Sighted Guide Training Officer

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association; Newcastle upon Tyne; Remote; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Real Living Wage Employer

Flex pot

Buy/sell annual leave

Discounts and cash-back scheme

Excellent pension scheme (employer 9%)

Job summary

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is seeking a Sighted Guide Training Officer for a home-based role, 35 hours per week, based within Newcastle upon Tyne, County Durham or Northumberland with regular travel across the region.

You’ll deliver Sighted Guide training to local organisations, Friends and Family groups, and corporate partners, lead volunteer trainers, build community networks, and collaborate with the Vision Rehabilitation Team to help customers achieve mobility goals.

Qualifications

• Experience in delivering training, building community networks, and supporting volunteers.
• Ability to deliver training to various audiences with strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Holding Level 3 Award in Education and Training or willingness to work towards it.
• Beneficial to hold Train the Trainer and/or Level 3 Assessor Award.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Sighted Guide training to local organisations, Friends and Family groups, and corporate partners.
• Lead a team of volunteer trainers, mentoring and ensuring training quality.
• Build and manage networks with community and corporate organisations.
• Deliver high-quality awareness sessions with targeted outreach in collaboration with Service Marketing.
• Coordinate local training referrals and align sessions with Guide Dogs' services.

Skills

Training delivery

Volunteer management

Community engagement

Presentation skills

Facilitation skills

Education

Level 3 Award in Education and Training

Train the Trainer qualification

Level 3 Assessor Award

Job description

This is a home-based role, working 35 hours per week and candidates will need to be based within Newcastle upon Tyne, County Durham or Northumberland as this role requires regular travel across this region with travel across to Cumbria. Further occasional travel and overnight stays around the UK may also be required, so you’ll need to be flexible to work outside of standard hours to meets the needs of the community and deliver training where required. Expenses for travel within the region will be covered, however if you live outside of this area commuting costs will not be paid.

In person interviews for this role are planned to take place W/C 7th December.

You’re passionate about creating a more inclusive society for people with vision impairment. You have experience in delivering training, building community networks, and supporting volunteers.

As Sighted Guide Training Officer, you’ll play a crucial role in supporting customers through their journey by delivering training and awareness sessions to local organisations, Friends and Family groups, and corporate partners. You’ll work to create a more inclusive environment for people with vision impairment by equipping individuals and organisations with essential Sighted Guide skills.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of Sighted Guide training to a range of audiences, engaging and inspiring participants in every session. You’ll work closely with the Vision Rehabilitation Team to support customers in achieving their mobility goals and provide tailored Friends & Family Sighted Guide training to their support networks.

A key aspect of your role will be building and managing networks with community and corporate organisations, developing training partnerships, and delivering high-quality awareness sessions. You’ll work closely with Service Marketing to ensure outreach efforts are targeted and effective.

You’ll also lead a team of volunteer trainers, ensuring they are highly trained, engaged, and supported in delivering sessions. This includes managing a pipeline of new volunteers, mentoring their development, and ensuring all volunteers meet the high standards required for training delivery. In addition, you’ll handle local training referrals, ensuring sessions align with Guide Dogs’ services and objectives, while maintaining contact with community networks and training partners.

You’ll thrive in this role if you have experience in training delivery, volunteer management, and community engagement. Strong presentation and facilitation skills are essential, as well as the ability to build relationships and engage a variety of stakeholders. You should hold a Level 3 Award in Education and Training or being willing to work towards attaining this. It would be beneficial if you held a Train the Trainer qualification and/or a Level 3 Assessor Award.

You should be confident in delivering training to both small and large audiences, adapting sessions to meet the needs of different learning styles. Your organisational and communication skills will ensure that training sessions run smoothly, and that relationships with partners and volunteers are well maintained.

• We wouldn’t be able to change the lives of people with sight loss without our people. That’s why it’s important for us to provide a variety of benefits that reward our colleagues in a way that suits them and recognises the hard work and contribution that they make.
• 26 days annual leave. After three years of continuous employment, this increases to 28 days plus bank holidays.
• Real Living Wage Employer
• Flex pot - equal to a proportion of your annual salary to use on our wide variety of flexible benefits
• The option to buy and sell annual leave
• Discounts and cash-back scheme
• Excellent pension scheme (We will match your pension contributions plus 2% up to a maximum of 9% employer contribution)
• And lots more!
• For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.