Volunteer and Business Support Manager

Volunteer & Business Support Manager- Southwest Area

Location: HMS Flying Fox, Winterstoke Road, Bristol, B23 2NS

Contract: 12- month FTC

Salary: £41,300 gross per annum

Closing Date: 31st March, 2025

Interviews: 9th of April, 2025

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is the leading maritime charity for youth development and lifelong learning. We are a vibrant and growing charity inspiring young people to achieve their potential through challenge and nautical adventure and also enabling seafarers and maritime professionals to realise their potential through learning and career development. Working with our employees, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a strong vision and five-year Future Ready strategy to meet the growing demand for what we provide, both for young people, seafarers and maritime professionals – and the thousands who aspire to be the sea cadets and marine professionals of the future. It is also about equipping them to achieve their potential and thrive in a rapidly changing world, while growing our charity to benefit even more people – including those from under-represented or marginalised groups.

We are currently looking for a Volunteer and Business Support Manager for the Southwest Area to join our team.

About the role

The Volunteer & Business Support Manager (VBSM) is a full-time employee of MSSC, and is a member of the Area Officer's (AO) staff.  The VBSM will work in close liaison with the NSC Business Management Team and will be functionally accountable to the Assistant Director of Business Support (ADBS) for business, volunteering & growth-related matters.

The role will undertake evening & weekend working as required to fulfil the requirements of the role and will be required to travel to other MSSC, Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) (and other organisation's facilities), especially within the designated Area of the MSSC, but also to its London National Support Centre.

Due to the nature of the work, this post is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the post holder will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Purpose of the Role

All cadets, instructional and uniformed volunteers join the national Sea Cadet organisation, with the local charity operated by a Unit Management Team (UMT who are the local trustees). The Area team supports the Sea Cadet units that fall within that geographic area.

This post will play a key role in the delivery of effective support for volunteers (both uniformed and non-uniformed volunteers), the growth of Sea Cadets and good business practice in support of MSSC's objectives under its Vision and Strategy.

The key elements are to:

a)       Support volunteers and units by overseeing all aspects of business management and governance across Sea Cadet units (whom are independent charities) in the Area including the development of capacity and capability of their units through advice or signposting (where appropriate) on business, volunteering, growth, compliance, finance, fundraising & promotion, health & safety, recruitment, and property issues.

b)      Support the AO through:

-       Contributing to the development and monitoring of the Area business plan.

-       Overseeing the Area budget.

-       Compliance monitoring and management of business risk.

-       Identifying growth opportunities.

c)       Line manage Volunteer Support Officer/s (VSO) and liaise directly with their functional manager in relation to their allocated workload.

Responsibilities

The following is a list of the key responsibilities of the post holder but it is not exhaustive.

Area office

a)       To oversee all business aspects of Area Office management, including monitoring and oversight of the Area budget in liaison with the AO and with support from NSC.

b)      To manage the Area office budget.

c)       To provide input into Area property assets.

d)      To be a member of the Area management team, under the leadership of the AO and to report on volunteer, business support, growth and governance both within the Area and nationally as appropriate.

e)      To contribute to and monitor targets within the Area Plan.

f)        To lead the risk register process within the Area.

g)       To assist and/or lead in staffing of appropriate projects as delegated by the ADBS.

h)      To support the reviewing of national policies & procedures and take part in appropriate pilot projects in agreement with the ADBS.

i)        To work with the Head of Growth, Development & Outreach, to ensure the Growth & Development and Area teams work together effectively on development projects and growth initiatives through new units, sections & detachments. 

j)        To line manage the Volunteer Support Administrators and, in liaison with the VSAs functional manager, the Volunteer Support Manager, to ensure the area team provides a joined-up approach to supporting the volunteers.

Volunteer and Business Support

a)       To   support, mentor   and   advise   unit   management   teams on the governance and management of their units and compliance with relevant charity and statute law, Sea Cadet Regulations (SCRs) and other rules and guidelines issued by MSSC. This includes supporting new unit Chairs over the first few months of their appointment in role.

b)      To contribute to the UMA/UR process in line with the relevant guidance.

c)       To give advice on fundraising or finance to UMTs and if required signpost them to the national fundraising officer at NSC or the Regional Finance Manager in order to enable units to identify and realise business and funding opportunities to support their activities.

d)      To lead the Area Management Team in identifying growth opportunities to build capability and capacity across the Area, including supporting the establishment of new units, section & detachments as well as   the recruitment and development of new adult volunteers & Sea Cadets to support the MSSC growth agenda.

e)      To make and approve referrals to the Growth and Development Team, liaising with both the Head of Growth, Development & Outreach (HoGDO), the relevant Team Leaders and Growth & Development Workers regarding growth and development projects.

f)        To liaise with the Area Training Manager on the training and development needs of trustees, assisted by the Area & District Chairs.

g)       In exceptional circumstances, where the UMT has dissolved or been dismissed to call Extraordinary General Meetings, and assist in the election of new UMT's for Units, as necessary.

h)      To appoint (if necessary) interim unit Chairs in accordance with the Sea Cadet constitution.

i)        To oversee the management of incidents and complaints against members of the Corps, in line with the complaints process.  

j)        In the absence of the AO to act as the point of contact for the NSC SGT for all Safeguarding enquiries.

k)       To ensure that the Area Chair is updated on matters of concern and interest affecting UMTs within the Area.

l)        To contribute to the Area Awards process in line with the Awards and recognition procedure.

Estate

a)       To give advice to UMTs and if required signpost them to the NSC property adviser for all leases, deeds, property & estate matters or capital fund enquiries.

b)      To manage the Annual Premises Fund grant application process for the Area and any other MSSC grant funding that may become available.

c)       To give advice to UMTs on all insurance related matters and if required signpost them to the commercial insurance company.  To support the Volunteer & Business Support Coordinator in ensuring all units are appropriately insured for buildings, contents, marine assets and minibuses. 

d)      To be the focal point within the Area for contact with Reserve Forces and Cadet Associations (RFCA) on estate issues.

Development and Representation

a)       To attend appropriate Unit, District & Area functions & events.

b)      To ensure, with the assistance of the Area Chairs and the Area Office Team as required, the arrangements, delivery and conduct of the annual Area Volunteer Conference.

c)       To maintain and foster links with appropriate external organisations, including MSSC branches.

Requirements

·       Experience of delivering business advice and contributing to business, growth and development plans.

·       Managing and administering budgets.

·       Working in conjunction with and supporting volunteers

·       Experience of case, complaints and investigation management.

·       Communication and interpersonal skills (written and spoken) with the ability to present information in a manner appropriate to the audience, including delivering presentations to large audiences.

·       Building partnerships - Good influencing skills and an ability to foster and maintain successful working relationships with colleagues and contacts.

·       Self-servicing – ability to self-service and work unsupervised, organising own workload, meeting deadlines and taking the initiative, whilst working as part of a team.

For further information, please download the Recruitment Pack. If you are interested in this role, please apply now

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave per annum increasing with length of service
• Hybrid working for many roles
• Life assurance (4x salary)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.

We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC's values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire. 

All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo pre-employment checks including a criminal record check.