Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager

Spitalfields City Farm London – onsite E1 5AR

Salary £30,000 Full time including weekend working Fixed term contract for two years (until June 2026) with potential to extend

Benefits include employer pension contribution scheme, 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

Charity People are delighted to be supporting Spitalfields City Farm, a free-entry urban oasis in Tower Hamlets offering a unique and creative natural environment for all, to recruit a Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager. Spitalfields City Farm is the nearest city farm to the City of London’s square mile. Established in 1978 and located in one of the most densely populated wards of Tower Hamlets, and in an area of London that struggles with poverty and issues of inequality, the charity works with a vibrant and multi-cultural community to provide educational opportunities for children and adults, empower people to gain new skills, confidence, to combat social isolation. At a time of great challenge with food poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, this small ambitious charity accomplishes a lot for the local community.

As part of their 2022-2025 strategy, their vision is to create a space for all, that empowers people to make a positive change to their lives, the local community and the planet, through education, community and wellbeing initiatives. Volunteering plays a crucial, central role on the farm. The Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager will enhance and expand the volunteer programme, provide pastoral support to volunteers, lead farm based outdoor workshop to meet volunteer expectations, aid volunteer learning and develop outdoor skills and develop strong community partnerships. The role is funded by The Lottery – Reaching Communities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Coordination: You will develop, implement, and evaluate the volunteer programme, creating diverse volunteering opportunities, and manage programme policies, procedures and budgets.
• Volunteer Recruitment, Training, and Support: As the main point of contact for volunteers, you will recruit volunteers with the right skills, coordinate and deliver volunteer training, support volunteers to achieve their goals, and organise knowledge-sharing and social sessions for volunteers.
• Consultation, Partnerships, and Networking: You will research best practices in volunteer management, develop and manage partnerships with external stakeholders, maintain links with local community groups and businesses for volunteer recruitment, and raise the profile of Spitalfields City Farm’s volunteer programmes.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: You will maintain volunteer records and evaluation systems, provide data and reports for internal and external use, and collaborate with an external organisation for independent programme evaluation.

The Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager will understand the current trends and resources required to manage a volunteer programme with demonstrable experience in developing and managing volunteer projects. The successful candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be an all-round people person, with empathy and an understanding of volunteer needs. You will be able to naturally inspire and motivate others and be able to communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders. You will have strong organisational skills, some budget management experience and good administrative and IT skills. The ability to speak another language, such as Bengali, would be beneficial.

As part of the role, you will need to plan and deliver basic gardening and outdoor skills sessions. The role is based at Spitalfields City Farm. You must be willing to work outdoors in various weather conditions. The role is full time, and you will need to work either Saturday or Sunday as part of your work pattern and 4-days during the week, Monday-Friday.

If you are excited about this opportunity to join the team at Spitalfields City Farm and make a difference in your community through meaningful volunteer engagement and outreach, we would love to hear from you.

How to apply: Please visit the Spitalfields City Farm vacancy page for more information and to see the Job Description: Vacancies | Spitalfields City Farm. The application process is CV and supporting statement describing why you would like to apply for this role and how you meet the criteria for the role in the person specification in the Job Description. The closing date is 9am on 3 July. Interviews will take place w/c 10 July.

Charity People actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. We match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities we work with.