Job Vacancy: Volunteers Manager

The Chalke History Festival is a week-long celebration of history that is unique in Britain which includes talks, performance, music, living history, and story-telling. It is the largest festival in the UK (perhaps the world) devoted entirely to history and attracts a local, regional, national and international audience. The festival is owned by a charitable trust set up to promote the understanding and inspiration of the past to the widest possible audience of all ages, but particularly children through the Schools Festival running at the start of the festival week.

Job Description

• Liaise with the festival management team to identify volunteering needs for the festival
• Manage the online ‘Volunteer Hub’ CRM platform used for volunteer applications, group emails, scheduling and festival feedback
• Liaise with the Marketing Director to promote available volunteer opportunities
• Assign volunteer roles and develop rosters
• Manage the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for certain volunteer roles
• Establish small Volunteer budget for welfare items, ensuring the volunteers are ‘on-brand’ (Chalke branded t-shirts, lanyards etc)
• Ascertain catering requirements of volunteers and liaise with campsite manager regarding volunteer camping arrangements
• Ensure the Volunteers Tent is fully stocked to meet volunteer needs throughout the festival
• Ensure that all relevant information is communicated from Management Team to volunteers. Organise a volunteers briefing and familiarisation prior to the festival
• Supervise set up and breakdown of the Volunteers Tent
• Liaise with wider festival team during the festival to ensure that volunteer arrangements run smoothly and that all requirements for volunteers are met
• Ensure the wellbeing and effectiveness of volunteers throughout the festival
• Collect feedback from volunteers and conduct the post-festival review of the volunteering programme. Prepare recommendations for following year
• Maintain communication with volunteers throughout the year to raise awareness of important dates and relevant information.

Person Specification:

Essential:

• DBS cleared or willingness to undergo such vetting
• Proven experience coordinating projects and large teams of volunteers
• Computer literate – Microsoft Word, Excel, Dropbox, Outlook
• Ability to speak to and communicate effectively to large groups of people (public speaking experience)
• Very strong relationship-building skills with a strong teamworking ethic
• Highly organised and effective problem solver
• Ability to manage workload with competing priorities
• Capacity to motive and inspire volunteers throughout the physically and mentally demanding festival week
• Proactive and flexible to adapt to changing needs and fresh challenges

Desirable:

• Experience using CRM packages or databases
• A working knowledge of Health and Safety issues and procedures