University of East London

JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title:
Service:
Location:
Grade:
Responsible to:
Responsible for:
Liaison with:
Volunteering Manager
Careers and Student Employability (CaSE)
Docklands/Stratford/Satellite sites
F
Employer Liaison Manager
Volunteering Officer
Students, Deans of Schools, relevant Directors
of Services, external organisations, and CaSE
Team members
JOB PURPOSE:
To manage, develop and deliver an effective volunteering offer for UEL students,
being the face of UEL Volunteering for students, internal departments and external
organisations.
Main Duties:
1.
To lead and develop UEL’s Volunteering Scheme, embedding volunteering into
students’ experience and providing employability skills development
opportunities through volunteering opportunities.
2.
To build relationships with UEL schools and departments to identify the most
suitable opportunities for their students, taking account of sector-related
preferences, opportunities for reflective learning and flexibility around the
academic curriculum. This includes dual-delivery of UEL’s Volunteering Module.
3.
To develop and maintain strategic external partnerships across the local
community, securing meaningful and relevant volunteering opportunities for
UEL students.
4.
To ensure the provision of a dedicated and professional customer facing
service, through university-wide marketing and delivering events such as
Student Volunteering Fortnight, Volunteering Fairs and other high-profile
events.
5.
To lead on and link the introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme
with UEL’s Volunteering Scheme.
6.
To ensure effective preparation processes and programmes are developed and
delivered on a regular basis to ensure that UEL students are adequately
prepared for applying to and completing relevant volunteering opportunities
Page 1 of 5
7.
To ensure that robust systems are established and maintained, to ensure the
well-being of students engaged in volunteering. This includes managing UEL’s
online volunteering portal, assessing suitability of opportunities registered and
keeping it up to date.
8.
To ensure agreed targets and objectives are met in the volunteering scheme.
9.
To line manage and set reasonable and appropriate targets for the Volunteering
Officer in terms of their workload and priorities.
10. To effectively lead, manage and appraise the Volunteering Officer, identifying
their learning and development needs and ensuring that they have the support
they need to achieve the service’s goals.
11. To work with other CaSE team members to ensure that students completing
volunteering opportunities are well equipped to articulate the value of the
experience gained and market it to future employers.
12.
To identify good practice and trends in graduate employment to ensure that the
University benefits from best practice, including productive engagement with
recognised organisations professional associations such as Student
Volunteering Network, IVR and Team London.
13. To manage the marketing of UEL’s volunteering offer using the web and other
appropriate methods, working with members of the team and liaising with the
Corporate Marketing Team and outside agencies where necessary.
14. To produce relevant information, proposals, reports and presentations for UEL’s
senior management team, Schools, Services and external bodies.
15. To collect, evaluate and monitor relevant data and statistics to allow for
strategic and operational planning and ensure the service is able to meet
institutional objectives.
16. To evaluate the impact of volunteering on students’ employment prospects.
17. To chair/attend team meetings as required; attend appropriate
meetings/networking events both externally and internally.
18. To take a flexible approach to work (attendance at early morning and evening
meetings will be required).
19. Any other duties, in line with the level of the post, and as directed by the
Employer Liaison Manager or the Director of CaSE.
20. To work in accordance with UEL’s Equality and Diversity Policies.
Page 2 of 5
PERSON SPECIFICATION
EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
Essential criteria
 Degree or equivalent (A/C)
Desirable criteria
 Training and development qualification (A/C)
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Essential criteria

Experience of successfully negotiating and networking with a range of
external organisations and solid knowledge of third and public sector practices
(A/I)

The ability and passion to manage successful volunteering initiatives including
managing relationships, processes, volunteers and events. (A/I)

Experience of analysing data and producing reports for senior management.
(A/I)

Experience of managing staff and resources. (A/I)
Desirable criteria

A range of contacts in the voluntary sector (A/I)

Experience of evaluating impact and providing solutions (A/I)

Experience of event management and coordination (A/I)

Excellent IT skills with clear proficiency in Word and Excel packages and use
of the internet (A/I)
Page 3 of 5
COMMUNICATION:
Essential criteria

Ability to communicate using a variety of mediums to internal and external
audiences including senior managers, students, graduates and employers,
including delivering presentations (A/I)
INITIATIVE AND PROBLEM SOLVING:
Essential criteria

Experience of using own initiative to resolve problems and creativity to drive
development. (A/I)
TEAMWORK & MOTIVATION:
Essential criteria

Ability to manage and motivate own and wider team to ensure institutional
objectives are met by delegating appropriately, overseeing projects in a
supportive manner whilst being clear about objectives and expected
outcomes, giving feedback on progress in a timely and honest way and
developing staff using the SDR process.
PLANNING & ORGANISATION:
Essential criteria

Ability to plan for the efficient and effective delivery of the volunteering
scheme, being aware of service and institutional objectives.

Ability to measure and monitor progress against objectives whilst being
flexible enough to take into account unforeseen changes or new opportunities.

Ability to plan major and minor events for the service and with partners.
making appropriate decisions concerning resources and taking into account
student and graduate attitudes and behaviours.
DECISION MAKING:
Essential criteria

Ability to make independent but appropriate decisions that affect own team
and others, whilst keeping relevant people informed and staying within
budget.
Page 4 of 5
OTHER ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
Essential criteria

Willingness to travel and work across sites (A/)

Commitment to and understanding of equal opportunities issues within a
diverse and multicultural environment (A/I)
Criteria tested by Key:
A = Application form
C = Certification
I = Interview
P = Presentation
R = Research papers
T = Test
Page 5 of 5