Community, Participation & Volunteering Manager

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Coventry; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial pension scheme

Free entry to National Trust places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Job summary

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty in Coventry is seeking a Senior Community, Participation and Volunteering Manager for the East Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull portfolio. You will lead the development of the community, participation and volunteering offer across the portfolio and reach outward to broaden local engagement with underserved communities.

You will work with local partners, clubs and charities to develop inclusive volunteering programmes, secure

Qualifications

• Understanding of community engagement and participatory practice
• Experience in volunteer engagement and developing volunteering opportunities
• Ability to analyze data and insights to engage diverse audiences
• Experience in partnerships and stakeholder engagement
• Experience delivering engagement programmes responsive to local needs
• Ability to build collaborative relationships and coach others

Responsibilities

• Develop a plan for community, participation and involvement across the portfolio
• Create and promote inclusive volunteering opportunities for Charterhouse and beyond
• Engage diverse local communities and partners to meet their needs
• Seek external funds and partnerships to support growth
• Manage priorities and delegate tasks to ensure progress

Skills

Community engagement

Volunteer engagement

Partnership working

Grant management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

We're looking for a Senior Community, Participation and Volunteering Manager for the East Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull portfolio.

We're a new portfolio with a focus on the National Trust’s strategic priority areas of Ending Unequal Access and Inspire Millions, so you’ll join at an exciting time as we start to develop plans which rise to the ambitions of the National Trust’s new strategy ‘People and Nature Thriving’, where we are aiming to reach 10m more people from currently underserved groups by 2025.

You’ll lead the development of the Community, Participation and Volunteering offer across the portfolio and reach outwards into our local communities across East Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull to broaden our community participation and engagement with an emphasis on engaging underserved and underrepresented communities, building on the successes of the work delivered to date.

You’ll be required to work regular weekends and bank holidays.

What it's like to work here

This is an exciting new role in an urban facing portfolio which encompasses Coventry Charterhouse, a medieval monastic house surrounded by acres of tranquil green space. Home to some of the finest examples of medieval and renaissance art in England, this Grade I listed, 14thcentury building has quite the story to share. Founded in 1381, Coventry Charterhouse has served many different purposes. From a 14th century monastery to a family home and later as a garden that produced exotic fruit for wealthy locals. It’s location, close to Coventry city centre, means it has become a valued place for local people to spend time outdoors and discover Coventry's rich heritage

You’ll work across the portfolio with a focus on reaching audiences beyond our places, where working in partnership will be key. You’ll be part of the duty management rota where, you’ll be responsible on the day for the smooth running of the property during opening hours, acting as the main contact point for staff, volunteers, and customers in case of emergency, enquiry or complaint.

What you'll be doing

Working in collaboration with other portfolio team members, internal and external consultants, members of the local communities and wider external partners, you’ll develop a plan for community, participation and involvement which is responsive to local needs. You’ll work with the team to explore positive, inclusive and flexible volunteering opportunities for Charterhouse and beyond.

You’ll be excited about the potential of our places to engage the diverse communities on our doorstep and more widely. And you’ll be talking to a wide range of people and organisations, promoting our work to existing and new audiences and exploring how we can meet the needs of these local communities – supporting or developing programmes and partnerships and being part of networks where we achieve positive outcomes for our localities, whether that is led by us, communities or partners.

Thinking about the future, you’ll advocate for our work and explore the possibilities for working in partnership with others to secure external funds to help support and grow our work.

You’ll confidently manage multiple competing priorities during this dynamic period of change, while delegating tasks effectively to ensure progress and clarity.

Who we're looking for

To deliver this role successfully, you’ll need:

• an understanding of community engagement and participatory practice, with experience of applying these approaches in different contexts
• an understanding of volunteer engagement alongside experience of developing new approaches to volunteering and increasing participation
• the ability to think strategically, analyse data and insights, prioritise activities and make informed decisions about engaging different audiences
• experience of partnership working and stakeholder engagement
• experience of developing and delivering engagement programmes and activities that respond to local audience and stakeholder needs
• the ability to build collaborative working relationships with leaders and wider teams, including coaching others to develop their confidence and capability in community engagement, participation and volunteering
• experience of developing and managing grant-funded programmes and initiatives
• the ability to engage with communities and partners beyond the property portfolio, including through local partnerships and outreach activities.

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Charterhouse, London Road, Coventry, CV1 2JR

Documents

Community, Participation & Volunteering Manager - Grade 7.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

*Internal Applicants only*

Our colleagues work for the National Trust in many locations and sometimes don't have easy access to internal vacancy listings. Using the internet ensures we can reach as many of our colleagues as possible. We appreciate that this can be frustrating for external talent. Do note that some roles are released externally after an initial period of time.

Closing Date: 1st November 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.