Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

ABOUT CITY HARVEST

City Harvest is London’s original food redistribution charity on a mission to rescue food, people, and the planet! Our HQ is in Acton Central, with satellite food rescue sites in east and south London. Our mission is to alleviate food poverty across the capital and reduce industry food waste and its harmful effects on the planet. We currently rescue and deliver enough free food for over 1 million meals a month to London communities. Our work environment is dynamic and exciting. We operate from a modern office, attached to our food rescue warehouse where all the action happens. We provide a supportive working environment, and opportunities to grow and learn while making a real difference.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Volunteer Engagement Manager, you will be responsible for developing and implementing a robust volunteer engagement strategy. You will build relationships with individuals and corporate partners, ensuring our volunteers feel valued and supported while maximising their impact on our mission. The role will cover our three distribution centres, requiring one day per week at each centre. The location for the remaining days will be determined based on the greatest need.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and deliver a volunteer recruitment strategy to attract a diverse and committed volunteer base.
• Manage the end-to-end volunteer experience, from onboarding and training to ongoing engagement and recognition.
• Cultivate relationships with corporate partners, community groups, and educational institutions to encourage volunteer participation.
• Implement best practices for volunteer management, including policies, safeguarding, and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams to align volunteer roles with organisational needs.
• Develop and execute a proactive volunteer outreach strategy, utilising digital platforms, social media, local networks, and public engagement events to increase volunteer numbers.
• Coordinate and deliver volunteer information sessions, open days, and community engagement initiatives to raise awareness and encourage participation.
• Monitor and evaluate volunteer engagement metrics, using insights to enhance the programme.
• Organise events and initiatives to recognise and celebrate volunteer contributions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all volunteer-related inquiries and support

KEY DELIVERABLES

Community Volunteers: 

• To engage with volunteers, to understand and assess their needs within City Harvest
• To ensure the development of volunteers with briefings and tailored training that will help them fulfil their role effectively.
• To maintain our online volunteering platform, including monitoring our shift schedule for the month, addressing any cancellations, and ensuring effective planning and communication with the Volunteering Team to convey any actions required.
• To support, motivate, and accredit volunteers and their work.
• To celebrate volunteering, nominating volunteers for recognition, and organising events
• To offer advice and information to volunteers and external organisations through face-to-face, telephone and email contact
• To promote volunteering opportunities at City Harvest and reach out to new volunteers, both using our profiles on online platforms and within the wider community.
• To build effective relationships with volunteers, to understand individual needs, and make adjustments accordingly. 

Corporate Volunteers: 

Our Corporate Volunteering programme is a vital part of our fundraising strategy, supporting the development of our organisation and our engagement with donors.

• To work closely with the Corporate Partnerships Manager and Volunteering Team to enable awareness of different corporate volunteer requirements and expectations. 
• To work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator/s and Transport Team to prioritise daily work tasks and coordinate with volunteers as appropriate. 
• To support the hosting of corporate volunteers, including meet-and-greet, inductions, and training, where necessary.
• To act as point of contact for corporate volunteers throughout the day, ensuring good contact, engagement, and guidance of tasks with volunteers receiving an excellent experience.

Relationship Management 

The role of Volunteer Engagement Manager plays a key part in collaboration between teams. A close relationship will need to be established within Volunteering Team, to distribute responsibilities and ensure an effective and seamless way of working. 

• To act as point of contact between Volunteer, Warehouse, Communications, Fundraising, and Food Teams.
• To attend Volunteering Team meetings as required, ensuring awareness of our key developments, strategy, and tasks to be prioritised as a team.
• To work with our Communications Team to provide materials for volunteer distributions, including creation of weekly volunteer engagement newsletter and any materials required onsite for volunteers. 
• To support the delivery of the annual Volunteer Week and any other engagement and celebration activities and strategies across the year. 
• To champion volunteering internally and externally.

  Organisation Wide Responsibilities:

• To comply with relevant equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion policies, promoting a healthy working environment where all individuals are valued.
• To comply with relevant health and safety policies, seeking to minimise hazards for others.
• To comply with relevant data protection policies, ensuring General Data Protection. Regulations are considered when making plans and decisions.
• To work as part of a wider team, undertaking any other reasonable duties appropriate for the role that may be required by the organisation.

ABOUT YOU

• Experience: Proven experience in volunteer management, community engagement, or a similar role in the charity or non-profit sector.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a diverse range of volunteers.
• Organisational Skills: Strong ability to manage multiple projects, coordinate events, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaboration: A team player with experience working cross-functionally with different departments and external partners.
• Strategy & Outreach: Experience in developing and executing outreach initiatives to expand volunteer participation.
• Passion: A genuine commitment to tackling food waste and food insecurity.
• IT Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience with volunteer management software (desirable).
• Flexibility: Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Previous experience in a similar role and/or in a similar setting managing or working with volunteers, including being a volunteer, is a must.
• Food Hygiene Level 2 is essential (you could have it completed or could be working towards it we can supply training).
• Knowledge of the social impact charity workings would be beneficial for the role.
• Strong time-management and organisational skills with the ability to manage a variety of tasks are essential for this role.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build healthy work relationships.
• Ability to cope with high work volumes and perform well under pressure is key.
• An essential requirement for the role is to be inspiring, motivating, and energising style which will engage and encourage others.
• Problem-solving skills and positive, proactive "can-do" attitude.
• Strong IT skills (Outlook, Word and Excel) with the ability to keep accurate records are essential for this role.
• Ability to build strong and effective relationships, managing a diverse range of people

QUALITIES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS AT CITY HARVEST

• Charitable
• Compassionate
• Community-focused
• Aspiring
• Trustworthy
• Collaborative team player  

JOB DETAILS

• Job Type: Full-time, permanent, Monday to Friday
• Hours of Work: 8am – 4pm (with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break)
• Salary: range between £28,000 - £32,194
• Place of Work: Role to cover our three distribution centres: Unit 8 Acton Park Estate, The Vale, London. W3 7QE, New Spitalfields Market, 23 Sherrin Rd, London. E10 5SQ, New Covent Garden Market, Nine Elms Lane, London. SW8 5BH

City Harvest London is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe in treating all employees, volunteers, candidates, and stakeholders with fairness and respect. We value the unique perspectives and experiences that individuals from different backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we strive to foster an environment that promotes equal opportunities for all.

We adhere to the Equality Act 2010 and our policy is to be fair and consistent in all aspects of our organisation. Our recruitment and selection processes are designed to select candidates based on their abilities and merits to perform the tasks required. All applications received will be dealt with confidentially and subject to our company's recruitment and selection processes. Employment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks and eligibility to live and work in the UK.

At City Harvest London, we embrace equality as part of our ways of working because we believe it is the right thing to do for our people, our community, and our success. We do not discriminate in employment based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, disability, age, marital status, medical history, parental status, or genetic information.

Application information

Please send your CV with a cover letter to jobs@cityharvest.org.uk and abib@cityharvest.org.uk

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs