Volunteering Matters

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.

Role Purpose

As the HR Manager at Volunteering Matters, you will be at the heart of the organisation, empowering its leaders and future leaders, embedding robust systems and processes to ensure high levels of organisational compliance is maintained and supporting the whole organisation to achieve our strategic goals including being ‘the best place to work and volunteer.’ Although this role focuses on employed staff at Volunteering Matters, we are looking for a HR Manager who understands and is energized by the impact and power of volunteering and social action.

Furthermore, the HR Manager will ensure a value focused, efficient, quality orientated process with an inclusive lens to all aspects of the work of Volunteering Matters HR function.

The HR case work advice and guidance at Volunteering Matters is outsourced to a specialist provider.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Embed inclusive practice across all aspects of Volunteering Matters HR Policies and Procedures, testing out new and innovative approaches to recruiting people into paid roles across Volunteering Matters and its sub brands.

• Oversee and monitor the HR system, ensuring information is up to date and support with collating employee reports.

• Implementation and ongoing review of HR policies, practices and frameworks, to support the charity in its needs.

• Ensure a consistent, values focused, quality orientated process to recruitment with an inclusive lens, which attracts a broader & more diverse range of high-quality candidates.

• Upskill and collaborate the staff team at Volunteering Matters, by delivering training and ongoing coaching for recruiting managers on the key aspects of our recruitment framework.

• Monitor staff turnover and ensure that exit interviews are carried out, analysing and reporting on findings.

• Ensure the HR and Payroll team are meeting their objectives and delivering a good service to the organisation.

• Attend leadership meetings where strategic and high-level operational input is required.

• Ensure terms and conditions and policies and procedures are up-to-date and comprehensive with regards to legislation and best practice.

• Develop the staff training and development framework, which includes inclusive formal and informal learning and development opportunities.

• Lead the HR team, line manage the HR Advisor and the HR administrator.

• Liaise regularly with the outsourced HR Provider, linking the HR case work trends with the wider HR strategic development priorities at Volunteering Matters.

• Monitor all aspects of HR compliance at Volunteering Matters, ensuring effective records are kept, reviewed, and reflected on and learning is adopted.

Personal Competencies

• A values driven leader, who can demonstrate a strong commitment to our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti Racist approach.

• Good coaching & mentoring skills.

• Strong people focus.

• Excellent “active-listening” skills.

• A proactive and can-do approach

• Open communication style, with ability to communicate at all levels in an organisation.

• Good ambassadorial and diplomatic skills.

Skills Required

• Delivery focused with the ability to prioritise and organise workload agreed within deadlines.

• Ability to resolve conflict situations and demanding workloads.

• Excellent presentation skills and able to cater to a variety of audiences.

• Numerate and financially aware with the ability to produce reports and statistics as required.

• Ability to develop a HR Strategy and to input into the strategic development of Volunteering Matters

• Excellent up to date knowledge of UK employment law legislation.

• Strong written skills with the ability to draft policies, procedures and reports

• Extensive knowledge of policies and procedures related to an HR Function.

• Experience of leadership and managing an HR team

Experience Required

• Proven ability to develop a HR Strategy

• Excellent up to date knowledge of UK employment law legislation.

• Extensive knowledge of developing and managing policies and procedures related to an HR Function.

• Experience of leadership and managing an HR team

Qualifications

Candidates must be CIPD qualified.

Other

Location: Homebased, with occasional travel to Volunteering Matters locations across the UK. The postholder will require good internet access to enable remote working, and suitable home office space. I.T. equipment and infrastructure will be supplied.

PVG/DBS

This role does not require full DBS/ PVG clearance.

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.

This job description is intended to include the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but while some variations will be expected, these will be at an appropriate level for the role.

Diversity & Inclusion

Volunteering Matters welcomes all applicants and are keen to ensure our team reflects the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We encourage applications from disabled, LGBT and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, along with candidates with any protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups.

Disability Confident & Reasonable Adjustments:

We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role. Please provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required in the “Experience/Skills” section of this advert.

