Mentor volunteer jobs in Kidlington, oxfordshire

• Location: Oxfam House - Oxford
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Hours: 36 hours per week
• Salary: £28,057- £30,337per annum
• Job Family: Retail
• Division: Engagement
• Grade: D
• Job Type: Open ended
• Closing Date: 23 June 2026
• Country: United Kingdom

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Do you have merchandising experience at merchandiser, junior merchandiser or experienced assistant level?

Do you have a passion for fair trade products and wanting to make a difference?

Are you curious and always looking for continuous improvement?

The Role:

Sourced By Oxfam, our ethically sourced product range, is looking for a talented new merchandiser to partner with the buying team, to help plan, develop and deliver an ethical, commercial, and profitable range suitable for our shops, wholesale & online channels.

You will need to be able to take ownership and accountability for your area, analysing trading patterns across different channels and taking actions to optimise sales and maximise the generation of unrestricted funds for Oxfam.  

You will need to control your department stock levels effectively against plan, whilst challenging what correct stock levels should be in relation to current trade performance. Balancing this with, managing the department open-to-buy budget - continually identifying risks/ opportunities to maintain flexibility and optimise performance.

Working with a worldwide, ethical, fair trade supply base, and multiple internal stakeholders, it’s important you can build relationships quickly, work collaboratively and communicate effectively.

You will need to be a self-starter. Able to work well on your own as well as in a team. It’s important that you have an eye for detail and accuracy, with a love of excel spreadsheets & systems and a passion for using data and analytics to drive decision making.

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability, and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also be / have:

• Previous merchandising experience
• Analytical and problem-solving skills and experience
• Team player
• Drive to achieve results
• Adaptable and flexible
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage conflicting priorities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including presentation skills
• High level of numeracy and computer literacy, with high level of excel skills
• Decisiveness

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits.

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer 

Flexfam:

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. We think this role would work particularly well as a hybrid role.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our  are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the .  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 his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

 is a member of  of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for an experienced Communications and Marketing Manager with excellent organisational
skills to develop, implement and manage effective communication strategies for a charity based in the
healthcare sector, with a national and local reach across the UK and Ireland.

You’ll have demonstrable experience in planning and implementing different communications strategies
across a range of marketing channels to help us grow our organisational profile, uphold our vision
and values, while extending our reach across the sector to support growth and awareness among the
community we support.

As part of the daily management of the charity’s communications and marketing needs, you’ll work with colleagues and volunteers to raise awareness maximise awareness of our support model, support the organisation through attendance of national and local events and be part of a team representing the charity at key exhibitions during the year requiring you to be away overnight for up to 3 or 4 nights at a time (depending upon location) – approximately 3-4 times per year. Further information will be available to candidates taken forward for interview.

You will be integral to our communications and marketing approach, collaborating with colleagues who manage our social media and published communications (e.g. member magazine). Above all you are someone who fosters an organisation wide approach working with, mentoring and supporting colleagues to ensure a planned, structured and collaborative approach to our communications and marketing planning.
The ideal candidate must have a proven track record in managing communications, producing effective content and campaigns across a range of channels (print, digital, online) for at least TWO years, ideally bringing additional experience from within the charity sector.

The role is primarily remote and the successful applicant can work from a location of their choice (subject to representing the charity at key meetings, internal meetings and exhibitions throughout the year). The role holder will make optimum use of video conferencing and online collaboration tools to work as part of a wider communications team so the team feels connected and engaged in its approach.

Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video conferencing (such as Zoom) with successful candidates going through to a second round. Second round interviews will be face-to-face interview (with advance notice). Successful candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short working brief and asked to present their campaign ideas at interview together with past examples of their work.

