Volunteer and Student Placement Manager

Balmer Dawson Executive Search

Galway

In loco

EUR 42.000 - 60.000

Tempo pieno

2 giorni fa

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Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Annual leave 25 days

Pension

Education assistance

Bike to Work Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Death-in-service benefit

Occupational sick leave policy

Descrizione del lavoro

Galway Simon Community is seeking a Volunteer and Student Placement Manager to grow and lead its volunteering and student placement programmes across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The role blends strategic planning with hands‑on delivery and reports to the Head of HR and Organisation Culture.

You will develop and implement a sustainable part‑time volunteering model, oversee Full‑Time Volunteer and European Solidarity Corps activity, manage relationships with universities and partners, and ensure

Competenze

Minimum of three years’ experience in volunteer management.
Experience developing and implementing volunteer strategies and programmes.
Ability to liaise with universities, partner organisations and internal teams.
Knowledge of governance, compliance and reporting requirements in the voluntary sector.

Mansioni

Lead the end-to-end delivery of volunteering and student placement programmes.
Develop the Volunteer Strategy with annual workplans.
Oversee recruitment, induction and training for volunteers and placements.
Collaborate with managers to secure meaningful volunteering opportunities.
Ensure safeguarding, vetting where applicable.

Conoscenze

Volunteer management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Strategic planning

Programme development

Formazione

Third-level qualification in Volunteer Management or related discipline

Strumenti

Better Impact

Microsoft Office

Volunteer management systems

Descrizione del lavoro

Balmer Dawson Executive Search is delighted to partner with Galway Simon Community to appoint a Volunteer and Student Placement Manager. This is an exciting opportunity to shape how people give their time, skills and energy to a charity supporting people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

Volunteering has been at the heart of Galway Simon Community since its beginning in 1979, when a group of volunteers came together to support people sleeping rough in Galway City. Today, volunteering remains a strong tradition and an integral part of the organisation. In this role, you will have the opportunity to build on that proud history by growing the part‑time volunteer programme and leading its full‑time volunteering and student placement programmes.

If you enjoy bringing people together, building relationships and turning ideas into opportunities that make a difference, this role offers the scope to do just that. You will work closely with teams across the west region, to create roles and placements that are rewarding for volunteers and students and make a meaningful difference to the people and services they support.

Contract: Permanent, full-time, 37 hours per week

Reports to: Head of HR and Organisation Culture

The Role

You will lead the development and delivery of Galway Simon Community’s volunteering and student placement programmes, with a particular focus on building a sustainable part‑time volunteer programme. The role combines strategic planning with hands‑on delivery, working with colleagues and external partners to ensure programmes are well governed, reflect the organisation’s values and meet service needs across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.

Strategy and Programme Development

Lead and coordinate Galway Simon Community’s progression towards achieving and maintaining Investing in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation, embedding the principles of best‑practice volunteer management across the organisation.
Lead the development, implementation and ongoing review of the part‑time and full‑time volunteer programmes and the student placement programme.
Develop, implement and monitor the Volunteer Strategy, embedding it into an annual workplan with clear priorities, operational actions, timelines and outcomes.
Establish and maintain robust programme structures, workflows and standard operating procedures covering recruitment, induction, training, support and exit across all volunteer and student placement programmes.
Proactively identify emerging needs, risks, gaps and capacity issues within volunteering and student placement programmes, and bring evidence‑based proposals and recommendations to the Head of HR.
Contribute to organisational planning, audits, reporting and governance requirements relating to volunteering and student placements, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, policies and best practice.
Develop, lead and continuously improve a structured and engaging part‑time volunteer programme to expand the volunteer base and support attraction, engagement and retention across the organisation.
Work in partnership with managers to identify, develop and plan meaningful volunteering opportunities, ensuring alignment with service needs, capacity and organisational priorities.
Ensure volunteers are appropriately matched to suitable roles, taking account of skills, experience, availability and support requirements.
Develop, maintain and regularly review clear and consistent volunteer role descriptions, ensuring they remain current, appropriate and aligned with operational and programme needs.
Full‑time volunteering and placements

Full‑Time Volunteers and European Solidarity Corps

Lead and manage the end‑to‑end delivery of the Full‑Time Volunteer (FTV) and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes, ensuring effective planning, delivery and compliance. Oversee all programme requirements, including:
Applications, grant approvals and funder reporting;
Budgeting and costings in collaboration with Finance;
Final reports and ongoing compliance with ESC and organisational requirements.
Ensure all programme documentation is accurately completed, signed off and submitted within required deadlines.
Liaise and maintain effective working relationships with European sending organisations and partner agencies.
Co‑ordinate FTV arrival, accommodation, induction and ongoing support, including meeting FTVs on arrival in Galway and supporting their initial settling‑in.
Oversee FTV accommodation arrangements, ensuring compliance with Health & Safety requirements and escalating concerns to the Health and Safety Officer as appropriate.
Co‑ordinate the delivery of the Certificate in Volunteering in conjunction with TU Dublin, including:
Scheduling and co‑ordinating training modules;
Managing reflective journals and submissions;
Liaising with TU Dublin regarding graduation and certification.

