Head Of Programmes

About us:

The Humane League UK is a charity ending the abuse of animals raised for food by influencing the policies of the world's biggest companies, demanding legislation, and empowering others to take action. 

We're a mission-driven, energetic team focused on problem-solving and effective teamwork, and have grown significantly over the last few years. 

Thanks to our effectiveness, The Humane League has been named Top Charity by the independent evaluator Animal Charity Evaluators for every rating period since 2012.

THL UK is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to furthering equity and inclusion, and we value diversity. We seek people from a wide range of backgrounds who will bring a fresh perspective to the team, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. 

We make employment decisions by matching our organisational needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, neurodiversity, age, or veteran status.

​We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer, demonstrating our commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, based on their skills and talent.

You can read more about how The Humane League UK is working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on our website.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us via our website and we will be happy to discuss, via email or telephone, reasonable adjustments that you may require throughout the process.

The position:

You will manage our Volunteer team, requiring exceptional communication, a natural affinity for people management and organisation, and an ability to inspire people to get involved with our work. You will be responsible for the overarching strategy and success of the Volunteer Program.

Line managing two members of staff, you will ensure our Volunteer team sets and meets their strategic goals, contributing to our organisational priorities. Developing strategies which effectively mobilise our volunteers to drive campaigning work, you’ll ensure volunteers make the biggest possible impact for animals whilst remaining engaged and supported.
This role reports into the Head of Programs, while working closely with the rest of the THL UK team.

If you would like to find out more about the role you can watch our recent webinar by following the 'Apply Via Website' button.

Hours:

This is a temporary 12 month maternity cover, full-time position over Monday to Friday.

From 1st July 2024 we are piloting a four day working week across the whole of the UK organisation. This pilot is planned to run for 12 months, at which point a decision will be made by our Board of Trustees as to whether this will become permanent. Success of the trial relies on the organisation being able to achieve the same or improved level of impact in four working days as five, with staff experiencing either the same or improved levels of wellbeing. 

During the four day week pilot, working hours for this position will be reduced to 30 hours per week, spanning Monday to Thursday, with no reduction in salary. This will be a temporary change to the contractual terms for the successful candidate. The appointed person must be prepared to increase their working hours to 37.5 hours per week if a return to a five-day working week is decided. In the event that THL UK considers before the end of the trial period that the trial is having an adverse operational impact, we reserve the right to bring the trial to end on one month’s notice.

Who you are:

Volunteers will be your passion. You’ll have a deep understanding of the importance of this kind of supporter and how to best steward their specific experience and manage their unique needs. You'll understand how to best manage and recruit volunteers, mobilising our UK wide network effectively both remotely and on the ground in order to create change. You’ll know how to best communicate and engage with them in order to make the most out of their time and efforts. You are someone who wouldn’t ask volunteers to do something you wouldn’t do yourself and you’ll ideally have some kind of experience of campaigning in a paid or voluntary capacity (e.g. attending protests).

Someone with previous line management experience is desirable, as you’ll need to be able to effectively manage and lead your team of direct reports.

As a member of the Leadership level of the organisation, you’re someone who can meaningfully contribute to organisation wide decision making, thinking holistically and strategically across teams.

As the manager and leader of your team, you’ll have demonstrable experience of organising several deliverables or projects, which involve multiple teams, at any one time.

You can forward think strategically and collaboratively, considering the volunteer program as well as the work of other teams, setting realistic timelines with this in mind and meeting deadlines reliably.

You’re adaptable, and can work nimbly, with desirable experience working specifically within a campaign environment in some way, where things can change quickly and unexpectedly.

You’re someone who can keep your cool in challenging situations, being able to problem solve and reprioritise with ease to lead your team to success, even when things change at the last minute. You are able to continually evaluate and identify areas of improvement for the volunteer program, recognising key opportunities to evolve and adapt for the best possible impact for animals.

