Volunteer Officer Jobs in Bristol

SOS Children’s Villages UK is part of a global federation, which exists to ensure that each child and young person grows up with the healthy relationships they need to become their strongest selves. We are the world’s largest non-governmental organisation focused on supporting children and young people who don’t have, or who are at risk of losing, parental care.

We are now looking for a UK-based dynamic Head of Communications and Digital (maternity cover – 12 months from mid-May) to lead on the strategic implementation of communications and digital initiatives.

• Enhance our brand visibility in the UK
• Ensure effective engagement and communication with our supporters
• Create and implement our digital and content strategies
• Leverage creative content and campaigns
• Work with colleagues in the UK and across the SOS Children’s Villages Federation to achieve results. 
• Line manage two capable direct reports

If you are a proactive and collaborative communications and digital professional adept at managing a diverse range of priorities, looking for a pivotal role within a friendly, flexible, and supportive team, then this could be for you!

To Apply

Please read the full Candidate Pack attached which contains the entire job description and person specification, and submit a copy of your CV and a covering letter.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 11 February 2025, 9.00 am UK time. We reserve the right to close the application process early if a successful candidate is found.

Please note: The post-holder must be UK-based. We are unable to provide employment sponsorship if required and unfortunately cannot progress applications without the required right to live and work in the UK on a permanent contract.

Title: Trust Administrator 

Salary: £25k-£28k (pro rata, depending on experience) + Pension

Contract: Permanent (3 months probationary period)

Hours: Part-time (0.6 FTE / 3 days per week with some flexibility preferred

Location: Bristol office, plus scope for homeworking.

Responsible to: Chief Executive

About Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART)

Founded in 2012, the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) is a charity dedicated to restoring and protecting the rivers of the Bristol Avon. Guided by an evidence-based, ecosystem-wide approach, we focus on the health of the entire catchment, not just the rivers themselves.

BART began as a grassroots effort driven by a shared passion for waterways. Today, with 17 employees and an annual turnover of over £1 million, we manage multi-year projects funded by diverse supporters to preserve and enhance the Bristol Avon catchment.

We work with landowners, communities, businesses, farmers, and water companies to protect and rejuvenate rivers, lakes, and estuaries, delivering benefits for wildlife, local economies, and people. Our efforts help reduce costs for farmers and water companies and enhance public health while addressing the climate and ecological crises.

The post holder will join a growing, ambitious team delivering multi-benefit projects to protect and improve the Bristol Avon catchment, and the Trust Administrator will play a key role in supporting the smooth delivery of the Trust’s operations.

 Job summary and purpose

The Trust Administrator is responsible for maintaining the core administrative functions of the Trust to ensure the smooth operation of the charity, enabling its mission to ensure healthy rivers for wildlife and people.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the Trust Administrator will work with a range of internal and external contacts to ensure routine business functions, human and physical resources, supporter and governance liaison are working well. The role will involve working closely with the Chief Executive, but also with other members of the team, Trustees, supporters and suppliers.

The role will require exceptional organisational skills, excellent interpersonal skills, an attention to detail, and working flexibly in an agile environment. Experience of organisational administration in the public, private or charity sector, and experience of HR, meetings administration and IT are essential while purchasing and negotiating with suppliers is desirable. A helpful and positive attitude is needed, as is a willingness to embrace flexible ways of working. Adherence to certain policies and procedures is essential, including requirements such as data confidentiality and upholding a culture of professionalism.

Whilst the role is predominantly aimed at internal support, including for Trustees and supporters, external liaison will be required with suppliers, funders, partners, and the public.

Duties and responsibilities

1. Organisational administration

• Take ownership of core business administrative functions including the office space, monitoring and maintaining resources, monitoring inboxes.
• Liaison and negotiation with, and purchasing from, suppliers and providers spanning IT, resources, insurance etc.
• Assist in the upholding of key policies and procedures e.g. security and safety checks.
• Coordinate routine governance procedures including organising and minuting meetings, filing returns, and communicating with Trustees.
• Coordinate routine HR procedures including recruitment and managing confidential records, including those of staff, supporters and volunteers.
• Coordinate external IT support; undertaking routine IT administration.
• Liaison with finance staff to facilitate the maintenance of timely and accurate financial records, including assistance with project claims where required.
• Executive assistance including diary management, event and meetings organisation.

