Applications are invited for a full-time, Fixed Term (3 Years) Volunteer Recruitment Officer at the Council of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association.
General Description of the Role
The National Volunteer Recruitment Officer is responsible for coordinating, developing and continually improving RAF Air Cadets’ national volunteer recruitment offer.
Acting as a desk officer, the postholder provides a professional interface between HQ RAFAC, Regions/Wings, and Volunteer subject matter experts. The role ensures recruitment activity, messaging, processes and supporting materials are coherent, accessible, and aligned to organisational priorities—supporting RAFAC’s ambition to sustain and grow a diverse, capable volunteer workforce.
This role is focused on coordination, development and assurance rather than direct recruitment delivery. It involves:
- Coordinating national recruitment campaigns and activity
- Developing standardised recruitment processes and materials
- Enabling Regions/Wings to deliver effective local recruitment
- Maintaining oversight of recruitment performance, risks and opportunities
- Improving accessibility, inclusivity and candidate experience across recruitment.
Principal Areas of Accountability, Tasks and Duties
Desk Officer Responsibilities:
- Act as the primary HQ point of contact for volunteer recruitment policy, guidance and support
- Provide clear, timely and proportionate advice to Regions/Wings on recruitment activity
- Coordinate activity between HQ policy leads, communications teams and volunteer stakeholders
- Maintain oversight of recruitment activity, risks, issues and dependencies across RAFAC
- Maintain recruitment trackers, dashboards and reporting outputs
Recruitment Strategy and Policy Support
- Support the development, maintenance and implementation of RAFAC volunteer recruitment strategy
- Translate strategic intent into practical, deliverable guidance for Regions/Wings
- Ensure recruitment processes are coherent, proportionate and aligned with safeguarding and governance requirements
- Support alignment with external best practice in volunteer recruitment and youth sector engagement
- Contribute to policy development relating to onboarding, selection and retention
Campaign and Product Development
- Develop and coordinate national recruitment campaigns (digital and non-digital)
- Produce standardised recruitment materials (e.g. messaging packs, toolkits, templates)
- Work with communications teams to ensure consistent branding and messaging
- Ensure materials are inclusive, accessible and reflect RAFAC values and offer
- Promote reuse and standardisation to reduce duplication across Regions/Wings
Volunteer Engagement and Enablement
- Work collaboratively with volunteer staff to understand local recruitment challenges and opportunities
- Enable Regions/Wings by providing practical tools, guidance and support
- Capture best practice and lessons learned from across the organisation
- Support a consistent, positive and professional experience for prospective volunteers
- Ensure volunteer time is respected through proportionate and usable processes
Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
- Support the development and maintenance of recruitment metrics and reporting frameworks
- Analyse data and feedback to identify trends, risks and opportunities
- Provide evidence based recommendations to improve recruitment outcomes
- Maintain audit trails and evidence of activity in line with RAFAC governance requirements
- Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives
Skills and Experience
Essential.
- Experience in recruitment, workforce planning, marketing, or a related coordination role
- Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to translate strategy into practical, deliverable outputs
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Experience using digital tools (e.g. Microsoft 365, data dashboards, content platforms)
Desirable.
- Experience within volunteer-led organisations or the youth sector
- Understanding of recruitment marketing and campaign delivery
- Experience using CRM or applicant tracking systems
- Knowledge of equality, diversity and inclusion in a recruitment context
- Familiarity with RAFAC structures or similar organisations
General Expectations
- The postholder will operate within RAFAC governance, safeguarding and assurance frameworks
- The role supports equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly in widening access to volunteering
- The role contributes to RAFAC’s reputation as a professional, inclusive and high-quality youth organisation
Additional Requirements
This role may require occasional travel throughout the UK.
The job holder is required to comply with the RFCAs’ Code of Conduct and to avoid any conduct which discriminates against colleagues, potential employees or contractors on the grounds of any protected characteristics, as identified by the Equality Act 2010.
The job holder may be requested to be vetted to Security Check (SC) level.
This job description should be discussed with your line manager at the time of receiving your annual Personal Development Report. Occasionally, in light of changes in business need your job description may need to change. You may be requested to undertake additional or other activities of a similar nature to those within this job description, which fall within your capabilities and which are commensurate with your grade.
As part of our commitment to integrity and safeguarding all applicants for Crown Servant posts are required to declare whether, within the past five years, they have been dismissed from any employment for gross misconduct involving bullying, harassment, discrimination, or victimisation, or have left a role following a formal disciplinary process where a finding of gross misconduct related to these behaviours was made, even if dismissal did not occur.
This declaration requirement applies regardless of whether the previous employment was within the Civil Service, Armed Forces, private sector, or another public body.
A disclosure will automatically disqualify a candidate so the application must be rejected. All personal data will be treated confidentially.
Pay: £30,740.00 per year
Work Location: In person