Home based, you’ll have a strong ability to work independently, but you’re also someone who can work as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

Primary Duties:

Management

Manages the Lead Grassroots Campaigns Coordinator and the Volunteer Program Administrator

• Ensures staff receive the training, resources and support to do their jobs effectively, encouraging the professional development of individual team members

• Manages and leads the Volunteer team to achieve agreed goals

• Develops volunteering goals, in collaboration with the Programs department, and is responsible for timely reporting and tracking of these

• Sets/clarifies job expectations and provides regular feedback, guidance and support to your team

• Empowers staff in the ongoing delivery of their work, from development of strategies and techniques through to successful day to day outputs

• Manages time off requests and approval of expenses for the Volunteer team members

• Manages overarching budget for Volunteer team

Strategy

• Develop and manage all plans and overarching strategy for our Volunteer team, including volunteer stewardship, recruitment and grassroots activism on the ground, ensuring the day to day is delivered effectively by the team

• Work together with the Head of Programs to develop and guide THL UK Volunteer strategy and activities, identifying key priorities and strategies to further the program

• Be an active member of the Programs department Leadership team, working closely with other managers within programs and the Head of Programs to deliver department goals

• Be an active member of the wider Leadership team across the organisation, contributing to organisation level decisions and working to ensure effective strategic alignment, ensuring Volunteer work is communicated successfully and opportunities for collaboration maximised

• Analyse & report on the effectiveness of activities delivered by the team, including timely goal reporting, feeding into funding proposals and more

• Observe and work with other organisations to learn new approaches and share/coordinate strategies, making connections with other organisations as required

Volunteering

• Lead our volunteer program to ensure our volunteers take action with us and remain engaged

• Ensure the Volunteer team organise effective and engaging actions and opportunities for our volunteers which contribute to our campaigns, working particularly closely with the Campaigns team

• Determine overarching training strategy, recruitment and internal processes for the volunteer program as a whole, with supporter experience at the heart

• Oversee our volunteering policies and procedures and their successful implementation, including regular reviews

• Ensure volunteering remains at the heart of what we do, you identify a diverse range of opportunities for our volunteers to get involved with across the entire organisation which ultimately contribute to campaign success, and high satisfaction amongst the volunteers themselves

In addition:

• Attend conferences, events, protests and actions as required

• Participate in team meetings including leading, note-taking and facilitation.

• Attend in-person workshops several times a year.

• Help us make THL UK an inclusive workplace where employees and supporters are proud to be members of the movement

• Demonstrate commitment to creating a stronger and more effective animal protection movement through inclusion and belonging, recognising the need for all of us to do better for social justice on a personal and organisational level.

• Perform any other duties assigned by the Head of Programs.

For full details of the role, including the key competencies we see as the the most important requirements for being successful in this position, please visit our website by following the 'Apply via Website' button.

Good to know:

You will have access to:

• ​A fully remote work environment and team (all equipment is provided)
• A 4 day working week (note: this is a year long pilot until July 2025 when its continuation will be assessed)
• A pro rata share of 25 days leave plus Public Holidays (reduced proportionately during four day week trial)
• ​Flexible working hours
• ​A workplace pension
• An annual learning and development budget
• Support for mental and physical wellbeing 
• £25 per month reimbursement towards home working costs

At The Humane League UK, animal welfare is at the forefront of our everyday work and as such, many of our employees are vegan by personal choice. All of our events and workshops offer only plant-based meals. We welcome all mission-aligned candidates to apply, no matter where you are in your journey to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

We are looking to speak to a wide range of candidates with diverse backgrounds - #NonGraduatesWelcome

Our employees all work remotely but still enjoy a supportive, collaborative environment.

For our salaries to be fair, transparent and equitable we want to provide a system that delivers a competitive salary in the market and could eliminate potential biases in compensation (such as the gender pay gap). For more information about the Volunteer Program Manager salary please the attached document.

All applicants need to be:

1. ​Fluent in written and spoken English.
2. ​Live and have the right to work in the UK (we are unable to consider applications from those without the right to work in the UK).
3. ​Committed to our mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

The Process:

All applicants will be contacted within one week of the closing date to let you know if you have been successful in reaching the next stage.

Our full interview process comprises of the following stages:

• A skills test to give us an opportunity to see your skills in action (completed remotely).
• Join an online interview (via video call) so we can learn more about each other.
• Final Interview (via video call as above)

For full details of our recruitment process please see the attached document.