Refugee support jobs in Birmingham

This is a full-time Chief Exec role offering an exciting time to join an organisation making

a huge impact with minimal resources. As the Organisation enters its tenth year,

regrettably the need for this work has never been greater and in addition to enhancing

existing projects, we plan to grow our Dignity Centre locations as well as expand our

outreach and impact in the coming two to five years. As a small charity, the role is

incredibly varied as well as hands-on. While there is no physical back office, meaning

the role is mostly from home/remote, the CEO spends sustained periods of time in our

projects in Nicosia, Cyprus and Bournemouth, UK as well as any new or potential

project sites in the UK and abroad. A typical day could include troubleshooting and

managing maintenance problems at distance for our projects in Nicosia and

Bournemouth, preparing and delivering interviews and presentations to the media or for

donors, calling volunteers to prepare them for collaborating with us and collating

indicator data for impact reports.

About Care4Calais

Care4Calais is a volunteer-based charity providing essential aid and support for refugees in France and the UK. 

In the UK, we collect and distribute clothing, shoes, mobile phones, and other essential items, alongside offering social support and access to legal, medical, and educational services. In northern France, we operate year-round from Calais, working alongside local communities in Calais and Dunkirk to provide warm clothing, bedding, and services to displaced refugees living in challenging and dangerous conditions.

All of Care4Calais' operations are supported by a small, dedicated staff team, who supervise large volunteer teams to provide critical support to asylum seekers and people on the move in both the UK and France.

About the Role

Care4Calais is recruiting an Operations Support Assistant to support its humanitarian operations in the UK. You will join our team in a remote and part-time capacity, offering regular steady online support delegated by our Operations Support Officer for the UK.

The role requires a proactive, detail-oriented, IT-competent individual with strong written communication skills to offer ad-hoc support to a busy team - a team which registers UK volunteers, responds to incoming queries from the public, and manages ongoing administrative tasks for Care4Calais’ UK-based operations. 

Having an understanding of the asylum system within the UK, and therefore the environment that our volunteers work within as they support people that are seeking sanctuary here, is useful for the role. You will receive a thorough induction, and work alongside experienced team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide core operational support for Care4Calais’ operations in the UK alongside the UK Operations Support Officer and team of admin volunteers.

• Communicate with and register new volunteers joining our work, both virtually and on the ground, across the UK.

• Liaise with the public via email by responding to new incoming enquiries.

• Manage volunteer data as part of the registration process and store it appropriately, in-keeping with GDPR and Care4Calais policy.

• Navigate the spreadsheets and CRM systems used by our teams for volunteer information storage and management.

• Work alongside a small team to increase the speed and efficiency of our existing processes and procedures, and bolster operations whilst new processes are introduced.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

• Interest in, and alignment with, the work of Care4Calais, including justice for migrants and refugees

• Competent digital literacy, including the ability to use Google Workspace and spreadsheets effectively

• Strong written communication skills

• Excellent written and spoken proficiency in English

• An eye for detail

Desirable Criteria:

• Administrative and/or communications work experience

• Having an understanding of GDPR

• Experience working with teams from diverse cultural backgrounds

Diversity and Inclusion

Care4Calais is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with lived experience of the asylum and migration systems.

As a proud member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network (EBE), Care4Calais is dedicated to creating inclusive employment practices that recognise and accommodate the unique experiences of individuals with lived experience. We ensure that our recruitment processes are fair, transparent, and accessible to all candidates, regardless of background.

We strongly encourage individuals with lived experience to apply, particularly those who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Application process:  Please submit your CV, and you will be invited to answer some brief questions. No cover letter is required.

Closing Date:  This job ad closes on 13th March. We are actively interviewing and this job opportunity may close early if we find an appropriate candidate before the closing date. We are looking for immediate starters.

Interviews:  Will take place on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early.

We are looking for a skilled and energetic Fundraiser to lead revenue generation at this outstanding, award-winning, international charity. Working alongside the Director, there is exceptional scope for securing the support of high net-worth individuals, regular givers and Trusts and Foundations. This is a new post and you will have an important role in shaping the future of HYT.

Please see attached the full job description below.

Purpose

Our Immigration Team works closely with Birmingham City University (BCU) to run the Immigration Law Student Clinic, a key source of free accredited immigration advice for people in Birmingham who cannot afford legal support.

The role involves supervising students as they research and prepare legal advice, coordinating day‑to‑day clinic activity, and supporting casework within CELC’s immigration team. You will recruit, train, and mentor students, ensuring they have an excellent student experience and helping them develop practical legal skills while ensuring clients receive an excellent service.

Responsibilities

Working closely with Birmingham City University the Law Clinic Supervisor will:

• Recruit and select students for involvement in the clinic
• Undertaking inductions with new students, in line with the Law Centre's Clinic practices ,including training on CELC systems and processes
• Develop and maintain student training manuals, policies, template letters, referral forms etc.
• Assess client cases prior to allocation to students
• Manage overall clinic calendar, allocating client cases to students
• Supervise all elements of student work, providing guidance to ensure accuracy and quality of research undertaken and advice provided
• Maintain accurate records of student inductions and supervisions
• Sign-off and submittance of applications
• Advise students to access other CELC teams for legal guidance where necessary e.g. family law, employment, housing etc.
• Create a positive and nurturing environment for students to learn practical casework skills  
• Monitor and report performance of the clinic to CELC and Birmingham City University
• Work positively with the Law Centre’s Clinic Lead and the other clinic leads in delivering the overall partnership and wider clinical legal education

· Ensure that the Clinic is run in line with the Team’s priorities and the strategy and priorities of the Law Centre

• Undertake professional development to ensure legal expertise is current and up to date

The Law Clinic Supervisor will also:

• Demonstrate their commitment to the aims and principles of CELC
• Abide by policies and procedures as set out in the Office Manual and Staff Handbook
• Attend Immigration and all CELC team meetings and away days
• Contribute towards the effective daily running of CELC
• Undertake any other task reasonably required within the context of the post

Person Specification

Essential

• A non-judgmental attitude and commitment to social justice and the aims of CELC

• One or more of the following professional qualifications: IAA registration at L2 or above, qualified solicitor, qualified barrister, Senior caseworker accreditation with the Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme.

• Experience in the delivery of legal support to clients
• Experience in supervising and developing others
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and

provide realistic timescales for completion

• Ability to work sympathetically and effectively with a wide variety of individuals i.e. clients, students, and stakeholders
• Ability to work well with others, be polite under pressure and to work as part of a team
• Self-motivated - able to work independently and on own initiative
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• An understanding of the importance of confidentiality
• Experience of using IT systems including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

Desirable

• Experience of designing delivery of training to individuals and groups
• Experience of working with students
• Experience of working with the public and in a busy and demanding environment
• Experience of using a case management system
• Experience of using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint