Volunteer Support Officer in London

Reporting To: Volunteer Support Manager

Location: Remote, based in the UK

Salary: £32,000 per annum. We aim to be transparent about remuneration at MHI. As a charitable organisation, salaries for this role are predetermined and not negotiable. Please consider the advertised salary before applying.

Hours of Work: 20 hours per week, covering a service that operates 7 days a week. Following a shift rota that typically includes some evening work and one weekend shift per month. Availability can be discussed further at interview.

Contract: Permanent

Start Date: September 2026

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave per year, plus public holidays;
• Company electronic devices;
• Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme;
• Private health insurance after completion of probation;
• Eligibility for a Blue Light discount card.

Closing Date: 26th June 2026 at 5pm. We reserve the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of applicants.

Job Summary: To provide first-line guidance and wellbeing support for MHI volunteers, fostering confidence, skills and a positive experience. Includes daily rota management and responding to volunteer queries.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the volunteer Shout and The Mix service rotas on a day-to-day basis through the week, ensuring appropriate support and coverage for the Shout and The Mix services.
• Ensure that all volunteers sign up for shifts before volunteering, and following up with those who have not turned up for shifts.
• Provide debrief, wellbeing and practical support to MHI volunteers during core working hours and occasional evenings, in line with the Volunteer Support Team rota.
• Respond to escalations from Supervisors and to incoming queries from volunteers in a timely and compassionate manner.
• Review conversations and activities undertaken by volunteers, providing constructive feedback to support learning and development and escalating to the Volunteer Support Manager where appropriate.
• Support the Volunteer Support Manager to deliver initiatives to improve volunteer retention and reactivation/retraining across all programmes.
• Act as a champion for volunteers within MHI and in the wider volunteer community.
• Actively contribute to the development of volunteer support to ensure it remains relevant, effective, and of the highest quality.

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of working in a busy team environment, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience providing support, guidance or supervision in a volunteer, community, helpline, or similar setting.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and demonstrate empathy and compassion.
• Experience of giving feedback constructively to support learning and development.
• Ability to manage rotas, schedules, or other organisational systems, ensuring accuracy and attention to detail.
• Confident in using IT systems and database/rota management software.
• Ability to remain calm and professional when responding to queries, escalations, or challenging situations.
• Strong commitment to safeguarding, wellbeing, and equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Flexibility to work occasional evenings and outside normal office hours in line with the team rota.
• Knowledge of volunteer management best practice.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working or volunteering in the charity sector.
• Experience providing wellbeing or debrief support to volunteers, staff, or peers.
• Understanding of digital service delivery and online support platforms.

This role is subject to eligibility to work in the UK, plus satisfactory background and reference checks.

We understand that AI is increasingly part of everyday life, and you might choose to use it when putting together your application. While AI can be a helpful tool, we ask that anything you submit reflects your own skills, experiences, and perspective. We value authenticity and integrity, and we want to see what you uniquely bring to our team and why our mission resonates with you personally.