Community volunteer coordinator jobs in belfast

About StreetVet

Homelessness continues to rise across the UK, and for many individuals experiencing it, their pet has been a vital and integral part of their life, often long before they lost their home. The bond between a person and their animal can be profound, offering emotional support, companionship, and a sense of purpose. For many, their pet’s wellbeing is a top priority, even in the most challenging circumstances. 

Accessing veterinary care while living on the streets, sofa surfing or living in a hostel or temporary accommodation provider can be incredibly difficult. That’s where StreetVet comes in. We are an award-winning national charity and a registered veterinary practice with the RCVS, providing free, accessible vet care to pets belonging to those experiencing homelessness across the UK. Our dedicated team of volunteer veterinary professionals deliver essential services where support is needed. We take our experience out of the consulting room and onto the pavements to provide the same first opinion vet care you would expect to receive in a practice. 

StreetVet also works to remove barriers to accommodation and homelessness service through our Accredited Hostel and Day Centre Scheme, which helps hostels, day centres, and hubs implement positive pet policies and become pet-inclusive. This includes free veterinary care for registered pets, staff training, essential pet supplies, and access to virtual vet consultations via our telemedicine platform. The scheme empowers hostels to welcome pet owners without forcing them to choose between a roof over their head and their beloved companion. 

How Our Work Is Making a Difference 

For someone experiencing homelessness, their pet can be a lifeline, offering unconditional love, emotional stability, and a reason to keep going. Many of our clients may have faced trauma, relationship breakdowns, addiction, and mental health challenges, making it difficult to build trust. StreetVet’s approach is rooted in compassion and accessibility, meeting people where they are to ensure no one is excluded from care. 

Operating in more than 20 locations currently across the UK and growing each year, we provide free essential and emergency veterinary services that keep pets healthy and happy. In doing so, we nurture a bond that is healing and empowering, helping people rebuild their lives, reconnect with their communities, and move forward together with their pets. 

Together with the critical support of a host of renowned organisations backing our team, StreetVet is changing the future for the pets of those experiencing homelessness who may otherwise have to go without the care they need and deserve. 

Role Description

The Hostel & Day Centre Coordinator (North) will work closely with the Hostel and Day Centre Manager and the Coordinator (South) to ensure the effective administration and smooth day-to-day operations of the StreetVet Accredited Hostel & Day Centre Schemes. This role plays a key part in welcoming and onboarding new hostels and day centres into the network and supporting the ongoing engagement and success of existing partners. By fostering strong relationships with hostels, day centres, suppliers, and sponsors, the post holder will help build a connected and responsive community that ultimately supports more pets accessing hostels and day centres. Acting as a central point of contact, they will collaborate across internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure queries are addressed efficiently and support is delivered consistently. 
 
StreetVet is a small team of 15 employees and so we expect people to be highly flexible in their roles, a team player with a “can do” attitude, willing to turn their hand to anything that needs to be done. 

Please see our our Job Description attached for further details.

JOB TITLE: Director, Herts Welcomes Refugees

Salary: £40-45,000

Full time, remote, with regular travel across Hertfordshire required with potential for flexible hours

Responsible to: The Trustees through the Chair

Responsible for: The staff team Functional links with: The Trustees, the Management Committee, other relevant partner organisations within Hertfordshire and with refugee, asylum seeker and migrant organisations nationally.

Herts Welcomes Refugees is the leading charity in Hertfordshire providing welcome and practical support for refugees and asylum seekers.

With a new NLCB grant we need to develop in a way that is structured and sustainable, and that’s where you come in! Working closely with the Trustees, you’ll ensure that our passionate volunteers and staff team are enabled to deliver effectively for the refugee and asylum seeker communities we serve in Herts. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the organisation’s future. You’ll help us to support volunteers and staff and make sure that day-to-day services are responsive and align fully with our mission, vision and values. Ultimately, you will help build the strong foundations and infrastructure enabling HWR to grow sustainably, deliver high-quality services, and deepen its impact for the communities we support.

Why work with us?

• Be part of a small, passionate, and values-driven team making very tangible differences for refugees and asylum seekers

• Help shape the future of the organisation at a pivotal stage of its development

• Take on a broad and varied leadership role

• Receive support for professional development and training

• Enjoy a remote and flexible working environment.

Introduction

Herts Welcomes Refugees is at a transitional stage of its development, moving from a charity 
managed entirely by volunteers to one in which a small team of paid staff at its core facilitate and 
support the trustees to guide the work of the 170 or so volunteers. The staff team currently 
comprises a Volunteer Coordinator an IT Support Assistant and soon we will also be recruiting an 
Administrative Assistant. The Director will also work collaboratively with the (volunteer) 
Management Committee, the volunteer teams delivering services across the county and those 
volunteers providing support in key areas such as evaluation media and safeguarding.

Having come through a period of rapid development in the last four years, we now need to 
consolidate our knowledge and experience and further professionalise how we operate to ensure 
the sustainability and further development of the charity. Whilst committed to remaining a 
volunteer led charity, we need an energetic and experienced Director to support the trustees in
achieving our objectives and take the charity into the next phase of its development.