UK travel within the role is expected with the charity reimbursing reasonable travel costs where agreed up front and on behalf of the charity.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, execute and monitor a value-driven, measurable communications and marketing strategy across our print, digital and internal channels in accordance with the direction of the Board
• Demonstrable experience developing, collaborating and managing multi-channel campaigns as part of the overall strategy measuring their effectiveness, adapting to change, where necessary, as part  of the wider communications approach (digital, print)
• Develop engaging, accessible and audience-focused content to build trust and a relationship with  our target audience
• Excellent organisational skills to manage small projects, ensuring timely delivery and execution  supporting risk identification and mitigation
• Upholding brand and culture in everything you do
• Collaborate with colleagues to support organisation and management of charity events
• Oversee the communications and marketing direction of the charity to ensure consistency in approach across all channels
• Build and maintain relationship with journalists and oversee other PR opportunities
• Develop and nurture strategic partnerships with key individuals, stakeholders, and community voices, building strong working relationships that support authentic storytelling and enhance the charity’s impact
• Ensure all content in accessible, inclusive and aligns to our brand and identity
• Budget management with strong planning to meet upcoming deliverables and identifying areas where  financial savings can be made to maximise charity resources
• Produce meaningful management information at key times
  • Monthly senior management reporting
  • Quarterly Board reporting
  • Annual reports (authoring and collaborating from external sources)

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Experience

• At least two years experience in a Communications/Marketing Management role
• Experience in developing and implementing communications and marketing strategies, ideally within the not-for-profit sector, across a wide range of marketing channels
• PR experience and media liaison
• Communications planning and forward thinking
• Brand management
• Team player/Mentor
• Campaign management to raise the organisational profile and advocate for people 
• Working with third party stakeholders to manage exhibition attendance, organise events and more generally any services provided to/purchased by the charity
• Working with and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships including our trustees, staff, volunteers and external medical professionals
• Demonstrable experience of online and digital marketing platforms to promote the charity, raise awareness and support our target audience
• A strong working knowledge of social media platforms, although we have a dedicated social media manager undertaking the role that you will collaborate with
• Familiarity with UK data protection regulation

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge and experience of SEO
• Budgetary management
• Experience in social media moderation
• Experience in creative tools (Canva, Adobe products) and digital marketing platforms
• Podcasts or similar digital content
• Experience of working on sensitive content
• Experience across the not-for-profit sector
• Ambassador management

SKILLS AND QUALITIES

• Creative, proactive and confident in your approach achieving outcomes in a timely manner and within budget
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to build strong working relationships
• Adaptable, flexible and committed to our charitable aims and values
• Strong time management skills

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

To apply, please submit:

1. Your CV (up to 3 pages)
2. A covering letter outlining your suitability to the role (max 500 words)

Interviews will be two-stage for successful candidates. Initial interviews will be held via video  conferencing (such as Zoom) discussing previous experience and role fit with successful candidates  going through to a second round. This includes alignment to IA’s values. Please allow up to 1 hour  for this stage.

Second round interviews are expected to be in in-person in a central location - advance notice will  be given and the charity will reimburse reasonable travel expenses, approved in advance. Successful  candidates will, in advance of the second round, be given a short brief and asked to present their campaign ideas from a charity working example at the interview. This should be available to us at least 48 hours prior to interview to allow us time to review.

Additionally second stage applicants will be asked to provide examples of their own work, at least  48hrs prior to the interview. You should be comfortable sharing past content that you have created  previously which will be treated with the strictest confidence. Please allow up to 1.5 hours for this second stage.

Applications should be submitted via the advertising platform including your CV and covering letter. See attached role profile for recruitment timetable and further details about us/the role, including contact details for an informal chat, if required, before applying. Applicants are encouraged to ensure availability in line with the recruitment timetable in the attached job specification.

While IA recognises the value of AI technology in the current climate, IA reserves the right to  ignore applications where we have reason to believe that they have been wholly produced using generative AI tools.

Please let us know if you require any additional support to attend or undertake an interview or if there is anything we should consider as part of the interview process.

We are looking for a Weekenders Journey Guide to support prospective Weekend Foster Carers from their first conversations with Now Foster through to the next stages of the recruitment and assessment journey.

This is a highly relational, candidate-facing role. You will be one of the main people helping applicants understand what Weekenders is, explore whether it is right for them, stay motivated through the process, and feel supported to take the next step.

Introductory conversations (our ‘intro chats’) will be a core part of the role. You will speak with people who are curious about fostering, but who may also feel unsure, nervous or are still working out whether they can foster. Your role will be to bring warmth, clarity and momentum: helping people feel welcomed, informed and confident, while also making sure the right people progress at the right pace.

