Volunteer Coordinator

Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (minimum 3 days in office per week)

Salary: £29,000 - £32,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: 12 month contract, Full time 37.5 hours per week

Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives. We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving Medical Alert Assistance Dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease.

Main Purpose & Scope of the Role: The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for the coordination, delivery and ongoing support of volunteer activity across the charity, ensuring volunteers have a positive, meaningful and well-supported experience. This role combines hands-on volunteer coordination with people engagement activity, supporting engagement, communication and safeguarding processes across both volunteers and staff. The postholder works closely with colleagues across the organisation to ensure volunteer involvement is well-planned, compliant and aligned with operational needs.

What You’ll Do:

• You will coordinate the end to end volunteer journey, from recruitment and onboarding through to ongoing support, engagement and departure.
• You will act as a key point of contact for volunteers, support teams to work effectively with volunteers, and ensure accurate records, communication and safeguarding processes are maintained.

Reports to: People Engagement Manager

About the Role: This is an operational, people-focused role suited to someone who enjoys building relationships, organising activity and supporting others. You will work closely with staff, volunteers and external partners, ensuring volunteering activity runs smoothly and consistently across the charity. The role requires excellent organisation, strong communication skills and confidence.

Responsibilities of the Role:

• Volunteer Recruitment & Engagement: Coordinate volunteer recruitment activity to meet charity needs, support the delivery of volunteer marketing campaigns across social media, recruitment platforms and community networks, build and maintain relationships with community groups, schools, businesses and partner organisations, represent the charity at volunteer recruitment events and community activities, support interviews and suitability assessments for prospective volunteers, ensure references and checks are completed in line with policy.
• Volunteer Onboarding, Training & Support: Coordinate induction processes for new volunteers, ensure volunteers receive appropriate role specific training, maintain regular communication with volunteers to support engagement and retention, act as a key point of contact for volunteer queries or concerns, support volunteers leaving the organisation and gather feedback.
• Volunteer Engagement & Communication: Support clear and consistent communication with volunteers across the charity, maintain and update volunteer communications via Assemble and other platforms, support the Volunteer Forum and other engagement initiatives, develop and maintain guidance and resources for staff working with volunteers.
• Compliance & Administration: Ensure volunteer activity complies with safeguarding, GDPR, health & safety and volunteer management standards, maintain accurate and up to date volunteer records on Assemble, monitor volunteer data and prepare basic reports on recruitment, engagement and retention, escalate safeguarding or compliance concerns to the appropriate manager.
• Fundraising & Cross Departmental Support: Coordinate volunteer involvement in fundraising events and campaigns, work closely with fundraising, operations and HR colleagues to ensure volunteer support is effective and well planned, promote good practice in volunteering across teams.

Person Specification:

• Experience & Qualifications Essential: Experience in volunteer coordination, people engagement or a related role, strong organisational skills with excellent attention to detail, confident communicator with the ability to build positive relationships quickly, experience working with databases or volunteer management systems, ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams, understanding of safeguarding and confidentiality principles, good IT skills including Microsoft 365.
• Desirable: Experience working in the charity sector, knowledge of volunteer management systems (e.g. Assemble), experience supporting training or group facilitation, interest in animal welfare, assistance dogs or medical research.

Other Requirements: Willingness to travel occasionally to attend recruitment events or meetings.

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion: We are a welcoming, diverse and inclusive charity. Medical Detection Dogs thrives when everyone feels comfortable bringing their best self to work. We celebrate difference, whilst striving to create an environment where colleagues feel respected and valued for their unique potential. We are committed to our values on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

To Apply: If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Medical Detection Dogs, please do not hesitate to apply.