This brand-new senior role, which is being created as part of a new three-year funding programme by the
National Lottery Community Fund, is key to the next stage of our development. The postholder 
will need to be flexible in working with the Trustees, existing staff team and volunteers to help 
steer the charity through this transition. 

Main purposes of the job: 
1. To work with the trustees and volunteers in developing, supporting and facilitating the work of 
the charity and its volunteers to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, quality and consistency of 
the services provided to refugees and asylum seekers.
2. To be responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of HWR in line with the 
organisation’s policies and in compliance with all applicable law and regulation and to manage the 
staff team to increase the efficiency of the administration of the charity.
3. To support the trustees in achieving HWR’s vision, mission and charitable objects and strategic 
objectives and ensure the sustainability of the charity
 

Major duties and responsibilities:
1. Working with trustees, staff and volunteers
1.1 To manage the staff team to ensure that individual volunteers and area teams are supported 
and enabled to offer effective services across the county. This will involve regular travel across Hertfordshire.
1.2 To work with the management group to ensure its effective organisation.
1.3 To ensure that HWR's values, vision, mission are promoted and practised throughout the 
organisation. 
1.4 To establish and maintain an effective system for the recruitment, management, training, 
support and development of volunteers and staff.
1.6 To support the organisation to ensure the inclusion and voice of service users throughout the 
organisation.
1.7 To ensure that structures and systems are in place to comply with law and regulation and to 
implement the charity’s policies.
1.8 To report to the trustees on the progress of the organisation and on other matters relevant to 
the discharge of the trustees’ responsibilities. 
1.9 To formulate proposals for submission to, and approval by, the trustees. 
1.10 Working with the trustees, to ensure that the organisation discharges its constitutional and 
legal obligations and that the necessary resources are provided and proper standards maintained
for the protection of people and the organisation's assets.

2. Fundraising, Financial and Risk 
2.1 To support the trustees in relation to HWR’s income generation activities in line with the 
organisation's priorities.
2.2 Together with the trustees to consider development of other income streams, including 
corporate fundraising and legacies.
2.3 To work with the Treasurer to help develop and monitor the budget. 
2.4 To oversee HWR’s outsourced payroll administration 
2.5 To support the trustees with identifying and managing risk.

3. Knowledge and Information Management
3.1 To develop and implement robust mechanisms for the monitoring, reporting and evaluation of 
HWR’s work, and the impact and outcomes of its services.
3.2 To work with trustees and staff and volunteers to ensure the efficient operation of the charity 
through the development of IT infrastructure, and efficient and effective delivery of services and 
back-office administration. 
3.3 To work with trustees and staff and volunteers to ensure compliance with all regulation and 
good practice in relation to data confidentiality, security, safeguarding and GDPR.

4. General Tasks
4.1 Share with other staff responsibility for providing office cover, including answering the 
telephone and website enquiries, keeping records and statistics and self-servicing your own 
administration. 
4.2 Carry out such other duties and responsibilities as may reasonably be required by the trustees, 
commensurate with the objectives and level of responsibilities held by the post. 

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION 
Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Abilities

Strategic Thinking and Service Delivery
• Knowledge and experience of the UK voluntary sector, preferably including the refugee and 
asylum sector and issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers
• Understanding and experience of working effectively with a range of partners to deliver 
services and effect positive change
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to respond proactively and creatively
to changes in the external and internal environments
• Knowledge and experience of an organisation(s) providing individual services and advocacy 
for vulnerable people in community-based services
• Understanding and experience of volunteer management
• Experience of using user-feedback and effective data monitoring and reporting to improve 
services
• Experience of producing and contributing to strategic/business plans

Management, Leadership and Governance
• Experience and ability as an effective manager and team builder
• Ability to organise, plan and prioritise the workloads of the staff and volunteer teams
• Ability to motivate staff and volunteers working in a fast-changing environment 
• Ability to communicate our vision, mission, objectives and services for a wide range of 
audiences 
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural/diverse environment 
• Knowledge of HR best practice and HR policy development
• Commitment to and understanding of the principles and benefits of Equality, Diversity and 
Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace
• Understanding and knowledge of best practice in relation to Safeguarding and Health and 
Safety
• Ability to work effectively both individually and as part of a collaborative team

Communications
• Excellent interpersonal skills, both oral and written 
• Experience of communicating, networking and working collaboratively with a wide range of 
audiences and stakeholders to promote an organisation in its best light
• Computer literate with IT skills, experience of using standard office software, and 
familiarity with popular social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram)
• Experience of overseeing the production of occasional printed materials

Financial Management and Income Generation
• Understanding financial control within an organisation;
• Experience of leading or contributing to successful fundraising. 

Personal qualities 
• Commitment to the rights and protection of refugees and asylum seekers 
• Commitment to a participative management style
• Ability to work some evenings and occasional weekends 
• The ability to travel efficiently and economically to all parts of Herts. Since Herts is a large
county, this is highly likely to mean the ability to drive and access to a vehicle. (Expenses 
will be fully reimbursed subject to agreeing an appropriate home base for calculations).
• Commitment to the rights and protection of refugees and asylum seekers
• Appropriate degree of self-awareness and emotional intelligence
• Emotional resilience and ability to deal with stressful or difficult situations

When you apply for this position, please download and complete our application form.