Head of Volunteer Management

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Position: Head of Volunteer Management
Duration: Permanent, full time
Location: On site. While there is the opportunity for some hybrid working, the majority of time will be spent at one of TLP's locations

Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours a week, plus some after hours and weekend work

Line Manager: Chief Executive Officer
Reports: Rota Team, Volunteer Coordinators (total of 6 FTE)

The current Head of Volunteer Management, Caroline 350, will be retiring this year. The purpose of this recruitment is to find her successor.

Purpose of the Role

To lead the onboarding, support, development and retention of the 850+ volunteers who are at the heart of The Listening Place's work, and ensure consistently efficient and effective Rota management. As a member of the Leadership Team, you will ensure our volunteer model is scalable, inclusive, and capable of meeting the rising demand for our services while maintaining the courageous and empathetic culture of the charity.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Leadership Team: Contribute to the overall strategic direction of TLP as a member of the Leadership Team, representing the needs of volunteers in all decision-making.
• Strategic Planning: Design and implement a long-term volunteer support, development, and retention plan that aligns with TLP's expansion goals.
• SV Pipeline: Ensure we have the capacity to meet demand for our service by developing and maintaining a pipeline of volunteers willing and able to lead shifts and open new ones.
• Feedback: Ensure we systematically collate, consider, and appropriately act on feedback gathered from volunteers across all levels of TLP.

2. People Management and Operations

• Team Leadership: Lead the Volunteer Coordinator and Rota Teams, ensuring staff are supported, mentored, and developed to reach their full potential.
• Operational Efficiency: Ensure the Volunteer and Rota functions are efficient and effective and make the best use of available resources and technologies.

3. Volunteer Experience & Relationship Management

• Culture: Foster a positive, inclusive, and rewarding environment where volunteers feel valued and find their work personally fulfilling. Ensure that TLP is an enjoyable and socially connected place to volunteer, balancing the seriousness of our mission with a supportive and vibrant community spirit.
• Relationship Building: Build strong relationships with volunteers, particularly SVs and members of the SV Advisory Group, who shape the development of policies affecting visitors and volunteers.
• Training: Oversee the development of our ongoing training programmes, ensuring that TLP remains at the forefront of volunteer training in suicide prevention.
• Communications: Alongside the Head of Fundraising and Communications, drive the strategy for volunteer communications, ensuring all volunteers feel connected to TLP's mission as the charity grows in size and complexity.

4. Duty of Care

• Supporting Volunteers: Ensure that systems for supporting volunteers (including after visitor suicides) are robust, evidence-based, and consistently applied.
• Volunteer Performance: Fulfil our duty of care to our visitors by addressing serious concerns about the ability of volunteers to support visitors effectively and follow guidelines, and, if necessary, ask volunteers to leave the organisation
• Compliance: Ensure the volunteer lifecycle is managed in accordance with GDPR and safeguarding best practice.

5. General

• Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably required by the CEO or board, commensurate with the seniority and nature of the post.

Person Specification

Essential

• Belief in and commitment to TLP's ethos and values, including equality, diversity and inclusion
• Experience as a TLP volunteer, with a deep understanding of the unique challenges we face.
• Proven experience managing volunteers and/or leading staff teams, with the ability to build effective relationships and motivate a diverse community.
• Ability to manage the SV pipeline and contribute to wider organisational strategy to meet expansion goals, in particular through effective management of the SV pipeline.
• Ability to help the Rota team solve problems and make decisions that are informed by knowledge of the volunteer body and the way shifts work.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage difficult conversations with sensitivity and represent volunteer needs to a range of audiences.
• High level of emotional intelligence and resilience to lead and support others through high-stress or challenging situations.
• Proven track record of implementing feedback and using data/insights to improve service delivery.
• Knowledge of suicide prevention and the factors that make someone at risk of suicide.
• Ability to think independently and act with high levels of integrity and professional ethics.
• Ability to use and analyse data in line with GDPR requirements.

Desirable

• Recent experience of working in a rapidly growing charity or other organisation.
• Experience of managing a large and growing volunteer base.
• Knowledge of the development and maintenance of a large database / CRM.

Application

Please submit a Cover Letter (no more than one page of A4) and CV by 12pm on 30 January 2026. If you wish to discuss this role further, please contact Ben Ingber: ben.ingber@listeningplace.org.uk