To be considered for a guaranteed interview or to discuss any reasonable adjustments during the process, please state this in your application or contact join@volunteeringmatters.org.uk for more information.

We have also committed to the following pledges which positively encompass our recruitment and selection processes and methodology: The Promise, Show The Salary, Salary History.

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.

GDPR Statement

If you apply for a role with us, we will retain your contact details including your name, address, email address and phone number to help us manage your application for up to 6 months. We will not use your personal data for any other purpose or share it with any third party. You can contact us at any point to update your personal information or ask us to delete it from our records.

About SafeLives

We are SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good.

Last year alone, 14,000 professionals received our training. Over 80,000 adults at risk of serious harm or murder and more than 100,000 children received support through dedicated multi-agency support designed by us and delivered with partners. In the last six years, over 4,000 perpetrators have been challenged and supported to change by interventions we created with partners, and that’s just the start.

Together we can end domestic abuse. Forever. For everyone.

Role summary

In 2022, SafeLives and ASSIST began the Domestic Abuse Court Advocacy project, contributing to priorities 2 and 4 of the Scottish Government’s Victim Centred Approach Fund (VCAF), to provide a consistent and effective approach to court advocacy that ensures victims of domestic abuse have a safe and informed journey through the criminal justice system. The project aims to build consistency in how domestic abuse court advocacy provision is delivered across Scotland via creation of Domestic Abuse Court Advocacy (DACA) Standards, establishment of an accreditation framework for DACA services, and delivery of a new SQA-accredited training block on specialist domestic abuse court advocacy.

To date, via broad stakeholder engagement, academic research and consultation with survivors of domestic abuse, the project team have created Domestic Abuse Court Advocacy standards for Scotland. In its second and third year, the DACA project will establish and roll out an accreditation and mentoring framework for domestic abuse services across Scotland that provide court advocacy to their clients, and design and deliver a new block of the well-established Idaa training block, in partnership with ASSIST and Scottish Women’s Aid.

Working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and in partnership with an expert practitioner from ASSIST, you will shape and guide work to develop the evidence base for the accreditation process and pilot the new accreditation framework with frontline services. You will also be involved in design, development and delivery of the new training module on domestic abuse court advocacy, which will enhance the existing Independent Domestic Abuse Advocacy (Idaa) training course.

Our mission is to be a leading and independent voice in promoting a society where people with mental illness, learning disabilities, dementia and related conditions are treated fairly, have their rights respected, and have appropriate support to live the life of their choice. People who work at the Commission play a vital role in promoting rights and welfare of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people. It’s challenging and rewarding work that relies on excellent communication skills and the ability to work well as part of a team.

An opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our professional and multi-disciplinary team. This role is part of a newly expanded team that will respond flexibly and efficiently to the growing demands of the Commission.

The post-holder will support the visits and telephone advice line functions with day-to-day preparation, monitoring and reporting of local, guardianship, themed visits, and support end of year meetings.

The post-holder will plan, manage and deliver agreed projects within timescales ensuring collaborative working across a range of stakeholders to support the delivery of the project objectives.

The ideal candidate must have a relevant degree or equivalent experience, project management experience and excellent written and oral communication skills.

We’re looking for a Projects Coordinator to join our team!

Are you passionate about bringing people, services and organisations together to create a mental health system powered by lived experience?

Together we can make Scotland a place where people expect mental health recovery. A place where support is easily accessible at all stages of the recovery journey.

With a team of 10, Scottish Recovery Network delivers a number of exciting and innovative programmes to support recovery approaches in Scotland. The voice of people with lived experience of mental health problems has always been central to the development of our work. We take a collaborative approach to bringing people with lived experience and other key stakeholders together to inform policy and shape the design and delivery of support and services.

We are looking for an experienced project manager with great organisational and people skills to join our team! You will be committed to values-based practice and mental health recovery and be excited by the opportunity to work with others to bring about much needed change in our mental health system.