Volunteers Officer and HR Administrator

Overview

This is a unique opportunity for someone with a real understanding of the value of volunteering in the context of the church, and to put your skills and knowledge into practice at a heritage site, so that the mission and ministry of the Cathedral can continue to thrive and develop.

Introduction

The Volunteers Officer will provide a key role in supporting the large number of volunteers working across the life of the Cathedral and helping us to renew our volunteer base following the pandemic. The postholder will support team leaders in safer recruitment, induction and training of new volunteers, as well as established volunteers. As HR Administrator the postholder will support the COO and Cathedral accountant in day-to-day HR administrative tasks.

Main Responsibilities

Volunteers Officer

• Oversee all volunteers across the Cathedral community, developing a close working relationship with team leaders for each volunteer group and communicating regularly with them;
• Actively encourage and co-ordinate the advertisement and safe recruitment of all volunteers using best practice;
• Ensure that safeguarding is promoted across all volunteer teams;
• Facilitate, co-ordinate and record all training either taken or required by all volunteers;
• To receive all volunteer’s concerns and ideas and raise any issues at the quarterly Volunteer Monitoring Group or with members of the Senior Management Team;
• Carry out a regular review of working practices amongst volunteers to ensure the highest standards are met;
• Take positive steps to increase the diversity of people joining volunteer teams; ensuring that recruitment procedures for volunteers encourage a diversity of applicants, and possible barriers to joining are removed
• Maintain and distribute the Volunteer Handbook.
• Working with volunteer team leaders, assemble and review role descriptions for each volunteer group.
• Maintain a database of volunteers and volunteering opportunities and seek to match the skills of those offering voluntary work to the need of the Cathedral.
• Arrange the quarterly Volunteer Monitoring Group and take minutes.
• Organise and attend the Volunteer Team Leaders meetings which take place on two Sundays of the year and prepare minutes.
• Organise the annual Volunteers’ Thank You party and training events.
• Attend the weekly diary meeting and staff meetings as required.

Visitor Engagement

• Oversee a programme of recruitment and training for Welcomers in customer care, welcome, experience and disability awareness.
• Compile the monthly rota for Welcomers to ensure sufficient volunteers are available Mondays to Saturdays.
• Work with the Head of Visitor Engagement to ensure a high standard of welcome to those visiting the Cathedral.

HR Administration

Supporting the COO and Cathedral Accountant:

• To support the processes for the recruitment and selection of staff
• To manage the staff employment records and filing systems, in line with GDPR practices;
• To develop and use process checklists for the HR function including recruitment, induction, appraisal and exit;
• To oversee the administration of the appraisal / performance management process, liaising with managers to ensure that they are completed on time and to a high standard;
• Maintain staff health and safety training records including recording and reporting of accidents and incidents in the office; attending the Health and Safety meeting;
• Supporting the process for DBS applications alongside the Safeguarding Administrator.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills and able to deal effectively with people from all backgrounds and abilities, combined with good organisational and administrative skills, and the ability to take ownership of tasks, and complete them with minimum supervision.

You should have experience of working with and leading volunteers, in a public facing role, with the confidence to deliver training to the volunteers and others. 

It will be important to have a professional, calm and approachable manner, to be a good listener, and able to handle challenging situations.

It is a requirement of the role that the postoholder will have a clear enhanced DBS check.

About us

Southwark Cathedral has been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years. Now it stands on the vibrant and exciting regenerated south bank of the Thames surrounded by cultural venues such as Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market, the offices of major companies as well as schools and diverse residential communities. It is an inclusive Christian community that offers a welcome to all.

The Cathedral’s mission, ministry and musical tradition are core to its life as a Cathedral and a parish church serving the community. It also relies on the valuable financial contribution made by its income generating activities such as its shop, café, conference rooms, corporate events and concerts. It is a very busy place, attracting 200,000 visitors a year to the Cathedral, its churchyard and medieval herb garden. The Cathedral relies on a small but dedicated staff team to be inclusive and welcoming to all.