Student Placement Programme

Lead and manage relationships with universities, colleges and educational partners to support the effective delivery of student placement programmes.
Work in collaboration with managers across the organisation to assess placement capacity, suitability and learning opportunities, ensuring placements are aligned with service needs and supervision capacity.
Monitor placement outcomes and feedback to support continuous improvement and inform future planning.

Work Placement Experience Programme

Lead and coordinate Galway Simon Community’s participation in the Department of Social Protection Work Placement Experience Programme, ensuring effective delivery and compliance.
Act as the primary point of contact with the DSP, managing all communications and programme requirements.
Work with managers across the organisation to identify suitable work placement opportunities aligned with service needs and capacity.
Oversee the matching, induction, support and monitoring of DSP participants in collaboration with line managers.
Complete and manage all administration, documentation and reporting associated with the programme in line with DSP and organisational requirements.

Recruitment and Programme Support

Recruitment, Induction and Training

Lead and manage the end‑to‑end recruitment and selection process for volunteers and student placements, in collaboration with relevant managers.
Promote volunteering and student placement opportunities through targeted events, campaigns, partnerships and communications.
Conduct all volunteer and student placement interviews in partnership with relevant managers, ensuring fair, consistent and values‑based processes.
Ensure Garda vetting (where applicable) and reference checking are completed in line with organisational policy and regulatory requirements.
Lead the development, delivery and coordination of central volunteer and student induction, ensuring a consistent organisational induction for all new starters.
Work with line managers and supervisors to ensure role‑specific induction is completed locally and in a timely manner.
Develop, maintain and regularly review standardised recruitment and induction documentation, ensuring consistency, clarity and alignment with organisational policies and values including:
Recruitment and placement documentation;
Induction checklists and materials;
Role‑specific onboarding resources;
Volunteer and student handbooks;
Manage and monitor mandatory and role‑specific training requirements, ensuring training is completed, recorded and reviewed.
Continuously review recruitment, induction and training processes to ensure they remain effective, compliant with best practice, and responsive to organisational and programme needs.

Support, Supervision and Quality Assurance

Provide ongoing, proactive support to volunteers and student placements throughout their engagement with Galway Simon Community.
Establish and maintain regular check‑ins with volunteers across the organisation, in collaboration with line managers and supervisors.
Ensure volunteer support, supervision and quality assurance practices align with the principles of Investing in Volunteers (IiV).
Implement and oversee structured feedback mechanisms, including satisfaction and exit surveys, generated and managed through the volunteer management system (Better Impact).
Review and analyse feedback and data to drive continuous improvement in programmes and the volunteer experience.
Lead the management and development of the volunteer management system (Better Impact) as a core operational, engagement and strategic tool.
Ensure accurate and up‑to‑date records are maintained, including profiles, roles, hours, training completion and placement status.
Use system‑generated data to monitor trends, produce regular reports, and make evidence‑based recommendations to the Head of HR.
Research, draft, review and update volunteer and student related policies, procedures and documents, ensuring alignment with best practice.

Working across Galway Simon Community

Collaboration and Organisational Engagement

Work collaboratively with colleagues across services, shops and departments to support effective programme delivery.
Act as a key internal point of expertise on volunteering and student placements.
Liaise with other Simon Communities, educational institutions, partner organisations and external bodies to support programme delivery, knowledge sharing and best practice.
Provide reception or other cover when required, contributing to the smooth day‑to‑day operation of the organisation.
Promote and uphold Galway Simon Community’s values, ethos and commitment to dignity, respect and inclusion

You will follow organisational policies, maintain confidentiality, take part in performance reviews and relevant training, and report health, safety and welfare concerns. You may also take on other duties consistent with the role.

What You Will Bring

A minimum of three years’ experience in volunteer management, or a closely related role.
Demonstrated experience actively contributing to, and preferably leading, the development, implementation or enhancement of volunteer strategies, frameworks, policies or structured programmes, including continuous improvement of volunteer engagement models.
Proven experience managing and coordinating volunteer or participant programmes involving multiple internal and external stakeholders, while delivering effective day‑to‑day operational oversight.
Strong organisational, planning and workload‑prioritisation skills, with the ability to meet deadlines and manage a varied workload effectively.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive professional relationships.
Experience writing reports, proposals or programme documentation, with excellent attention to detail and strong coordination skills.
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and experience using databases or volunteer management systems.
Proven ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, professionalism and integrity.
Self‑motivated, adaptable and solution‑focused, with the ability to take initiative, demonstrate leadership, and influence practice within a value‑led organisation.
Strong alignment with the values and mission of Galway Simon Community and able to carry out the role with professionalism and integrity.
Have a valid and full clean driver’s licence; access to own vehicle for work related purposes and be able to obtain insurance to indemnify Galway Simon and carry passengers in relation to work‑related duties.

Desirable Experience and Qualifications

A third‑level qualification in Volunteer Management, Community Development, Leadership and People Management, Business/HR, or a related discipline.
Experience working with structured or funded programmes (e.g. European Solidarity Corps or similar initiatives).
Knowledge of governance, compliance and reporting requirements within the community and voluntary sector.
Annual leave 25 days
Pension Employee pension scheme after one year of service
Education assistance Financial support for upskilling and qualifications
Bike to Work Scheme
Employee Assistance Programme
Death-in-service benefit Twice basic annual salary
Occupational sick leave policy