Volunteer Engagement & Warehouse Assistant in London

About FareShare

At FareShare, we fight food poverty by tackling food waste. We source quality surplus food – from food retailers, manufacturers and suppliers – engaging volunteers to redistribute to local charities and community groups that provide meals to vulnerable people (individuals who are homeless, unemployed, socially isolated, recovering from addictions). FareShare now operates 21 Regional Centres around the UK enabling us to support 9,653 local charities and community groups – our Community Food Members (CFMs). Over the past year 16,992 tonnes of food were redistributed by FareShare Regional Centres nationwide, feeding 772,000 people every week. We operate across 1,500 towns, cities and villages and we save UK charities and community groups more than £28 million each year. Hunger is a growing issue in the UK and while there is surplus food that is otherwise going to waste, we believe that this food should be used to feed people first. Demand far outstrips supply.

FareShare’s Strategy & Vision

• Vision: We have the vision of a UK where “No good food goes to waste”.
• Mission: To use surplus, fit for consumption, food to feed those who are vulnerable in the UK by supporting front line charitable organisations that tackle the cause and not just the symptoms of food poverty.

Our Values:

• Passion: for our cause and the challenge that lies ahead
• Ambition: to go the extra mile and drive the change that must happen
• Respect: for ourselves, each other, our volunteers, our partners and our beneficiaries
• Collaboration: it’s only by working with others that we can be stronger
• Focus: on providing the best service possible so that we deliver and achieve the most for our clients/customers.

The Role

This role is a dual purpose one; working to support volunteers as well as the warehouse team. FareShare volunteers provide us with the manpower to ensure that no good food goes to waste. In this role we are looking for someone who is comfortable leading groups, supervising, instructing and motivating. Our volunteers perform a variety of roles in our Regional Centres, from picking and sorting to driving and customer service. They come from diverse backgrounds, including our corporate and food partner sponsors and offer us more than manpower; they are our greatest asset and without them, FareShare would not be able to operate. Your role will be to ensure they feel valued and supported, and that they have the necessary tools, equipment and guidance to perform their roles to the best of their ability. Supported by a staff team of Coordinators and the Volunteer Manager, you will be out on the warehouse floor on hand to guide volunteers in the tasks they have been allocated, answering questions and generally offering support and encouragement. In addition to the work in the warehouse you will work alongside our Volunteer Manager assisting with the coordination of the Volunteer Programme. This will include supporting them with recruitment and retention activities including working with our online Volunteer Portal. Your support for the warehouse team will come in the form of providing cover for planned and sometimes adhoc absences. Utilising all the skills and knowledge you have gained from supporting the volunteers you will step in to help ensure the smooth operations of the warehouse so that no good food goes to waste. This is a great opportunity to get involved with all aspects of the FareShare London operation so we are looking for someone who is able to be flexible in their shift pattern and highly adaptable. If you’re passionate about food waste, improving the lives of vulnerable people, spreading the message about the FareShare’s mission and are a natural born leader who works well with a wide range of people, we need you!

Main areas of responsibility

• In the warehouse:
• Welcoming new volunteers to FareShare London and delivering Health & Safety orientations
• Supervising and leading individual volunteers and groups in picking and sorting teams as well as leading groups of corporate volunteers in one-off volunteer days or challenges
• Providing information to volunteers about FareShare’s mission
• Delivering a quality service - ensuring all volunteers feel motivated, useful and appreciated
• Working with and supporting the Warehouse Manager and Coordinators to plan group activities for the day, setting up & clearing down areas of the warehouse where needed
• Work with the staff team to ensure volunteers’ safety and comfort is a high priority and ensure Health and Safety standards are always met
• Work with the staff team to ensure food safety remains a high priority and ensure FareShare guidelines and food industry standards are always met
• In the office:
• Representing FareShare in a courteous and professional manner at all times
• Working with the Volunteer Manager to update the online Volunteer Portal
• With people:
• Provide leadership and support to volunteers, enabling them to fulfil their roles
• Work closely with the Volunteer Manager to identify training needs for volunteers
• Work closely with the Warehouse team to ensure the warehouse operates safely and effectively at all times
• Relay volunteer feedback, where appropriate, to the Volunteer, Warehouse and Development Managers
• Constantly seek ways to improve the volunteer & warehouse experience and make recommendations to the Volunteer and Development Managers
• In all areas support the retention of volunteers

Person Specification

As an employer committed to Equal Opportunities, we will assess applications in line with these criteria that we consider either as being essential or desirable in this role.

• Experience & Knowledge:
• Experience leading teams of people
• Good IT skills and a willingness to learn our food and volunteer management systems
• Strong numeracy & literacy, with an ability to write clearly and able to identify different foods
• Eligibility to work in UK
• Working with volunteers
• Working with people who may have additional support needs
• A good knowledge of different foods and their uses in domestic and commercial kitchens
• Experience working in regulated food environment
• Health and Safety experience, completing risk assessments, maintaining standards and implementing improvements
• Competencies and behaviours:
• Positive, friendly and enthusiastic about tackling food waste and/or food poverty
• Excellent communicator, able to motivate people and get the best out of them
• Willing to share the FareShare mission
• Friendly and approachable team leader, able to build strong working relationships
• Confident to lead groups of up to 20 people
• Able to perform physical tasks including lifting and loading
• Able to work effectively and use your initiative in a fast-paced environment
• Able to work well in a team, on your own and under pressure
• Able to follow FareShare’s policy, procedures and systems
• Flexible, there may occasionally be group bookings outside the specified timings
• Qualifications:
• Willing to gain Food Safety and Hygiene Level 2 certificate, provided free of charge by FareShare