Administration and Volunteer Support Worker

The Open Door (Taunton) Job Description  

Administration and Volunteer Support Worker 

The working hours for this role are 25hrs per week, 5 hrs per day including a half hour unpaid break. 

Salary Range: £18,000 - £19,500 (FTE £27000 - £29250) 

Contributory NEST pension 3% of pensionable pay 

MAIN PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE JOB  

To lead on the provision of administrative support for The Open Door Support Centre and lead on the recruitment and coordination of Open Door volunteers.  

POSITION IN ORGANISATION  

Reports To: Charity Manager  

Responsible for: Volunteers  

Budget Responsibilities: None  

Principal duties  

1. Lead on the provision of administrative support to ensure the effective management of The Open Door Support Centre.    
2. Take the lead on recruitment and coordination of volunteers including training and induction programmes and maintenance of training records. 
3. Provide support to the Charity Manager when required. 

1 Day to Day Management of the Centre  

• Work with the staff team to help run the day-to-day services in a safe manner.  
• Help identify clients who are becoming agitated and help them to become calmer using de-escalation techniques. 
• In the absence of the Charity Manager, along with the Client Support Worker be responsible for the safe running of the Centre. 

 2 Administration and Record Keeping  

• Provide administrative support to the Charity Manager in the day-to-day administration of the Support Centre.  
• Take responsibility for all record keeping related to Food Hygiene 
• Assist the Charity Manager in relation to Health and Safety record keeping including inspections and risk assessments 
• Ensuring the Centre is kept clean and safe in compliance with Health and Safety Regulations  
• Help ensure that client information and other data monitoring is up to date.  
• Produce regular statistics and reports on use of the centre as required by trustees. 

3 Volunteer coordination 

• Recruitment, induction, and coordination of volunteers.   
• Organisation of the volunteer rota.  
• Ensuring the Centre can be opened on time with adequate volunteer cover.  
• Work with the volunteer team to accept, store and organise the management of non-cash donations 
• Secure and manage the receipt of food donations to Open Door from local suppliers and donors  
• Help clients with any practical needs such as laundry, clothes, post, messages and phone charging. 

4 Client Support 

• Provide support to the Client Support Worker in their role meeting the immediate needs of clients and supporting clients moving into accommodation 
• In the absence of the Client Support Worker (e.g. holidays) work with the Charity Manager to deliver the essential services required.  

5 Policies and Procedures  

The Administration and Volunteer Support Worker will work in a professional manner within the Open Door’s agreed policies, procedures and ethos which include:  

• Disciplinary Procedure   
• Equality and Diversity Policy  
• Health and Safety Policy Statement   
• Health and Safety Arrangements   
• Health and Safety Risk Assessments  
• Safeguarding Policy  
• Applying for a DBS check  

6 Any other duties  

The Administration and Volunteer Support Worker will undertake any other duties not set out in the job description as requested by the Charity Manager in order to meet the objectives of the Charity.  

7 General  

• in the absence of the Charity Manager or the Client Support Worker use discretion about not opening the Centre if the centre is not fully staffed but will inform the Trustees.   
• participate in annual appraisals with the Charity Manager and one Trustee. An appeal may be heard by another Trustee.   
• strive to maintain peaceful environment and will deal with incidents and emergencies in a calm professional manner.  In extreme circumstances clients may be suspended and the Trustees will be notified of this action.  
• be qualified to offer first aid and will operate under current Health and Safety Regulations   
• attend suitable training courses as agreed by the Trustees.  
• be aware of Government policy on and current issues related to homelessness and will be knowledgeable about diverse backgrounds and disabilities   
• (including physical, mental, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS)     

Person Specification 

Skills

Essential

Excellent people skills  

  Strong administrative and organisational skills  

  Excellent IT skills including use of Word and Excel 

  Ability to communicate effectively, in writing and in person, with clients, colleagues and partner agencies.  

  Ability to work unsupervised, use own initiative and problem solve. 

  Ability to work under pressure, prioritise and deal with stress.  

  Understanding of professional boundaries, accountability, and confidentiality  

  The ability to work with people exhibiting challenging behaviour.  

Desirable

Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 

Working knowledge of desk top publishing software, e.g. CANVA 

Personal Qualities

Essential

Warm, outgoing, and able to relate well to others, a team player.  

Energetic and able to multi-task  

Reliable and flexible  

Caring and patient, able to empathise with clients.  

 A practical, forward thinking, positive attitude. 

 Commitment to own personal development.  

Passionate about tackling homelessness and committed to working for the welfare of clients.  

 An ability to represent Open Door appropriately and work professionally with external agencies.  

Experience

Essential

Management of staff team and/or management of volunteers 

Working effectively in a team  

Desirable

Experience of working in the voluntary sector or the health and social care sector 

  Basic knowledge of statutory services that vulnerable adults may need to access.  

  An understanding of the issues affecting homeless people. 

  Working with people with mental health and/or substance misuse issues  

Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2