We’re on the lookout for a new Volunteer Administration Officer!
We’re seeking a detail-oriented Volunteer Administration Officer to join our friendly and successful Volunteer Team. Your work will play a key role in helping us achieve our ambitious goals. If you’re passionate about supporting young people and eager to gain experience in the charity sector, we’d love to hear from you!
| Salary: | £25,207 |
| Contract Type: | Full time, permanent 11am-7pm, 5 days a week (Monday to Friday) |
| Location: | Hackney Ship, Dalston, with the potential to work remotely or hybrid |
| Application Deadline: | 8pm, Wednesday 22nd January 2025 |
| Phone Interviews: | Monday 3rd or Tuesday 4th February 2025 between 10am and 4pm |
| Online or in person interviews: | Online or in person in the Hackney Ship on Tuesday 11th or Wednesday 12th February between 10am and 4pm |
| Meet the crew: | If successful, you will be invited to meet the Young Pirates and their volunteers on Thursday 13th February from 4-5pm, in Hackney |
| Start Date: | ASAP or 24th February 2025 |
Role Description
Purpose of the role
This integral role involves supporting with administrative tasks so that the team can recruit more volunteers in Hackney and online. You will work with the Volunteer Manager and Volunteer Coordinators who will be focused on the recruitment and retention of new and existing volunteers.
You will be joining us at an exciting time when we are focusing our energy on growing the virtual ship. We are aiming at improving the diversity and inclusivity of our volunteer opportunities and getting each Young Pirate a dedicated volunteer in session. We have big ambitions for the volunteer programme and you will be a key member of the volunteer team working toward the organisation’s goals.
Role responsibilities
Administrative responsibilities:
You will work as part of the Volunteering Team to ensure the smooth running of the day-to-day operations of our volunteer programme. You will be helping the Volunteering Team to reach ambitious recruitment and retention targets by:
- Managing the volunteer team inbox and phone enquiries and maintaining a high standard of friendly and professional communication both in person and via phone and on email;
- Using our database to analyse data and ensure the data is kept up to date;
- Maintaining accurate records on our database including contact details, attendance, recognitions and rewards and tracking relationships and connections with local communities and organisations;
- Supporting volunteers in completing their training and booking sessions, making sure they complete all the steps needed to become active volunteers, and when necessary, carrying out phone calls and engagement emails;
- Reading and reviewing volunteer applications, making sure they comply with our minimum requirements;
- Welcoming volunteers into sessions and carrying out volunteer debriefs at the end of sessions, both online and in person;
- Organising social events to engage volunteers in the Literacy Pirates’ community;
- Supporting the Volunteer team and Communications Manager in creating content for social media to promote volunteering at the Literacy Pirates;
- Processing volunteer criminal background checks.
General responsibilities:
- As required, attendance at some out-of-hours events (such as attending volunteer outreach events), to be compensated with time off in lieu;
- As required, other projects and activities that support the goals of the organisation;
- Ensuring all children are safe by enforcing our Child Protection and Risk Management policies at all times.
About You
Our ideal candidate is:
- A fast learner with fantastic attention to detail;
- Passionate about the power of volunteering, with a love for connecting with people;
- Excited about the potential of digital technologies and what they can achieve for our Young Pirates and volunteers.
Personal attributes:
This is an entry-level role, so we are looking for candidates who are a good fit in terms of attributes and attitude and are keen to learn and gain experience. These attributes include:
- Comfortable and happy talking to new people through email, phone, social media, or face-to-face;
- Willing to learn and improve;
- Interested in data, processes, and systems;
- Positive, proactive, and dedicated;
- Aligned with our mission and values;
- Great attention to details;
- Flexible and able to handle different tasks when needed;
- Well-organised and calm in stressful situations;
- Focused on meeting goals and finding solutions.
Experience:
We will consider any relevant experience you have from work, study, volunteering or personal projects and how these demonstrate that you have the right attributes and the ability to learn and perform in the role. If you have experience in one or more of these areas while studying, working, volunteering or in other settings, we want to hear from you:
- You may have worked with a range of people or projects in different contexts or communities;
- You have volunteered yourself or worked with volunteers/young people and/or their families in any setting;
- You may have experience with customer services, sales or recruitment;
- You may have experience of administration and organising people;
- You may have an interest or desire to learn to use software and online platforms;
- You may have been in busy and fast paced environment and enjoy being organised.
If that sounds like you then we’d love to hear from you!
Benefits of Working at The Literacy Pirates
- Be part of a committed, inclusive organisation that supports its team to thrive. We value each member of our team’s professional development and provide training to make sure you have the chance to develop your skills and grow your experience as part of our expanding team. Click here for more information about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
- Request flexible and home-working arrangements. We know how important your personal life is, so every member of the team is able to apply for flexible and home-working arrangements around their delivery commitments.
- Receive enhanced sick, maternity, paternity and adoption pay, with supportive parenting arrangements. Your family is important and we are committed to supporting our you as a parent, which is why we go above and beyond our statutory responsibilities.
- Take a mental wellness day. Staying well means looking after our mental health and physical health so, rather than taking a sick day, a mental wellness day acknowledges that sometimes we can feel overwhelmed, not quite ourselves and we need time out.
- Take a career break. After four years with The Literacy Pirates, you can take sabbatical leave to pursue personal development or time with your families, and come back to work without needing to end your contract.
- Gain 24 hour access to qualified counsellors for yourself and your immediate family. Through the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme, yourself and your immediate family can receive free, confidential advice and support from qualified counsellors, on everything from stress and anxiety to family issues, bereavement and finances.
- Save up to 39% on a commuter bike and accessories through Cyclescheme. Through our partnership with Cyclescheme, you can get a bike for work with payments automatically taken from your monthly salary and no upfront payments. This means you’ll be able to spread the cost over 12 months and pay less Income Tax and National Insurance.
- Get time during work hours to volunteer. As an organisation that relies on the passion and generosity of volunteers, we know how valuable volunteering is. We offer all employees 14 hours of volunteering time per year, which you can take by the hour or in one go, so that you can support issues and causes that you care about.
- Receive 23 days of annual leave per year, plus bank holidays and the days between Christmas and New Year, and increased allowance with service.
- Get 8% pension contributions, with 3% paid by The Literacy Pirates.
- Get to work in a pirate ship!
Find Out More
We are running two optional open evenings for interested candidates to come along and see us in action. These are informal events and not part of the interview process so there is no commitment to apply for the role if you choose to attend.
- Friday 10th January 5pm-5.30pm
- Monday 13th January 5pm-5.30pm
You can book by contacting us on admin@literacypirates.org
How to Apply
Fill in the application form linked here.
Successful candidates will be invited for a first-round phone interview on either Monday 3rd or Tuesday 4th February between 10am and 4pm. If you are successful, you will be invited to a second interview (online or in person in our Hackney ship) on either Tuesday 11th or Wednesday 12th February between 12m and 4pm.
Each interview will last between 30 minutes and one hour and we are able to compensate for unpaid leave where required.
Following interviews, successful candidates will be invited to attend a session and meet the Young Pirates and their volunteers on Thursday 13th February 2025 from 4-5pm.
Like all employees at The Literacy Pirates, the successful candidate will complete a DBS check and a three-month probationary period before confirmation of the appointment.