Job Title: Volunteering Adviser

Based at: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh or home based with a requirement to travel.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Salary: 3*

Team: People and Culture

*This role sits within a pay grade with a pay range of £34,034 to £51,052 per annum. The salary on appointment will be set at the lower end of the pay range, to a maximum of £38,172 per annum, depending on the candidate's skills and experience. This approach aims to ensure fair compensation for new hires while maintaining alignment with the structured pay scale for the role.

About us 

 Since 1935, we’ve been doing everything we can to make sure everyone everywhere can enjoy nature on foot. We lead the way, and the walks, for a community of over 100,000 walkers. And we help thousands more every year find their feet out in the open to boost their wellbeing naturally. 

The Ramblers is a charity dedicated to removing barriers so everyone can enjoy walking in green spaces and to preserving and improving hundreds of thousands of miles of well-loved paths, tracks and trails across England, Scotland, and Wales. We're committed to campaigning to keep our countryside open to all and to fighting for the things that matter most to walkers.   

Purpose of Role

Volunteers are vital to the success of the Ramblers and the delivery of our strategic goals. That’s why we’ve launched a bold new initiative to enhance volunteer experience. We’re creating a journey that is inclusive, engaging, and genuinely impactful. Our aim is for The Ramblers to be a place where every volunteer feels welcomed, valued, and supported every step of the way.

We believe volunteering should be more than giving time. It should be about finding purpose, building connections, and being part of something meaningful. We are committed to creating an environment where people from all backgrounds and walks of life feel inspired to join us, confident in contributing, and motivated to stay and grow. The post holder will be engaged in bringing that vision to life. You will work closely with key stakeholders to enhance the volunteer experience at every stage of the volunteer lifecycle, from attraction and recruitment through to development and recognition.

The role 

Operational Excellence

Provide volunteers and their managers with expert advice and guidance in all aspects of volunteering including attraction, recruitment, retention, recognition and development to ensure that The Ramblers can meet its organisational objectives.

Ensure that volunteers feel connected, engaged, valued and they understand the purpose of their volunteering role and how it fits with the vision, mission and values of the charity.

Work with the Volunteering Development Manager to develop effective policies, procedures and guidance for current and future volunteers and their managers to ensure that all employees and volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities.

Develop, maintain and review volunteer management tools and resources to support volunteers and their managers in all elements of the volunteer lifecycle, ensuring our resources hub is fit for purpose and helpful.

Support the design and delivery of online and in-person volunteer management training workshops, enabling our volunteer managers to be successful and confident in their roles.

Review existing volunteer recognition scheme and alongside the Volunteering Development Manager, support the development of a sustainable future recognition model.

Communication

Work across Ramblers teams to identify opportunities to share good examples of volunteering development and management best practice and compiling case studies for sharing both internally and externally.

Support and work with our Communications Team to input into regular communications for our volunteers.

Act as an ambassador for volunteering - developing strong relationships across the Ramblers and external networks.

Take a lead on celebrating volunteering by engaging with national campaigns, including Volunteers’ Week, Student Volunteering Week, International Volunteer Managers Day, The Big Help Out, etc.

Stakeholder engagement

Engage and proactively develop excellent working relationships with Volunteer managers across the organisation.

Assist with the implementation of the volunteer strategy across designated areas and support projects that work towards ensuring its success.

Develop and deliver stakeholder engagement through the data and engagement management system by providing various opportunities to gain skills and knowledge for individuals to fulfil their roles with confidence.

Work with key stakeholders to develop long term plans to meet recruitment needs and create succession plans for key volunteer roles to enable sustainable growth across the Ramblers.

Monitor and review the level of engagement providing data and commentary for reporting purposes through surveys and activity on our volunteer database to drive an excellent volunteer journey.

Create peer support opportunities for volunteers and employees so that they can share experiences and best practice, and learn from each other . This could include the setting up and coordination of a Volunteer Managers Forum.

Identify new opportunities for additional volunteer-led delivery, and work with colleagues to develop these services where relevant by creating new skills-based roles

Maintain our database of corporate volunteering opportunities and volunteer partnerships and strive to engage new opportunities across Ramblers.

Supporting the creation and development of inspirational volunteer events, from end to end.

Decision making

Dealing with enquires effectively making sure that the experience of interaction with the Ramblers is positive and resolution sought in a timely manner.

General

Weekend or out of hours will be required on occasion.

Other such duties as may be reasonably required of the post holder.

The Ramblers promote diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.   
     

Values and Behaviours

Our values are the core principles that guide us daily in our work and our membership of the Ramblers. We all share the passion that walking is for everyone and by living our shared values we can ensure the Ramblers is an organisation to be proud of. Our values will earn trust for the Ramblers brand which will allow us to open up a world of walking opportunities for even more people.

Inclusive

We make everyone feel welcome and part of the Ramblers community. We make sure we all feel respected and accepted and know our contributions make a difference in achieving our mission.

Inspiring

We strive to inspire people through the way we act and the things we say. We channel our passion and ambition so others are moved to help us achieve our mission.

Empowering

We empower and encourage each other to make a positive contribution to our teams and the Ramblers. We do all we can to make sure everyone has the ability, and feels confident, to take action.

Responsible

We take responsibility for ourselves and those around us seriously, by always acting in a safe and supportive way. We care about the environment and make sure we do what we say we will do.