Volunteering & Community Officer

Being a Volunteering and Community Officer is all about connecting with people. It’s about helping everyone to get involved and feel welcome at National Trust places. Working with volunteers and local communities, you’ll be making a vital contribution to the Trust’s cause of protecting and caring for places so that people and nature can thrive – now and into the future. This role may involve managing volunteers. The role will include some weekends and evenings.

Contract: 12 month fixed term contract.

Hours: 37.5 hrs per week.

What it's like to work here:You’ll be reporting to the General Manager at Mount Stewart. The garden is one of the National Trust's most extraordinary, captivating and special, mirroring the elaborate design and planting mastery synonymous with Edith, Lady Londonderry. The house's elegance and allure have been restored to reflect its early 20th-century status as the Londonderry family residence, showcasing an impressive array of historical objects and artworks.

We have introduced a series of walking paths that unveil the estate's stunning vistas and the wildlife that resides here, including the treasured native red squirrel. We're continuing a journey to bring our woodlands into favourable condition, both in biodiversity and climate resilience. The demesne nestles on the shoreline of Strangford Lough and is protected by the Lough on one side and the Ards Peninsula on the other; these unique factors and the influence of the Gulf Stream create a microclimate that is almost frost free.

The Strangford Lough team is based nearby and is responsible for managing multiple sites across Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula, totalling over 5,000 hectares of coast and countryside. Strangford Lough is the most heavily designated nature conservation site in Northern Ireland and is internationally important for its coast and marine natural heritage. Across the peninsula the wide variety of places we care for include key sites such as Ballymacormick Point and Orlock on the North Down coast and Kearney village near Portaferry.

Every day is different - if you like variety and working in beautiful and special areas, ensuring they are cared for well and enjoyed by a wide range of people, this is the role for you

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What you'll be doing:As our Volunteering and Community Officer, you'll be supporting the wider team by exploring and building links with the local community. You’ll help to make this a flexible, positive and inclusive place for partners, community groups and current and future volunteers to get involved.

You’ll be working with several Trust teams at Mount Stewart as well as our nearby Strangford Lough team, so your days will be full of variety. Across the house, garden and wider estate, you will help us review and develop how we support our Volunteers and Volunteer Managers, ensuring everyone has great mutually beneficial experiences at every stage of the volunteering journey, from recruitment through to induction, training and further development. You'll work to support existing volunteering experiences, as well as coming up with new ideas for involvement.

You’ll develop new ways of working together, and deepen relationships with existing and new audiences. You’ll also help to hone the skills our teams need in order to welcome and work with all kinds of people.

Who we're looking forWe'd love to hear from you if you’re:

• Enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the benefits of volunteering
• Someone who loves working with volunteers, and who understands the differences between staff and volunteers
• Good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people from all backgrounds, and you understand why great customer service matters
• Flexible and collaborative, a team player who’s happy to lead on and work with other people’s agendas towards a shared goal
• Well-organised, with good attention to detail
• Experienced in volunteering principles and practice
• Comfortable with IT skills (Microsoft Office), and managing budgets

The packageThe National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Tax-free childcare scheme
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places