Partnerships Officer

Partnerships Officer

Permanent Contract
Job Ref: V503
Hours/Days per week: 35 hours per week – (Flexible days/hours)
Salary: £30,000 plus attractive employee benefits package
Start date: ASAP
Location:  Homebased
Closing date: 14th June 2024
Interview date and Location: w/c 24th June onwards via Teams

About the role

At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues.  From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great.  And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive. 

People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK.  We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England.  We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team.  We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business. 

The Role: 

As the Partnerships Officer, you will support the Partnerships Team on business development, managing a portfolio of small trusts, foundations, and donors, as well as researching new opportunities. 

Our places and volunteers are crucial to us. They know their communities best. This role will support our local Delivery teams to build new partnerships and grow our places. The role will also platform the voices of our volunteers to lead the development of our services.  This post will play a key role in the Partnerships Team. 

Your core responsibilities will consist of supporting the Partnerships team & wider organisation in growing Volunteering Matters and its family of brands. Managing a portfolio of small trusts, foundations, and donors; supporting the Partnerships team & wider organisation with relationship management of major donors as well as developing and researching opportunities for business development with regional partners and stakeholders. 

Key Duties & Responsibilities 

• Support the Partnerships team and wider organisation to grow Volunteering Matters locally. 
• Manage a portfolio of small trusts, foundations, and donors, including leading on small trust applications & reports.  
• Support the Partnerships Team with the management of major trusts, foundations, and donors.  
• Play a key role in the upkeep of our library of information. 
• Stay updated on local opportunities and feed into place-based plan. 
• Develop and research opportunities for business development with partners and stakeholders including scoping opportunities and attending market engagement events. 
• Play a key role in the Partnerships Team, helping to collaborate with the wider directorate and organisation to create locally informed and systematic approaches to income generation. 
• Maintaining and actioning enquiries/information into team inbox 
• Support colleagues who are leading with events management for donor/patron & community fundraising events. 
• Supporting the Partnerships team and wider organisation to coordinate information required for reports to funders/partners. 
• Maintain database (Raisers Edge) with key reporting information. 

Experience / skills & attributes: 

• A commitment to the values and mission of Volunteering Matters, especially platforming the voices of our volunteers and young people, as determinant to our work alongside and for communities. 
• A pragmatism in understanding and working with the communities served by Volunteering Matters projects, and their respective local and third sector services. 
• An ability to support influencing of local and national stakeholders, by utilising the power of storytelling and advocating for the importance of local voice, when lobbying for social change. 
• Demonstrable awareness of the Third Sector and where relevant devolved responsibilities across the UK.  
• Demonstrable experience in using the power of storytelling within the context of stakeholder engagement and / or business development. 
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate appropriately and effectively with a range of stakeholders through a variety of means. 
• A capability to manage and engage relationships, including project reporting. 
• Evidence of good administrative and IT skills and the ability to maintain a fundraising CRM, administrative and financial records. 
• Belief in the Power of Communities with a desire to platform people and volunteers always. 
• Ability to engage in the process of business development, which includes bid writing, building operational partnerships and reporting on projects. 

Our Values & Way of Working:

In all that we do, we embrace a philosophy of ‘Freedom within a Framework’ and are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward.

This job description is intended to include the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but while some variations will be expected, these will be at an appropriate level for the role.

Diversity & Inclusion 

Volunteering Matters welcomes all applicants and are keen to ensure our team reflects the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We encourage applications from disabled, LGBT and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, along with candidates with any protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups. 

Disability Confident & Reasonable Adjustments: 

We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role. Please provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required in the “Experience/Skills” section of this advert. To be considered for a guaranteed interview or to discuss any reasonable adjustments during the process, please state this in your application or contact our HR team for more information.   

We have also committed to the following pledges which positively encompass our recruitment and selection processes and methodology: The Promise, Show The Salary, Salary History. 

Benefits 

Our employee benefits reflect our culture which is built on an approach of full flexibility with accountability, and designed to let you make your most positive contribution; we offer Flexible Working by Default (re hours & place of work), Unlimited Annual Leave, Employee Pension scheme, Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced sick and family leave. We are also open to discuss job share applications. 

GDPR Statement 

If you apply for a role with us, we will retain your contact details including your name, address, email address and phone number to help us manage your application for up to 6 months.  We will not use your personal data for any other purpose or share it with any third party. You can contact us at any point to update your personal information or ask us to delete it from our records.