About Volunteering Matters

We are looking for a talented, dynamic, and compassionate Youth Engagement Manager to join our team in Edinburgh. The right candidate would be someone who can work flexibly and demonstrate an understanding and total commitment to our organisational values.

This role will be working in partnership with St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, we have been delivering Brighter Futures here for two years and have funding till June 2025.

At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues. From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great. And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive.

People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK. We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England. We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team. We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business.

About the role

Project Scotland, part of the national charity Volunteering Matters, supports young people to get on in life through the power of volunteering. Brighter futures work with pupils (aged 13-16), we offer disadvantaged pupils struggling to engage with the regular school curriculum the opportunity to undertake a volunteering placement as well as the option of having a mentor. We support and empower pupils to gain skills and confidence in a new environment within the wider community, promoting a sense of belonging, whilst extending horizons and aspirations.

We are looking for a talented, dynamic, and compassionate Youth Engagement Manager to join our team in Edinburgh. The right candidate would be someone who can work flexibly and demonstrate an understanding and total commitment to our organisational values.

This role will be working in partnership with St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, we have been delivering Brighter Futures here for two years and have funding till June 2025.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• To build relationships with secondary school pupils, particularly those on flexible timetables, who have complex and challenging barriers, acting in a non-judgemental way to support them through their Brighter Futures journey
• Consistently role modelling and displaying Volunteering Matters organisational values
• Deliver and develop the Brighter Futures Schools programme within in St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School, meeting ambitious targets and milestones, ensuring all young people engaged achieve positive outcome.
• Provide pre and post volunteering practical and emotional support to each pupil, helping to build their confidence and identify achievable goals as well support the pupil to complete awards and qualifications linked to their volunteering.
• Engaging with current charity partners, not for profit organisations and social enterprises and developing new ones in line with our Best Practice for under 16’s volunteering.
• Develop diverse, high quality and bespoke volunteer placements with third sector partners that reflect the needs and interests of pupils.
• Effective recruitment, selection, training, and ongoing support of a diverse pool of talented and dedicated volunteer mentors from a wide cross-section of the community
• To maintain Volunteering Matters standards around quality and effective Volunteer Management
• To manage all elements of a young person’s experience, from referral to completion of their journey, including managing the match with their mentor.
• To manage the risk assessment, safeguarding, quality assurance and audit processes as appropriate
• Ensure monitoring, impact and evaluation information is collected and that Brighter Futures meets it’s agreed targets, reporting format and schedule.
• Administration tasks including maintaining effective and accessible records, the use of Microsoft Office, Teams, Zoom and other software such as Canva (use to develop relevant promotional material and information)

Our Values & Way of Working:

In all that we do, we embrace a philosophy of ‘Freedom within a Framework’ and are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward.

Benefits

Our employee benefits reflect our culture which is built on an approach of full flexibility with accountability, and designed to let you make your most positive contribution; we offer Flexible Working by Default (re hours & place of work), Unlimited Annual Leave, Employee Pension scheme, Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced sick and family leave. We are also open to discuss job share applications.