2. Contributing to the work of the BART in general

• Contribute to delivering the Trust’s objectives
• Help maintain and enhance the Trust’s reputation through external contacts
• Undertake other duties that may be appropriate to the position

Person specification

3. Qualifications and required knowledge

ESSENTIAL:

• Educated to a degree level in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience in a relevant sector
• Knowledge of relevant administrative processes and procedures
• Understanding of managing contacts in a confidential manner
• Understanding of charity governance

DESIREABLE:

• Understanding of the environmental / freshwater sector

4. Experience

ESSENTIAL:

• Demonstrable experience of organisational administration in a team context
• Setting-up and maintaining efficient administrative systems
• Use of (essential) and routine administration of (desirable) office software applications e.g. MS 365
• Experience of managing external contacts
• Working alone and as part of a team

5. Skills & Competencies

ESSENTIAL:

• Highly organised and comfortable with agile working
• Clear and correct plain English writing ability
• Excellent telephone answering and calling skills, with a wide range of audiences, including suppliers, stakeholders, and the public.
• Excellent IT skills, including use of Office 365
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent time and task management

DESIREABLE:

• Ability to negotiate and secure best value from suppliers

6. Personal Attributes

ESSENTIAL:

• Diligent and organised with an attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills and assertiveness
• Pro-active and innovative
• Open, transparent and flexible
• Commitment to a healthy freshwater environment
• Commitment to upholding professionalism

DESIREABLE: 

• Being able to maintain excellent client relationships

Miscellaneous

The post is likely to involve occasional travel throughout the Bristol Avon (Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & Northeast Somerset, Wiltshire, North Somerset) therefore a full UK driving licence and use of own vehicle is required. Mileage expenses will be paid at 45p per mile as set out in HMRC’s Approved Mileage Allowance Payment. Some evening and weekend work may be required. We will also require the successful applicant to undergo a DBS check and provide satisfactory references.

How to apply

Interested parties should submit a CV and a one page covering letter explaining why you would perform well in this role and what you could bring to BART. 

Interviews for this post will take place in Bristol, w/c 3rd March.

Please note, due to limited resources you will only be contacted should you be successful in gaining an interview. We would like to thank you for your interest in this position.

Thank you for your interest in applying for a role with the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust.

Membership Co-ordinator 

Reporting to: 

Membership Account Manager - West of England (WoE) 

Salary: 

£24,000 pa 

Hours: 

37.5 hours per week 

Terms: 

Fixed Term – 1 year, 25 days Holiday pa (pro rata, exc. Bank Holidays), 5% pension contribution, Employee Assistance Programme, Line Managers Support Line, enhanced leave (sickness, parental), flexible working, individual training budget

Location: 

Bristol based hybrid role, with regular work in Bristol warehouses, and occasional travel to Plymouth and members 

Work with: 

Membership Account Manager – Devon & Cornwall (D&C), Membership Support Officer, Finance, Compliance, Operations,  Fundraising & Communications 

Purpose of the post:  

This exciting role links our 300+ organisations that receive food from us, known as our Community Food Members (CFMs) and our thriving operation. As Membership Co-ordinator, you’ll work across the charity with the Membership and Warehouse Teams, and our large and diverse team of volunteers to support our Community Food Members that receive surplus food from FareShare South West (FSSW) delivering a smooth service to CFM’s, and efficient operations within FSSW each week.    

Working closely with the membership account managers across the region, you’ll act as a champion for our members, ensuring the service is delivered to a high standard and, communicating with the rest of the team, ensure a high level of satisfaction and retention through customer service. You will support and improve the effective integration of Membership and Operations, to ensure that our operation continues to run smoothly. You’ll be based mainly at the Central Bristol Office with occasional travel to the Plymouth Warehouse and visiting our community members across the South West.  

Key Responsibilities 

Member Support 

· Lead on liaising directly with members on onboarding, offboarding, queries, complaints, seasonal schedules and general account administration.  

· Lead on resolving daily queries and issues from our existing members (e.g. food issues, product recalls, etc.) 

· Use the Charity’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage engagement with members.  

· Food Allocation Writing – supporting/working with/covering the Membership Account Managers/ CFM Support Officer, writing allocations for Members/Routes.   

· Coordinate changes and updates to the Delivery Schedules according to seasonal demand and feedback from members – including member food profiles, contact details, addresses, delivery instructions.   

· Supporting the Membership Managers in the execution of special membership events, targeted campaigns and projects (i.e. Holiday Activity Fund (HAF)). 

Membership and Internal Stakeholder Integration 

· Liaise between the Membership Team and other internal stakeholders, to keep up to date with membership developments, including any requests for a change to service. 

· Support core functions with key developments to membership service e.g. Bulk Pallet deliveries, development of ‘Surplus Surplus’ initiatives, events, frozen food. 

· Coordinating with members and Head of Compliance to ensure high levels of compliance within the membership function. 

· Work with the Warehouse Team on developing and implementing operational improvements to increase efficiency and the quality of service provision. 