You will use Now Foster’s digital platform (a bespoke CRM system) to manage the candidate journey, track progress, record key information and help the team understand where applicants are getting stuck or moving forward. You will play an important role in making sure we are attracting the right leads, supporting them well, and learning how to improve the journey as we grow.

This role would particularly suit someone with experience of fostering or working in fostering. It could also suit someone from a related background who is deeply motivated by innovation in this area and excited by what fostering could look like if it were designed around children, carers and relationships.

You do not need to be a qualified social worker, but you do need to be emotionally mature, reflective, organised and comfortable working closely with a social work-led team. You will need to understand safeguarding, and be confident holding thoughtful conversations with prospective carers.

What You’ll Be Doing

Supporting candidates through the journey

• Acting as a consistent, warm and encouraging point of contact for prospective Weekend Foster Carers.

• Carrying out intro chats with people who have expressed interest in the Weekenders programme.

• Helping candidates understand the Weekenders programme, what the role involves, and what the journey looks like.

• Supporting candidates to reflect on whether Weekenders is right for them.

• Keeping candidates engaged, informed and motivated as they move through the process.

• Helping people overcome practical barriers where appropriate, while being honest and clear about expectations.

• Making sure candidate communication feels relational, timely and values-led.

Helping the right people progress

• Helping identify candidates who are ready to move forward, as well as those who may need more time, more information or a different route.

• Support candidates to progress, pause or close, as advised by our fostering service colleagues.

• Using strengths-based and motivational approaches to help candidates reflect on their motivations, support networks and capacity.

• Working closely with social work colleagues to escalate questions, concerns or safeguarding issues appropriately.

• Supporting candidates to prepare for training, home visits and assessment stages.

• Helping ensure the process is clear, efficient and supportive.

Supporting groups, events and community activity

• Supporting information events, training sessions and candidate-facing events.

• Co-delivering sessions with social workers and other colleagues.

• Helping create a welcoming community for people exploring Weekenders.

• Supporting socials and community-building activity for applicants and approved Weekend Foster Carers.

• Helping candidates connect with the mission and feel part of something meaningful.

Administration, data and follow-up

• Keeping candidate records, notes and next steps up to date on Now Foster’s digital platform.

• Using Google Workspace, Trello and other tools to access key documents and manage your workload. 

• Making sure no candidate falls through the cracks.

• Supporting data capture so the team can understand what is working and where candidates are getting stuck.

• Helping improve templates, messages, prompts and workflows for the candidate journey.

• Supporting home visit admin and logistics where needed.

Contributing to innovation and learning

• Gathering feedback from candidates to help improve the journey and bringing this insight from candidate conversations into team discussions.

• Helping the team understand what motivates people to become Weekend Foster Carers, what worries them, and what helps them move forward.

• Supporting testing and iteration of new candidate journey approaches.

• Helping us build a process that is warm, efficient, inclusive and effective.

• Contributing to a new model of fostering that is relational, ambitious and designed around children and young people.

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Are

• Warm and relational – able to build trust quickly and make people feel welcome.

• Emotionally mature – able to have thoughtful conversations about motivation, care, family life and uncertainty.

• A strong communicator – clear, encouraging and confident across phone, video calls, emails and written updates.

• Motivational and strengths-based – skilled at helping people see their potential while also being honest about what fostering involves.

• Organised and proactive – able to manage a busy candidate journey, track next steps and keep people moving.

• Tech-savvy – comfortable using digital platforms, Google Workspace and Trello.

• Confident in your judgement – able to decide when someone should progress, pause or close, while knowing when to seek advice.

• Safeguarding-aware – able to recognise when something needs to be escalated and comfortable working within clear safeguarding processes.

• Reflective and curious – interested in learning what works and improving the candidate journey over time.

• Comfortable with ambiguity – happy working in a small, growing charity where things are evolving.

• Committed to better outcomes for children and young people – motivated by Now Foster’s mission and the potential of Weekenders.

Experience We’re Looking For

Fostering experience would be highly beneficial. For example, this could include experience as a foster carer, working in fostering, supporting foster carers, working with fostering services, or working in a closely related part of children’s social care.

We are also interested in people with experience in:

• Volunteer management

• Children’s social care or youth work

• Community work

• Social prescribing

• Mentoring or coaching

• Recruitment, onboarding or candidate support

• Relationship-based support roles

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands the importance of relationships, can guide people through a meaningful decision-making process, and is excited by the possibility of building a different kind of fostering journey.

