WHAT YOU’LL DO

A cancer diagnosis impacts all areas of a person’s life. At the Irish Cancer Society, we aim to reduce this burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for everyone affected by cancer. 

To do this, the Irish Cancer Society provides a free transport service to referred patients, identified as being in need by our hospital partners. This service supports patients through the provision of a volunteer delivered, door-to-door transport service.

To facilitate this service we have over 1,200 volunteers nationally who deliver this award winning service. As the Volunteer Coordinator you will be responsible for supporting and coordinating a large team of volunteer drivers, engaging with them regularly and building a support structure that ensures the grassroots of the organisation on whom the service depends, feel supported and heard. This will include designing and developing a new community mentorship programme to ensure volunteers are connected and communicated with at local levels. You will also oversee the implementation of a support and supervision programme that ensures all volunteers have direct and regular communication with the Irish Cancer Society.

You will work with the Volunteer Manager to ensure that volunteers’ contributions are recognised and create a positive experience to encourage long-term commitment.  You will work with the Transport Team to ensure there is communication between the volunteers and the staff that coordinate the delivery of the service. 

We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in volunteering, as a volunteer or as a coordinator or support staff; experience working within project structures and with an organised and results driven approach; and a great people person who builds and grows relationships. Applicants should show a clear interest in volunteering and be passionate about the cause of the organisation. 

Main duties and responsibilities

As this is a new role, the focus for the first year will be on setting up a new programme of support and supervision of volunteer drivers. During this time, the Volunteer Coordinator will be managed by the Volunteer Manager. Once ways of working have been established, the Volunteer Coordinator will work under the management of the Transport Services Manager and will take on the additional responsibility of supervising the office team. Training and support will be provided by both the Transport Services Manager and the Volunteer Manager and the Volunteer Coordinator will work closely with both teams.

Year 1

Strategy, planning and coordination

• Design and develop a new community mentorship programme, with support from the Volunteer Manager to roll out in phases across the country
• Support the development and implementation of support and supervision programmes for all volunteer drivers
• Identify and implement opportunities for volunteer recognition and engagement
• Help to identify opportunities for recruitment and growth of the service

Analysis and reporting

• Develop and enhance efficient administrative processes for the support and supervision of volunteers 
• Ensure accurate, up to date volunteer records are maintained and accessible through the Society’s database (Dynamics)
• Participate in the continual review, development and evaluation of activities and provide reports as necessary and upon request

Reporting, evaluation and continuous improvement

• Collate findings & deliver feedback on annual volunteer survey
• Monitor the volunteer mentorship programme, ensuring continuous service improvement and delivering extra supports where needed
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement in our service delivery or operations.
• Collate statistics on driver participation and develop reports as required

Stakeholder engagement and relationship building 

• Build and maintain relationships with existing internal and external stakeholders, and develop new relationships as required 
• Build effective relationships across the Society and work in collaboration with Services Team and wider Irish Cancer Society colleagues to contribute to the successful delivery of the organisational strategy 

Community Ambassador

• Ensure the Irish Cancer Society is represented in a professional, informed and energetic manner in the community.  Be responsible for engagement, interaction and attendance at public facing events
• Attend meetings with volunteer leads nationwide both in person and online

Year 2

Team Supervision 

• Supervise and support the office team (including office volunteers) who deliver administration within a high-volume environment; processing incoming and outgoing driver queries by phone and email, including booking allocations, expenses queries, support queries and Driver Portal queries.
• Provide training and ongoing team support on Dynamics
• Complete team 1:1’s and identify any training gaps
• Manage the team rota and delegate where appropriate
• Create and maintain SOPs on service administration and delivery
• Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures, and undertake appropriate training as required
• Ensure adherence to the Society’s GDPR policies and procedures

WHO YOU ARE

The right candidate for this role is:

A people person: whether it is meeting our wonderful volunteers, working with colleagues, or engaging with members of the public, you understand what makes people tick, and can create effective, lasting relationships.

A great communicator: you are able to communicate effectively across multiple channels (face-to-face, written, digital) and adapt your style to meet the audience where they are. 

Technologically savvy: you are comfortable using digital and technology tools, including digital marketing and social media content and identifying new ways of working that technology can support. You will have a high level of proficiency in MS Office suite, and experience of working with CRM systems and databases (experience with MS Dynamics an advantage)

An effective project manager: you have proven experience in managing projects and are able to bring people together to achieve goals on time, on budget and to deliver impact.

An adaptable team player: you work flexibly and collaboratively within your direct team, and with colleagues across the organisation, building strong relationships.

An innovative self-starter with initiative, drive and an ability to work independently, think creatively, and identify opportunities.

Flexible and open to travel: You will spend time travelling across the country meeting volunteers. You will have access to your own transport to enable you to travel as required or be able to fulfil the travel requirements. 

Qualifications and Experience

• A degree or professional qualification in community development, or related field. Additional relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of a formal education qualification 
• You will typically have a minimum of 3 years relevant work experience in volunteer coordination, managing customer relationships or grassroots development. The Society measures experience based on the quality of the experience obtained, rather than in time passed and welcomes applicants at all stages of their career.
• Experience working with volunteers or ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of volunteering, why people volunteer and how we can retain them and provide the best possible volunteering experience. 

General

• The Irish Cancer Society operates a no-smoking policy and the post holder must not smoke in the office or when on Society business outside the office.
• Be willing to occasionally work outside of normal working hours.
• All employees are required to be aware of their responsibilities towards health and safety and to adhere to fire regulations.
• This job description is not exhaustive; it merely acts as a guide and may be amended to meet the changing requirements of the Society at any time after discussion with the post holder. 
• Maintain confidentiality at all times, and compliance with the Data Protection Act is an essential requirements.

Some of our Benefits:

• 23 days Annual Leave a year or Pro Rata equivalent, plus public holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Eve (if it falls on a working day) 
• Service Days - Additional days awarded to reflect long service with the Society.
• Sick Pay Scheme (following Probationary period)
• Flexitime
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (after 6 months)
• Group membership for VHI and HSF (health plans)
• Bus/Rail Ticket Scheme and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Death In Service Benefit (from commencement of employment)
• Paid Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity, Adoptive, Force Majeure and compassionate Leave)
• Learning and Development Programmes
• Educational Assistance (Study and Examination Leave)
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Optional Flu vaccine provided