· Engage with the Fundraising and Communications Teams to provide key data on membership. 

Compliance and Health & Safety 

· Operate according to the FareShare Food Safety Manual.   

· Undertake relevant training in Food Hygiene and Health & Safety as required.   

· Maintain up to date health and safety documentation for all CFM’s. 

· Conduct in person visits of members to carry out kitchen and compliance checks. 

General 

· Be willing to receive and engage positively with any visitors to the warehouse. 

· Support FSSW events. 

· Uphold high quality customer care and standards of conduct when dealing with all stakeholders and the general public. 

· Ensure the security of the FSSW Regional Centre and all assets located within it, including food, and maintained at all times. 

· Driving duties where appropriate for membership support. 

Person Specification - Essential knowledge, skills, and experience 

· Experience in customer facing roles. 

· Initiative and energy, able to work independently and in a team. 

· Ability to develop, initiate and maintain systems and procedures. 

· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 

· Good administrative and organisational ability. 

· Problem solver and competent decision maker. 

· Full UK driving licence. 

· IT competent and able to use various IT platforms/systems. 

· A clear commitment to the ethos of FSSW, and to the agreed plans of the organisation, and able to positively contribute towards its achievement. 

· Feels comfortable connecting with members and other teams using varying tools (i.e. Phone, email, slack, teams etc). 

At Student Minds, we’re seeking a dynamic Programmes Lead - Sector Improvement to oversee our flagship University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) Programme and Award, supporting universities to adopt a whole-organisation approach to mental health and wellbeing.
 

This is your chance to:

• Lead a team delivering sector-wide impact.
• Develop and oversee the delivery of ambitious programmes, ensuring they are sustainable and high quality.
• Build strategic partnerships across the HE and mental health sectors.

If you’re a strong leader with experience in programme management, stakeholder engagement, and change management, join us in creating conditions where every student can belong and thrive.

About Student Minds:
Student Minds is the UK’s student mental health charity. We work with students, professionals, and leaders to change the state of student mental health. Our work is growing, and we are looking for an experienced and dynamic Programmes Lead - Sector Improvement to join our team.

The Role:
As the Programmes Lead - Sector Improvement, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing our sector improvement programmes, providing strategic guidance, and driving change across the HE sector to improve mental health outcomes.

The UMHC framework, launched in 2019, is a set of evidence-informed principles supporting universities to adopt a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing. To support its adoption, Student Minds introduced the UMHC Award assessment process and a holistic membership programme (‘Programme’) for universities in 2021.

Through the UMHC Award and Programme, we aim to ensure every university and HE organisation in the UK adopts a strategic, whole-organisation approach to wellbeing and mental health, creating conditions where all students can belong and succeed in the ways that matter to them. This ambitious, impactful programme sits at the heart of the Student Minds strategy.
 

The Programmes Lead - Sector Improvement will:

• Lead National Programmes: Manage a team delivering the UMHC Programme and Award Assessments, working closely with the Head of Programmes to set strategic direction and ensure successful delivery.
• Recruit and Train Assessors: Lead a team of over 40 Assessors to deliver the UMHC Award Assessment process to approximately 16 universities annually.
• Develop Events and Resources: Plan and deliver conferences, online and in-person events, and resources for our growing membership base (113 universities and counting in 2024/25).
• Build Strategic Relationships: Engage with the HE and mental health sectors to foster partnerships, identify needs, and drive improvement.
• Financial Oversight: Support annual fee reviews and manage a complex programme budget with significant income and expenditure.
• Drive Organisational Thinking: As part of the Leadership Group, contribute to shaping the future of sector improvement opportunities at Student Minds.

We are seeking a resilient, adaptable, and accountable leader who thrives in a dynamic and evolving environment.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Proven experience managing complex programmes and achieving strategic objectives.
• Strong commercial awareness with a track record of balancing cost, quality, and time effectively.
• Extensive experience in change management, including leading teams through transitions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, building and sustaining strong relationships.
• Strong team management and conflict resolution capabilities.
• Public speaking experience, with confidence in presenting complex ideas to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of system change approaches, with adaptability to evolving processes.

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Experience leading an Award Assessment Programme.
• Knowledge of the HE sector.
• Experience in or knowledge of the mental health sector.

How to apply

If you’re ready to lead our digital evolution and make a meaningful impact, we’d love to hear from you!

1. Download the recruitment pack in the document section at the bottom of this page, where you’ll find more information about the role including responsibilities and person specifications. 
2. Download and complete our application form -instead of collecting CVs, we use an application form to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all. 
3. Upload your completed application form. 

Application deadline: 23rd February
1st stage interview:5th March (online via Google Meets)
2nd stage interview: 12th March in person at our Leeds office