Bonus Points For

• Lived experience of the care system or fostering.

• Experience working directly with prospective or approved foster carers.

• Experience using motivational interviewing, coaching or strengths-based approaches.

• Experience supporting people through an application, recruitment, assessment or onboarding journey.

• Experience delivering or supporting information sessions, preparation groups, training or community events.

• Experience working remotely or in a flexible, fast-moving team.

An interest in innovation, service design or changing how fostering works.
 

About Us

Now Foster is a team of innovative social workers, designers, and entrepreneurs on a mission to change fostering in the UK.

We bring together social work, service design, public sector transformation and lived experience to create better outcomes for children and young people. Our overarching vision is to transform the fostering system by bringing many more wonderful people into it as foster carers, so that children and young people have the relationships, stability and support they need to thrive.

You will be joining a small, ambitious and passionate team, alongside our trustees, freelancers and advisors, all of whom play an active part in shaping our work. We partner with local authorities and not-for-profits who share our values and are ready to embrace change. As a registered charity, everything we do is driven by purpose, not profit.

About Weekenders

Weekenders is Now Foster’s flagship programme. It pairs children and young people in foster care with inspiring adults who can offer guidance, stability and encouragement on a regular basis. It is about showing up, making a difference, and being that person a young person can count on.

The programme is growing quickly. We are scaling Weekenders across London and beyond, testing new ways to support applicants, local authorities and independent social workers, and building the operational foundations needed for long-term growth.

A core part of this growth is making sure that people who are interested in becoming Weekend Foster Carers receive the right balance of warmth, encouragement, information and challenge as they move through the journey. That is where the Journey Guide comes in.

Working Pattern and Location

This role is offered at 4 to 5 days per week, with a salary of £34,000 pro rata.

The role can be based anywhere in England, with occasional travel to our Weekender delivery areas. Our Weekenders team is currently based across London and Manchester, and our wider organisational team is based in Oxford. Most work will be home-based, but there will be some in-person meetings, events, training sessions or bi-monthly co-working days.

The role will involve some work outside standard office hours. This is likely to include:

• Around one weekend day per month, which you would take back as time off during the previous or following week.

• Some evening work, for example around one information event per month.

• Some evening intro chats with prospective foster carers, where this helps people engage with the process.

We work flexibly and will support the successful candidate to manage their time in a sustainable way.

Safeguarding

Now Foster is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

This role will involve contact with prospective carers, rather than direct work with children and young people. However, you will need to understand safeguarding, work within Now Foster’s safeguarding processes, and escalate any concerns appropriately.

This role will require an enhanced DBS check.

What’s In It For You

Joining Now Foster means being part of something different. We are small, ambitious and innovative, and you will play a key role in helping Weekenders grow.

You will be close to the people exploring whether they could become Weekend Foster Carers, and your work will directly shape whether they feel supported, confident and ready to take the next step.

You will join a supportive, collaborative and values-led team. We work hard, care deeply about what we do, and are building something bold and lasting: a new way of fostering that blends social work, design, technology and relational practice.

We will provide the tools and technology you need, cover agreed travel and expenses, and support you to work flexibly within the rhythm of the programme.

How to Apply

Please send us your CV and a short cover letter explaining:

1. Why you are interested in Now Foster and the Weekenders programme.

2. The experience you would bring in supporting, guiding or motivating people.

3. Any experience you have of fostering, working in fostering, children’s social care, community work, volunteer management or similar.

4. What excites you about innovation in fostering and what fostering could look like.

5. Your availability, including whether you are looking for 4 or 5 days per week and when you could start.

You must have the right to work in the UK.

We recognise that some candidates may use generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to support the preparation of their application. While this is acceptable, applications must remain an authentic reflection of your own experiences and motivations. We ask candidates to let us know if and how they used AI as part of the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Equality

Now Foster is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences.

Recruitment and selection decisions are made on the basis of fair, objective and transparent criteria. We will also make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to ensure accessibility for all candidates.

Please Note: We are hoping to appoint as soon as possible and will close recruitment once we find the right person so candidates are advised to submit an application as soon as they are able.