Counselling Coordinator and Volunteer Lead

Change Grow Live; Croydon; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Wellness Hour

EAP & Wellness Hub

Learning & progression

Discounts & wellbeing benefits

Refer a Friend

Values-led organisation

Job summary

Change Grow Live (CGL) in Croydon is seeking a Counselling Coordinator and Volunteer Lead to oversee the counselling service and grow a thriving volunteer programme. You will manage qualified and trainee counsellors, uphold professional standards and supervise volunteers across the service.

In this leadership role you’ll develop partnerships with universities and community groups, embed co-production, and drive service improvements using outcomes data.

Qualifications

• Level 4 counselling or psychotherapy qualification.
• Current professional registration with BACP/UKCP/COSCA or equivalent.
• Significant post-qualification counselling experience.
• Experience of leadership, supervision or training of counselling students and volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a counselling service delivering safe, effective, person-centred support.
• Recruit, support, develop and supervise volunteer counsellors and students.
• Assess referrals, allocate counselling support and manage waiting lists.
• Ensure high standards of clinical governance, supervision and practice.
• Build relationships with universities, colleges, volunteer centres and partners.
• Lead volunteer recruitment, training and development activities.
• Drive service user involvement and co-production across the service.
• Use data to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation.

Skills

Counselling

Leadership

Volunteer management

Clinical governance

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Level 4 counselling qualification

Registration with BACP/UKCP/COSCA

Job description

Overview

Counselling Coordinator and Volunteer Lead

Lead therapeutic excellence. Shape meaningful volunteering. Create opportunities for people to thrive.

At Change Grow Live, we believe that people can and do make positive changes when they're met with compassion, expertise and opportunity. We're looking for an experienced counselling professional who shares that belief and wants to play a pivotal role in developing both our counselling provision and volunteering offer. Based on the Counselling Coordinator role with additional Volunteer Lead responsibilities, you'll be at the heart of creating high-quality therapeutic services while building an inclusive, meaningful volunteering programme that strengthens outcomes across the service.

The opportunity

This is a unique leadership role combining clinical expertise, service development and volunteer engagement. You'll coordinate and oversee the counselling service, managing qualified and trainee counsellors, supporting professional standards and ensuring people receive high-quality therapeutic interventions. Alongside this, you'll lead the development of a thriving volunteer programme, creating opportunities for volunteers and service users to make a genuine difference within the service.

Working closely with the Service Manager, wider leadership team and national colleagues, you'll help shape a culture where lived experience is valued, co-production is embedded and everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

What you'll be doing

• Leading and developing a counselling service that delivers safe, effective and person-centred therapeutic support.
• Recruiting, supporting, developing and supervising volunteer counsellors, counselling students and wider service volunteers.
• Assessing referrals, allocating counselling support and maintaining oversight of waiting lists and service performance.
• Ensuring high standards of clinical governance, supervision and professional practice.
• Building strong relationships with universities, colleges, volunteer centres and community partners.
• Leading volunteer recruitment, training and development activity.
• Driving meaningful service user involvement and co-production across the service.
• Using insight, feedback and outcomes data to identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.

Where: Croydon

Hours: 37.5 per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Additional Outer London Weighting paid pro rata.

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

About you

You'll be an experienced counselling professional who combines strong clinical credibility with a passion for developing people and creating opportunities for others.

You'll bring:

• A Level 4 (or above) counselling or psychotherapy qualification.
• Current professional registration with BACP, UKCP, NCPS, COSCA or equivalent professional body.
• Significant post-qualification counselling experience.
• Experience of leadership, supervision, training or development of counselling students and volunteers.
• Strong knowledge of therapeutic approaches and trauma-informed practice.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication and organisational skills.
• A commitment to inclusion, co-production and empowering people to reach their potential.

Why join Change Grow Live?

You'll join an organisation that's ambitious about improving lives and creating opportunities for both the people we support and the people who work with us. We invest in professional development, value innovation and give our colleagues the autonomy to shape services and drive meaningful change.

You'll be part of a culture that is:

Open. Compassionate. Bold.

And committed to helping people build healthier, more fulfilling futures.

Ready to make an impact?

If you're passionate about therapeutic excellence, volunteer development and creating services shaped by the people who use them, we'd love to hear from you.

Please ensure your application clearly demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. We encourage applicants to provide specific examples from their experience and achievements.

What We Offer

At Change Grow Live, we invest in our people because we know they're at the heart of our success.

You'll benefit from:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service up to 30 days.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• A dedicated weekly Wellness Hour.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and Wellness Hub.
• Excellent learning, development and career progression opportunities.
• A wide range of employee discounts and wellbeing benefits.
• Refer a Friend incentive scheme.
• The opportunity to work in a values-led organisation where your contribution truly matters.

Our Approach to AI and Applications

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

When completing your application, please ensure your supporting statement clearly demonstrates how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements outlined in the job description. Applications that provide specific examples are often the strongest.

Direct applications only. We are not engaging agencies for this vacancy.

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or visa extensions for this position.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 31 to 33 (£36,101.10 - £38,114.53)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

Outer London Weighting (£2,250.61)

Closing Date

28/9/2026This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.