Volunteer Support & Systems Manager

Location: MSSC, National Support Centre (NSC), 200B Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7JY (Hybrid Working)

Contract: Full time, permanent

Salary: 40,000 to 42,000 gross per annum, depending on experience

Closing Date: Monday 6 April 2026

Assessment Day: Monday 13 April 2026 at NSC

Are you looking for a new opportunity supporting volunteers to give their best? The Marine Society Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a vibrant and growing charity delivering life changing nautical adventure for young people through the Sea Cadets to give them the best possible head start in life. We also provide personal and professional development opportunities for seafarers with the Marine Society.

Working with our staff, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a vision and five-year strategy to take us forward and further improve the astounding contribution already made through our work to the lives of thousands of young people and seafarers, while fully supporting our volunteers who are vital to our success.

We are seeking a Volunteer Support Systems Manager to lead the development and maintenance of automated workflows used within the Volunteer Support Team. The role is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Volunteer Support function including overseeing the day-to-day administration of key volunteer processes. The postholder will also line manage the Volunteer Support Officers who act as the first point of contact to volunteers in assisting with these processes and wider administration.

About the role

The purpose of the Volunteer Support Systems Manager is to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the Volunteer Support function by ensuring that automated workflows are well maintained and continuously improved. This includes the onboarding process for new volunteers, management of mandatory training requirements of existing volunteers and volunteer record management through processing promotions, transfers and leavers. The role also provides effective line management to a team of Volunteer Support Officers, supporting them to deliver a high quality of administrative support to volunteers to assist them with these processes.

Responsibilities

• To oversee the efficient operation, maintenance and continuous improvement of all Volunteer Support automated workflows
• To develop clear and effective guidance, to help volunteers access and use the various Volunteer Support digital systems
• To line manage and support the Volunteer Support Team based at the MSSC Support Centre, empowering the team to deliver effective and consistent support to volunteers
• To functionally manage and support the Area Volunteer Support Team based across the 6 Area Offices, empowering them to deliver effective and consistent support to volunteers
• To manage the Safer Recruitment and adverse disclosure process for volunteers, in line with MSSC policy, ensuring that criminal records checks are dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner
• To work with the Head of Volunteering to review MSSC volunteering policies, monitoring their appropriateness and effectiveness, making recommendations for changes as necessary
• To support the Head of Volunteering with the successful implementation of MSSC's volunteer strategy and other national tasks
• To work with Volunteer Support Officers to develop systems and processes for managing the Volunteer Support workload and monitoring delivery standards
• To work closely with other stakeholders, maintaining excellent working relationships across departments to ensure consistency and best practice for our volunteers.

Requirements

• Experience of leading the development and maintenance of digital volunteer management/communication systems
• Experience of creating and maintaining complex automated workflows
• Experience of overseeing the administrative functions of a CRM system
• Experience of implementing, managing, reviewing and refining administrative processes
• Experience of delivering a first-class service to clients or customers
• Experience developing processes which are targeted at both internal and external audiences
• Experience of managing or supervising a large team
• Experience of leading projects managing change with various stakeholders

Desirable

• Experience of managing or supervising a team based remotely
• Experience of using Microsoft Forms and Power Automate or similar systems
• Experience of managing an onboarding process, ideally of volunteers, with the understanding of the importance of safer recruitment
• A strong understanding of the voluntary and community sector, ideally within the youth sector
• Experience of working with volunteers and the knowledge of how to ensure they are supported
• Experience of empowering a team to deliver a first-class customer service
• Experience in managing challenging emails, calls and situations with volunteers professionally, using sound judgement and clear communication

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave per annum, increasing with length of service
• Hybrid working for many roles
• Volunteering Leave
• Life assurance (4x salary)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to the Marine Society Digital Library
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC's values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire. All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo pre-employment checks including a criminal record check.