making and mending, in the broadest sense, you are an enthusiastic and adaptable individual with excellent interpersonal skills, and a creative approach to problem solving.