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The Student Volunteering & Social Impact Coordinator leads the coordination of London Play Design’s Student Volunteering Programme, working closely with delivery/ Technical teams, partnerships staff and senior management.

This role focuses on connecting people, projects and learning, rather than carrying sole responsibility for delivery. The post-holder coordinates systems, supports students and ensures quality, while working as part of a wider team.

The role is designed to be manageable, collaborative and sustainable, with clear shared ownership of outputs.

The role operates across two interconnected strands:

Student learning, insight and impact
Supporting students to understand the social impact of London Play Design’s work, contribute to evaluation and learning, and help strengthen partnerships through the development of case studies and programme insights.

Practical delivery and capacity-building
Connecting students with hands-on opportunities that build their practical experience while supporting the delivery of corporate volunteer days, construction activity and community projects.

What You Will Do

1. Coordinate the Student Volunteering Programme

You will oversee the day-to-day coordination of the programme, ensuring students have a clear, supportive and meaningful experience.

This includes:

• Coordinating student recruitment, onboarding and induction
• Developing clear volunteering pathways, role descriptions and learning outcomes
• Acting as the main point of contact for student volunteers
• Monitoring engagement, attendance and well-being in collaboration with on-site teams
• Supporting continuous programme improvement as part of a team, not in isolation

On-site supervision and safeguarding are led by delivery staff. You will not be expected to supervise students independently on live sites.

2. Support Research, Learning & Social Impact (with students)

You will coordinate and quality-check student-led research and impact work, rather than producing it yourself.

Your role will be to:

• Support students to collect qualitative and quantitative data
• Guide students in drafting case studies, learning notes and impact stories
• Review work, give feedback and ensure clarity and consistency
• Coordinate publication processes alongside the Partnerships team or delegated student roles
• Share learning internally to support organisational development
• Supporting funding applications and reporting with structured evidence and insights

You will not be responsible for writing funding applications or producing full reports independently.

3. Connect Students to Live Projects

You will work with internal teams to place students on appropriate projects for learning and case-study purposes, and support volunteer days and construction delivery

This includes:

• Matching students to projects and departments
• Liaising with technical and Partnership teams to support access and information
• Connecting students with partner charities where appropriate
• Keeping student case-study activity on track
• Working with the technical team to align student support with project needs
• Balancing learning needs with delivery realities

4. Maintain University Partnerships

London Play Design already has established relationships with a small number of universities (typically 2–3).

You will:

• Maintain communication with university contacts
• Represent the organisation at a small number of events or talks each year (approx. 3–4)
• Support the ongoing development of placement and volunteering opportunities.

5. Support Communications & Storytelling (Shared Responsibility)

Working with student volunteers and the Partnerships team, you will support:

• Clear and accessible communication of London Play Design’s work
• Impact storytelling for websites, publications and social media
• Sharing community learning and project outcomes

You will not be the sole content producer or final editor for all communications.

How You’ll Work

• As part of a collaborative, supportive team
• By coordinating and enabling others, not doing everything yourself
• With delegated student roles supporting research, writing, construction support and communications
• With senior and partnership staff sharing strategic and reporting responsibilities

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Strong commitment to social impact and community-based work
• Experience coordinating programmes in education, volunteering or community contexts
• Strong organisational and communication skills
• Experience supporting research, evaluation or structured learning (e.g. case studies, reports)
• Confidence working with students or early-career individuals
• Ability to collaborate across teams and disciplines

Desirable

• Experience in the charity or social enterprise sector
• Background or interest in design, architecture, playwork, journalism, social design or community development
• Experience working with universities or student placement programmes
• Understanding of community engagement and ethical research
• Experience supporting on-site or practical projects.
• Knowledge of adventure play or playwork, including child-led play and risk-benefit approaches.

A Plus / Advantageous

• Knowledge of play safety regulations or play space design.
• Full, clean UK driving licence and willingness to drive a van in London.
• Experience using power tools, safely and under supervision.
• Relevant training or qualifications related to community engagement, education, safeguarding, design or project delivery.
• Experience using social media or digital tools to share stories, impact or community work.

We welcome applications from people with transferable skills and lived experience. You do not need to meet every criterion.

Progression & development:
This role offers scope to grow alongside the Student Volunteering Programme, with opportunities to develop skills in programme coordination, social impact, research, partnerships and community engagement.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
London Play Design is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups in the play, design and built environment sectors.

What We Offer

• A meaningful coordination role within a values-led organisation
• A clearly scoped role with shared responsibility and realistic expectations
• Flexible working arrangements
• A creative, collaborative working culture
• The opportunity to support both children’s right to play and student development

Why Join Us?

• Impact: Help translate student learning into real community benefit
• Collaboration: Work within a multidisciplinary, supportive team
• Development: Build experience in programme coordination, social impact and learning
• Balance: A role designed to be challenging but sustainable