Volunteer Experience Manager - hybrid in London

Location: Hybrid (split between home-working and either London, Cardiff or Edinburgh)

The Volunteer Experience Project aims to create a volunteering journey that is inclusive, engaging, and impactful, one where every volunteer feels welcomed, valued, and supported. A key focus is ensuring our volunteer community better reflects the diversity of the communities we seek to serve. Our ambition is to grow our volunteer community by 10,000 people over the lifetime of our ten-year strategy, with a particular focus on engaging underrepresented groups:

• People living in communities ranked 1–5 on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (the 50% most deprived communities)
• People from Global Majority backgrounds
• Women in leadership roles
• Volunteers with a sensory or physical disability

The project is already underway, and this role will bring the drive, expertise, creativity, and insight needed to help make it a success.

Context and purpose of role

The Volunteer Experience Manager is responsible for overseeing and enhancing the volunteer program within the Ramblers. This role involves recruiting, training, managing, and retaining volunteers, ensuring they have a meaningful and impactful experience. The Volunteer Experience Manager works closely with various departments to align volunteer efforts with the organisation’s mission and goals. The role will report directly to the Head of People Experience.

Key responsibilities

• Volunteer Recruitment and Onboarding: Develop and implement strategies to attract and recruit a diverse pool of volunteers. Design and deliver comprehensive orientation programs to introduce new volunteers to the organisation and their responsibilities.
• Training and Development: Create and facilitate ongoing training programs to enhance volunteer skills and knowledge. Provide resources and support to ensure volunteers are equipped to perform their roles effectively. Organise workshops, seminars, and training sessions to foster continuous learning.
• Volunteer Management and Coordination: Ensure accurate records of volunteer hours, roles, and performance are maintained. Develop and implement policies and procedures for volunteer management.
• Volunteer Retention and Engagement: Design and execute recognition programs to acknowledge and celebrate volunteer contributions. Organise events and activities to keep volunteers engaged and motivated. Regularly communicate with volunteers to provide updates, gather feedback, and address concerns.
• Program Evaluation and Improvement: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the volunteer program. Conduct surveys and assessments to gather feedback from volunteers and identify areas for improvement. Implement changes and enhancements based on feedback and best practices.
• Collaboration and Partnership Building: Work closely with teams to identify volunteer needs and opportunities. Build and maintain relationships with external partners and community organisations to expand volunteer resources.
• Technology and Data Management: Utilise technology to track and manage volunteer information. Maintain up-to-date records and generate reports on volunteer activities and program outcomes. Leverage communication tools and platforms to effectively engage with volunteers.

Impact: The Volunteer Experience Manager plays a critical role in enhancing the effectiveness and impact of the volunteer program. By creating a positive and structured environment for volunteers, they contribute significantly to the organisation’s success, the personal growth of volunteers, and the broader community. Leading to increased volunteer retention, optimised resource utilisation, and a stronger, more engaged community.

Other: Undertake such other duties as may be reasonably required of the post. Engage and proactively develop excellent working relationships across the organisation.

The person

Qualification: Relevant volunteer management qualification or comparable experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Knowledge: Knowledge of the value volunteers add, and the impact they bring to organisations. Expert and up-to-date knowledge of the law relating to volunteering and volunteering best practice principles, and procedures, particularly around recruitment and retention. Demonstrable knowledge and experience of implementing best practice solutions to drive a volunteering involving ethos and culture.

Skills: Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and implement strategic initiatives. Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Interpersonal Skills: Strong relationship-building and influencing skills. Analytical Skills: Ability to analyse data and use insights to drive decision-making. Problem-Solving Skills: Proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues.

Experience: Experience of ensuring Volunteer and Volunteer Role Manager journeys are accessible and encourage diversity, equity and inclusion.

Personal Attributes: Active Listener: Listens attentively to others and values their input. Collaborative: Values and leverages diverse perspectives and skills within the team. Adaptable: Able to adjust to new situations and challenges with ease. Problem Solver: Proactively identifies issues and works towards effective solutions. Analytical Thinker: Analyses information thoroughly and makes sound decisions. Detail-Oriented: Pays attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and thoroughness in work. Mentoring: Willing to mentor and support the development of team members. Innovative: Embraces new ideas and technologies to improve processes. Ethical: Upholds ethical standards and integrity in all actions.

Values and Behaviours: Our values are the core principles that guide us daily in our work and our membership of the Ramblers. We all share the passion that walking is for everyone and by living our shared values we can ensure the Ramblers is an organisation to be proud of. Our values will earn trust for the Ramblers brand which will allow us to open up a world of walking opportunities for even more people.

• Inclusive: We make everyone feel welcome and part of the Ramblers community. We make sure we all feel respected and accepted and know our contributions make a difference in achieving our mission.
• Inspiring: We strive to inspire people through the way we act and the things we say. We channel our passion and ambition so others are moved to help us achieve our mission.
• Empowering: We empower and encourage each other to make a positive contribution to our teams and the Ramblers. We do all we can to make sure everyone has the ability, and feels confident, to take action.
• Responsible: We take responsibility for ourselves and those around us seriously, by always acting in a safe and supportive way. We care about the environment and make sure we do what we say we will do.