Location: MK ACT Refuge Office
Hours: 20 hours per week
Salary: £13,999 per annum
Contract: Permanent
Reporting to: CEO
Direct reports: Volunteers
The Volunteer & Community Engagement Officer is responsible for recruiting, supporting, and developing volunteers, as well as strengthening MK-Act’s community connections. This role ensures that volunteers feel valued, the organisation is well-represented across Milton Keynes, and the community is inspired to engage through partnerships, fundraising, and advocacy.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Volunteer Coordination
- Act as the main point of contact for volunteers, ambassadors, and community supporters.
- Recruit, induct, and train new volunteers, ensuring a positive, inclusive, and rewarding experience.
- Provide ongoing support, supervision, and recognition for volunteers, including survivor volunteers.
- Match volunteers to roles that fit their skills and interests.
- Maintain accurate volunteer records, databases, and schedules.
- Develop volunteer management resources, policies, and best practice processes.
- Deliver volunteer training (e.g., safeguarding, confidentiality, MK-Act services).
- Manage and support MK-Act ambassador activities.
- Work collaboratively with the Fundraising Officer to coordinate receipt, organisation, recording and distribution of in-kind donations, ensuring accurate documentation and effective stock management.
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with individuals, businesses and community partners who provide in-kind donations, ensuring timely acknowledgement and appropriate stewardship to encourage ongoing support and engagement.
Community Engagement
- Build relationships with community partners, schools, businesses, faith groups, and civic leaders.
- Represent MK-Act at local events, fairs, and meetings.
- Deliver outreach activities to raise awareness of domestic abuse and MK-Act’s services.
- Coordinate MK-Act-led events, awareness days, and fundraising initiatives.
- Organise event logistics and maintain donation records.
- Oversee the Milton Keynes network of Domestic Abuse (DA) Champions, working with individuals, agencies and companies to strengthen the local response for those experiencing domestic abuse.
Monitoring & Reporting
- Monitor volunteer recruitment, retention, participation, and satisfaction.
- Collect and report data on volunteer and community engagement.
- Produce impact reports for trustees and senior management.
- Evaluate community engagement activities to inform future planning.
Safeguarding & Compliance
- Ensure volunteers receive safeguarding and confidentiality training.
- Escalate safeguarding disclosures in line with policy.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR and data protection regulations.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
- Volunteer recruitment, support, or coordination.
- Community engagement, outreach, or partnership building.
- Volunteer management best practice.
- Safeguarding and confidentiality requirements.
- Community development and engagement principles.
- Volunteer management best practice.
- Safeguarding and confidentiality requirements.
- Community development and engagement principles.
- Excellent written/verbal communication.
- Strong organisational and people management skills.
- IT/database competence.
- Passionate about supporting volunteers and community connections.
- Collaborative, inclusive, and flexible.
Desirable
- Charity/voluntary sector (desirable).
- Ability to build relationships across diverse communities.
- Committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Closing date: 27 July 2026, 12pm
Our Mission
MK-ACT is an independent charitable organisation that works to protect adults and children from domestic (and sexual) violence and abuse by providing a range of high quality support services, including places of refuge for women and children who have experienced or are at risk of DA, and working to empower and encourage survivors to rebuild their lives, free from violence and abuse.
Our primary purpose is to address domestic abuse as experienced by those of all genders through our activities and services. In acknowledgement of the gendered nature of domestic abuse, our focus is on women and child survivors of domestic abuse.
Our Aims
To provide a range of high quality and effective support services for adults and their children who have experienced, or are at risk from, domestic (and sexual) violence or abuse.
To ensure equality of access to relevant services provided by MKACT.
To promote cohesive inter-agency working and strengthening partnership working to develop strategies that will enhance the safety of and improve services for survivors and their children.
To enhance social justice by raising awareness and supporting campaigns for better laws, policies and services designed actively to prevent domestic and sexual violence, and/or to mitigate the impact of such experience.
To monitor standards and continually strive to improve our services.
“The quality of our service is only ever as strong as the team behind it. By investing in team development and building trust within our organisation, we ensure that every individual we support receives the care, dignity, and professionalism they deserve.” - Sue Burke, CEO
Our Values
- Dignity and Respect: We respect the human rights and dignity of each individual using our services, ensuring our work is informed by their testimony and places the highest priority on their safety.
- Empowerment: We are committed to providing user-centred services that address clients' needs and aspirations and contribute to their empowerment to determine their own and their children's lives.
- High Quality: We are committed to delivering high quality and effective services based on the principles of informed decision-making and supported autonomy for clients, and mutual aid.
- Cooperation and Collaboration: We value co-operation and collaboration in partnerships with other agencies that enable us to deliver positive outcomes for survivors and their children.
- Diversity: We value the diverse contributions of all our staff, volunteers and stakeholders towards the achievement of our aims.
Our Benefits:
- Pension & Contribution
- Development opportunities
- 25 Days holiday
- Training opportunities
- Regular 121 and clinical supervision
- Sick pay
- Free eye tests
- Supportive work environment
- Wellbeing strategy and monthly activities
- Staff socials
- Your birthday off to celebrate!
Taking the next step in your application...
MK Act is an equal opportunities employer committed to quality, equality and diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. This post is subject to safer recruitment procedures and regulations and an enhanced DBS check and is open to female applicants only under Schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality act 2010.
Please complete the official application form using the link below. Applications submitted without the form will not be considered.
Apply here:
https://form.jotform.com/253233664598063
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £13,999.00 per year
Work Location: In person
