Volunteering Lead and Development Officer

Job title:
Volunteering Lead and Development Officer

Report to:
Education and Employability Manager

Salary:
£25,906

Duration:
Fixed term 18-month contract, subject to extension

Hours:
35 Hours per week - normal office hours are 9:00 to 5:00pm, but this role may involve some agreed occasional out-of-hours activity and very occasional working away from the office.

Location:
Hybrid working: Working from home and the Cardiff Office (all-Wales post).

Annual benefits pro rata:

• 27 days leave, increasing by 1 day pa to a maximum of 30 days
• Up to 2 days paid volunteering leave
• Up to 3 days paid carers leave
• Up to 5 days paid study leave relating to role
• 5% pension
• Wellbeing: Access to company paid counselling support and cash back plan for healthcare
• Enhanced maternity pay

We are the Welsh Refugee Council

You will be joining us at an exciting time in our journey, helping us and the sector to support those who are forced to seek safety. With over 35 years' experience, we are trusted by the communities we serve and are seen as the lead organisation in Wales for sanctuary seekers and refugees.

You will work with amazing like-minded people- who strive to make a difference every day, and challenge hostile practices that limit people's potential.  We are an award-winning charity. You'll be trusted to get creative and help us stand out.

You can read our latest work on our website, news pages, and social media.

Purpose of the post

As our Volunteering Lead and Development Officer, you will play a crucial role in managing the volunteers within our organisation and taking this project to the next level.

You will launch our 'Volunteer Journeys' initiative, guaranteeing training, learning and growth throughout our volunteer cohort, as well as increasing engagement as effectively as possible. Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Welsh Refugee Council's mission, playing a critical role across our busiest services. Being a volunteer at the Welsh Refugee Council is core to our pathway to employment programme, and we want to ensure that volunteers continue to shape our work.

Your expertise in interpersonal communication, digital tracking and professional development will enhance our volunteer engagement efforts. This position combines administrative tasks, practical training delivery and capability building to ensure a positive volunteer experience.

The ideal candidate will be:

• A good listener, communicator, and role model
• Inventive in terms of content creation and media production
• Well-organised and able to balance multiple commitments
• Approachable and patient with volunteer concerns & questions
• Comfortable with databases, computers and IT systems
• Independent and self-managed

In return, you'll receive a decent salary, and very generous annual leave allowance. You'll have opportunities to try out new ways of working and make changes to the way we work.

Major duties and responsibilities

1.Volunteer Recruitment and Onboarding:

• Recruit: Use digital platforms (social media, email, etc.) to attract potential volunteers. Revamp our existing systems and recruitment techniques
• Onboard: Facilitate the onboarding process, ensuring volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities, including induction, ongoing support and exit interviews.

2.Database Management:

• Maintain: Keep accurate records of volunteer information, hours contributed, and skills. Make sure all active volunteers' details are up to date and involved in services of the charity.
• Track: Monitor volunteer progress and engagement using digital databases or management software. Ensure all volunteer documentation is accounted for and held securely to necessary standards.

3.Content Creation, Training Delivery, and Project Innovation:

• Create: Track volunteer performance by delivering quality skills-building opportunities and mentoring placements.
• Regeneration: Able to take our existing volunteer administration systems and external facing recruitment platforms to the next level through new engagement techniques.

4.Working within our Employability Team:

• Collaborate: Work closely with our Education and Employability team to understand volunteer aspirations and long-term goals.
• Communicate: Ensure volunteers understand our mission and how their work contributes to it.
• Identify: Find opportunities for volunteers to shadow different teams within the organisation and learn from their different skills sets.

5.Line Managing and Project Managing

• Team Allocation: Make sure volunteers have specific roles and mentors within our service teams to take responsibility for their daily tasking and work allocation
• Organisational Training: To facilitate training with volunteers about our organisation's strategy, services and targets.
• Managing: Where desired, to be involved in the delivery of our volunteer-led services, such as our Play Project and our ESOL classes, designing the services and proposing appropriate resource allocation

6.Positive Volunteer Experience:

• Communicate: Maintain open lines of communication with volunteers.
• Support: Address any concerns or challenges promptly
• Overcome: Build the confidence and self-esteem of volunteers, reducing any barriers and friction to their participation in our services

To read more about this role, please visit our website:

Application deadline: Monday 1 December 2025, 12:00.

Interviews will likely be held on Wednesday 10 December 2025 at our Cardiff office.