PROGRAMME OFFICER

About Us

Unfold is led by the people we serve and we get people where they want to be. We’re a bold, agile and growing organisation, with a friendly, energetic and welcoming team. As an established local charity (previously known as Westminster Befriend a Family), we’re powered by volunteers who support young people and families to identify and achieve goals that matter to them. We provide mentoring and peer support groups to people in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and the neighbouring boroughs.

We’re open to everyone, but we target those who face the most challenges: 93% of the people we work with describe themselves as coming from a racialized group, 85% of the families we support are single-parent households headed by a woman, and 75% of the children we support are eligible for free school meals. We also run specialized programmes of support for people seeking asylum and those with refugee status. Last year we provided one-to-one mentoring to over 246 people, and group support to a further 252 people. With increasing demand for our services, we expect to provide direct support to over 350 individuals in the coming year.

About the Role

We're seeking a driven, empathetic, Programme Officer to help make a difference in the lives of asylum seekers, refugees, and young people in London.

As a Programme Officer, you'll play an important role in supporting our work, from helping recruit and train volunteer mentors to ensuring our CRM system is up to date and being the first point of contact for young people and their families. You’ll also ensure our mentors feel supported and will help them to provide a great experience for the young people they support.

Your role will also involve hands-on activities, like organising half-term trips, running weekly Youth Support Groups, and working directly with young people in temporary accommodation.

About You

You'll be a confident communicator, who enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds and has a passion for supporting children and young people to improve outcomes. Alongside an excellent ability to manage multiple tasks, you'll also be able to work as part of a growing team. You'll have empathy for people in challenging circumstances such as those seeking asylum, and will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges that young people go through on a daily basis.  

Virtual Drop-In Sessions

We will hold drop-in sessions for any questions you have about the role. The first session will be held on Wednesday 11th of September between 12-1pm and a second session on Tuesday 17th of September between 1-2pm. Please see the additional information for more details. 

Working with Us

• Holidays: 25 working days (along with additional Christmas closedown days)
• Pension: We offer generous pension provision: New staff are automatically enrolled for a pension after three months, and after six months we will match your contribution up to a maximum of 8%.
• Salary: We are committed to paying the London Living Wage in line with the Living Wage Foundation and review salaries annually.
• Team Working: We are a small but brilliant team: we're supportive, diverse and we help each other out. There are always opportunities to get involved in different aspects of the organisation, or lead on new initiatives.
• Wellbeing - How we feel matters: Staff have access to a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, and our staff Wellbeing Champions support the delivery of our Wellbeing Strategy. Staff can join free on-site yoga classes, monthly massages and regular ‘Drinks and Links’ sessions with the team and colleagues in similar organisations.
• Flexible Working: We're happy to consider flexible working arrangements in line with the requirements of the role.
• Hybrid Working: We work from the office or at least two days a week between Tuesday and Thursday. (Depending on your role you may need to work from the office or other London locations on other days.)
• Ecofriendly, Modern Offices: We work in a beautiful, accessible, eco-friendly co-working space with a number of other charities, with plants, a leafy roof terrace and free hot and cold drinks, breakfast cereals and fruit. With comfortable spaces to read quietly or talk in a group, our workspace is somewhere you'll want to be. You can find out more about our on-site benefits at the Fivefields website.