Starting Salary: £35,668 – £39,005 (Pro Rate to 14 Hours)
Contract: Permanent
Location: Home-Based Role (living within or very close to the area covered)
Hours: Part-time (14 hours per week)The area covered comprises the Catholic dioceses of Birmingham and Portsmouth & the post holder must be able to travel widely around the area covered.
Job Profile
CAFOD works with the Catholic community in England and Wales to tackle poverty and injustice.
As a Community Participation Coordinator (Education Focus), you’ll grow engagement across Catholic schools, parishes and communities in the Birmingham and Portsmouth dioceses. You’ll inspire people to give, act and pray, while recruiting and supporting volunteers and building strong relationships with clergy, school leaders and diocesan partners.
Working within CAFOD’s national Education Team, you’ll collaborate locally to increase school participation and strengthen volunteer networks. This role is primarily school-focused, with occasional parish engagement.
This is a home-based role, requiring regular travel across the dioceses and occasional visits to CAFOD’s London office. Flexibility is key, with some evening or weekend work and occasional transport of resources (expenses and time off in lieu provided).
Key Responsibilities
Delivering participation plans
- Share accountability for delivery of annual participation plans for the region (a group of dioceses) with a primary focus on one diocese or area, and share in the delivery of fundraising, education, campaigns and media objectives and targets, as delineated by the participation plan for the region. This role will have a focus on schools’ engagement.
- Contribute to the development of activities to achieve objectives in support of and appropriate for local contexts. Through increased numbers and activity of school volunteers, more Catholic schools will be visited by a CAFOD volunteer.
- Maintain regular outreach, promotion and relationship-building with volunteers and key leaders in parish and school communities and Catholic church and education networks.
Managing volunteers
- Be the lead volunteer manager for an identified portfolio of volunteer roles locally and ensure effective coordination and communication.
- In discussion with your manager, agree on targets for recruiting and retaining volunteers.
- Match the offers, skills, experiences and expectations of volunteers with opportunities and needs in relation to CAFOD’s plans for schools.
- Ensure each volunteer is appropriately inducted, briefed, trained and resourced
- Organise and promote volunteer meetings and training opportunities online/offline to either to deliver themselves or by another member of the Education Section
- Ensure data is regularly recorded, accurate and up to date on CAFOD’s database.
Managing relationships and promotion
- Represent CAFOD in the diocese and ensure CAFOD retains a diverse range of relationships including with priests, school staff, academy trusts and others within a diocese, where appropriate.
- Ensure CAFOD is promoted via various diocesan communication channels, working with diocesan communications officers and school communities.
- Be a point of contact for local broadcast and print media, to increase opportunities for Catholics to hear about CAFOD’s work, working with and through media volunteers where possible.
All staff are expected:
- To attend and contribute to regular Team, Section, Group and CAFOD-wide meetings and briefings
- To participate in training and other activities as requested by the line manager
- To work as a supportive member of the team, providing cover for and training of other team members and volunteers as required
- To be accountable for the achievement of objectives set by the line manager.
Person Specification
Understanding our context
- Sympathetic understanding of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, including parish and school communities, and the ability to work effectively within these settings.
- Commitment to and support for CAFOD’s vision, mission and values.
Working Together
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships quickly, influence and inspire others.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Strong partnership-building skills, particularly with volunteers, supporters and community groups.
- Effective communicator, able to promote CAFOD’s work and share information and good practice with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Collaborative approach, with a willingness to support colleagues and contribute to shared goals.
Making Change Happen
- Strong planning, organisational and time-management skills.
- Confident in using data to inform planning, monitor progress and report on outcomes.
- Results-focused, with the ability to meet targets and contribute to regional objectives.
- Able to motivate and engage others to achieve successful outcomes.
Job-specific competencies
I. A demonstrable commitment to volunteering and understanding of its potential as a force for change.
II. Experience of managing multiple relationships with volunteers and a wide variety of volunteers, including recruitment and retention, and managing volunteer performance.
III. Willingness and ability to travel extensively to all parts of the area covered and to travel to other parts of the region/country as needed. At times, it will be necessary to transport equipment and resources and to be flexible to work evenings and weekends.
IV. A proven ability to work within the Catholic education setting.
Desirable Criteria
An understanding of international development and the causes of world poverty and how it affects different individuals, groups and communities.
CAFOD is a welcoming, supportive workplace committed to a safe, inclusive culture where everyone is respected. CAFOD will make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disabilities or individual needs are fully supported.
Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults
CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues. If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service). If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.
Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits
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