Volunteering Development Lead in Banbury

Location: Shaw House, Oxford/Flexible Working

Job Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £35,000 to £38,000 per annum (plus £2500 car allowance)

RABI is the farmers charity. RABI supports farming people across England, Wales and NI with expert, one-to-one practical, financial and emotional help, all year round. From confidential advice and mental health support to direct financial assistance, their tailored services respond to the unique challenges of farming life. At the heart of RABI's mission is a commitment to strengthening resilience; helping farming people feel valued, supported and better equipped to navigate uncertainty and change. RABI is working to close the farming wellbeing gap and build a future where farming people can thrive.

Over the past 25 years alone, RABI has delivered almost £250 Million in direct financial support to the farming community, whilst the charity's professional counselling service has provided 11,500 free sessions to farming people since 2022. RABI's wrap-around support services continue to evolve, reaching more people year on year. RABI is on a journey to help shape a future farmers deserve.

ROLE OVERVIEW:

This role is central to how we evolve and grow volunteering at RABI. The Volunteering Development Lead will be an experienced project lead and good relationship manager who will design, test and scale new models of volunteering that help us reach more people, increase flexibility, broaden our demographic and create meaningful ways for individuals to get involved. This is an exciting project lead role with a strong mandate to innovate and flexibility to be creative. Spanning innovation, collaboration and delivery, you'll help bring people and ideas together. You'll spot where volunteers can make the biggest impact and support colleagues to put new approaches into practice with confidence. This is a dynamic role suited to someone energetic, creative and comfortable turning ideas into action.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the project management of new volunteering opportunities across multiple stakeholders.
• Design, pilot and evaluate new volunteering opportunities, ensuring they are accessible, purposeful and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Lead the development of priority initiatives such as community, event and skills-based volunteering and involving key internal teams, existing volunteers, and external supporters of collaboration in development.
• Use insight, data and volunteer feedback to reiterate and improve new models before wider rollout.
• Build internal confidence by equipping teams with practical tools, templates, and training to involve volunteers effectively.
• Work in partnership with the Volunteering Experience Lead and Coordinator to ensure new roles transition smoothly into ongoing delivery.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain strong relationships with internal teams, ensuring alignment across departments.
• Take a proactive role in team meetings, agenda setting, and action tracking.
• Ensure compliance with policies and other regulatory requirements.
• Engage in continuous professional development through training and feedback.
• Represent RABI at events and outreach initiatives.
• Support team operations during absences and assist with additional tasks as needed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Essential:

• Volunteering project management experience.
• Good people skills.
• Demonstrable ability to turn ideas into volunteering projects and opportunities.
• Confident in leading new and untested development and building new opportunities from scratch.
• Strong knowledge of volunteer management, best practice, and policy.
• Experience designing and delivering training or workshops.
• Good understanding of inclusive and accessible volunteering practice.
• Good digital literacy, experience using MS Office and CRM, and volunteer portals.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally, including overnight stays.
• A full UK driving licence, as travel within England and Wales will be required.

Desirable:

• Experience using CRM or volunteer management systems.
• Understanding of rural or community-based volunteering.
• Experience involving people with lived experience in service development.
• Experience supporting organisational or cultural change.

Benefits:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (based on full time working).
• Enrolment to Nest on commencement of employment and then opportunity to join RABI's group pension scheme with Standard Life where RABI makes contributions equivalent to 10% of your basic salary, provided you make a personal contribution of 5%.
• Life assurance from day one.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site parking.

RABI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and aims to ensure that all employment practices secure equality of opportunity and that no prospective or current employee receives less than favourable treatment at RABI because of their sex, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, belief, ethnic origin, disability, marital status, or for any other reason which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Our recruitment process strives to ensure that individuals are selected only based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities.