Volunteering Leader

Canal & River Trust; Ellesmere Port; On-site; GBP 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity based in Ellesmere Port is seeking a Volunteering Leader to manage a team of volunteers for the Collections Team. Responsibilities include organizing volunteer activities, ensuring safety, and enhancing the volunteer experience. This role also involves travel to various sites across the UK and requires a full UK driving license. The position offers a competitive salary of £28,470 alongside numerous benefits, fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce dedicated to preserving cultural heritage.

Benefits

Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme

25 days holiday increasing to 30 after 5 years

Annual personal learning award of £200

Free access to specialist counselling

Employee benefits including discounts

2 days paid volunteering leave per annum

Free fishing facilities across canal network

Qualifications

• Experience in volunteer management in the Cultural Heritage sector.
• Proven experience of working with and leading volunteers.
• Able to plan and prioritise work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Support and manage a team of volunteers to ensure tasks are completed safely.
• Create and deliver a volunteer training plan.
• Promote a strong safety culture within the volunteer team.

Skills

Management of volunteers

Organisational skills

Communication skills

IT proficiency

Education

NVQ Level 3 or BTEC Level 3

Tools

Digital/online tools

Job description

Job Purpose

Job Title: Volunteering Leader

Salary: £28,470 + Benefits

Working Hours: 1931.4 annualised hours Monday - Sunday.

Location: Based at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port with the expectation to travel between national sites, predominantly the museums and stores at Gloucester and Stoke Bruerne. Full UK driving license is essential.

We currently have an opportunity for a Volunteering Leader in the Collections Team. We are looking for a proactive, engaging person to support the Team, by organising, caring for and helping to recruit volunteers. Currently the Collections Team manages around 60 collections volunteers, who carry out a number of activities including, care and conservation of small and large objects (including boats), documentation, research and digitisation of the collection.

This role is based at the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port and working with Collections volunteers at sites across the canal network.

TheCanal & River Trustis a charity entrusted with the care of over 2000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs in England and Wales. These historic, natural and cultural assets form part of the nation’s strategic and local blue-green infrastructure network, linking urban and rural communities as well as habitats. Our waterways contribute to the health and well-being of local communities and economies, creating attractive and connected places to live, work, volunteer and spend leisure time. They also play an important role in mitigating the impact of climate change and provide valuable habitats and much-needed biodiverse corridors for wildlife.

Looking for a new opportunity handling the history of the Waterways!?

The Canal & River Trust holds the most comprehensive historic collection of inland waterways material in the world. It consists of over 18,000 accessioned objects – including sixty-eight historic boats. It is Accredited and Designated as being of national significance, with many of the boats on the National Historic Ships Register, with twelve vessels part of the National Historic Fleet.

Come work with an enthusiastic team keen on preserving our history!

Location & coverage

Based at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port with the expectationto travel between national sites, predominantly the museums and stores at Gloucester and Stoke Bruerne.

Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience

• Management of volunteers in the delivery of works to ensure they are completed safely and to the correct quality, whilst maintaining volunteer satisfaction.
• Supporting volunteers by organising tasks, training, rotas and briefings, providing day-to-day communications, welfare and pastoral care of the volunteers, and deploying teams responsibly to meet daily needs.
• Help create and deliver a volunteer training plan and then planning appropriate works supporting the Collections Team’s objectives, and the identification of improvements to the volunteer experience.
• Support the Collections Team in volunteer recruitment campaigns.
• Using digital/online resources to support the administration of the volunteer team.
• To understand the needs of the Collection, both operationally and strategically, giving a broad understanding of the types and volumes of work available, thus providing the background information needed to develop a programme of volunteer works.
• Promotion of a strong safety culture to ensure all works are completed with safety as a priority thereby ensuring the wellbeing of staff, volunteers and customers.
• Displaying the Trust values and behaviours at all times.

About you

Qualifications:

• NVQ Level 3 or BTEC Level 3 or equivalent experience in volunteer management in the Cultural Heritage sector

Experience:

• Proven experience of delivering works to time, specification and budget
• Proven experience of working with and leading volunteers
• Experience of using digital/online tools (e.g. Central Management Systems (CMS))
• Understanding of the unique volunteering experience posed by the Collections/Museum environment.
• Able to be patient, flexible, adaptable, and understanding, and to build a rapport with volunteers.
• Some experience in line management, motivating and developing a team
• Some experience in customer service

Skills:

• Able to plan and prioritise work, under pressure and to deadlines.
• Pro-active, enthusiastic and positive approach
• Ability to work independently and show initiative.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work with people from a range of backgrounds.
• IT proficiency including Microsoft Office. Good written and verbal presentation skills.

Essentials:

• It is essential that the Volunteering Leader has an open and welcoming personality, enjoys working in the Cultural Heritage sector and has a passion for seeing volunteering as vital for preserving the past through the care and access to our material culture
• It is also essential that you are comfortable dealing with volunteers, and can respond to the unexpected with thought, care, respect and a positive practical approach.
• A full UK driving licence

To apply: click on the "Apply for this job" button and follow the process - complete the application form & upload current CV.

If you have any questions about the role please [e-mail]

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What We Offer

In addition to your salary £28,470, we also offer a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits we are also open to flexible working arrangements. These include:

• Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
• 25 days paid holiday (plus paid Bank Holidays), increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Annual £200 personal learning & growth award to spend on any learning related activity.
• Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues, e.g. health, financial, well-being and domestic matters.
• Access to a range of employee benefits including store discounts, boating holiday discounts and holiday purchase scheme.
• 2 days paid volunteering leave per annum, allowing you to volunteer for a local community project etc.
• Free fishing facilities across our canal network.

At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.

When you join the Canal & River Trust you become a member of an engaged team working to preserve our heritage for future generations. Come and share your passion and knowledge with a team that makes a difference to millions of people every day.

Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us