Student engagement officer jobs in Manchester

Manchester Central Foodbank is a busy Trussell Trust-affiliated food bank, with centres in Central, North, and East Manchester. We were established in Ardwick in 2013 by students at the Manchester Universities’ Catholic Chaplaincy, making us the first student-led food bank in the country. Since then we have grown significantly, expanding our weekly sessions into Harpurhey and Openshaw.

Our core aims are to deliver the best quality support that we can to the largest number of our neighbours in need, while working with partners and influencing and organising at a neighbourhood and citywide level to reduce and end the need for food banks in Manchester.

We currently support 16,000 people per year with nutritionally balanced 3-day food parcels. This is double the number of people we supported in the first year following the Covid-19 pandemic, and four times the number supported in 2019. We also provide financial inclusion support with advice workers in public sessions, access to energy vouchers, SIM cards, and other voucher or material support. We coordinate across a network of 200 active front-line referral agencies with the aim of ensuring everyone who accesses our service has appropriate, specialised, and ongoing support alongside the material provision that we provide.

We are active leaders in anti-poverty organising and community development, as convenors of the city-wide Building an Anti-Poverty Community collective and aim to be key shapers and influencers of new strategies and policies, working closely to support and influence local government, NHS, education, and research agendas in Manchester and more widely, building upon our track record of successful anti-poverty partnership work, social value impact, and Parliamentary influencing.

Key Responsibilities

Our Operations and Projects Workers are the backbone of our charity. They play a key role in the day-to-day running of operations, from frontline and client-facing work to recruiting, supervising, and supporting volunteers, assisting with stock and logistics activities and deliveries, and leading and supporting a range of projects.

A central part of this diverse, hands-on role is leading and supporting foodbank sessions, with extensive engagement with foodbank clients and primary responsibility for supervising, supporting, and developing volunteers.

The Operations and Projects Workers will help shape and maintain high service standards and embed Our Values at the core of every aspect of the charity’s activity.

On a weekly basis the postholder will work to support the smooth running of three public-facing sessions and the operational activities which underpin them. You will work alongside a team of volunteers and staff 

You will be based at our main office and warehouse site, but also regularly attend our three session sites where appropriate and conduct deliveries and collections across the city. Some working from home is allowed with the prior agreement of your manager.

Foodbank Sessions

As part of a pre-planned rota system you will attend foodbank sessions in a variety of roles. All team members are expected to prioritise the creation of a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly space.

In some sessions you will be the nominated Session Lead, 

• You will be responsible for health and safety, briefing and de-briefing of volunteers and other staff, safeguarding and incident reporting, and dealing with emergency or difficult situations.
• Session leads take an active role in shaping and maintaining our values-led Service Standards and creating a supportive framework for other team members, ensuring all frontline service meets those expectations.
• You will ensure consistent and rigorous monitoring and reporting from sessions, including volunteer registration, stock management, logging and escalation of issues and concerns, also well as consistent reporting on service provision.
• Session Leads will act as the primary liaison and coordination point on the day with advice providers and financial inclusion workers
• They will also be the lead contact point on a session day liaising with host sites and reception staff and other session partner organisations.
• Before, during, and after sessions, the Session Lead will monitor stock levels and ensure packing, loading, and unloading is done safely and consistently.

You may also attend foodbank sessions in a variety of other roles, including, but not limited to:

• Conducting or coordinating one-to-one check-ins and support conversations with clients, responsible for signposting and onwards referrals
• Providing additional support such as energy vouchers, SIM cards, supermarket vouchers, and other provision.
• Delivering and collecting food and other stock and materials to and from session sites and monitoring stock levels.
• Supporting general tasks and activities within sessions, such as packing parcels, referrals check-in, picking lists, or monitoring cafés and adjacent spaces.

General Foodbank Operations

Outside of foodbank sessions, you will lead or support across the broad range of operational and project activities, including:

• Regularly driving the foodbank van and loading and unloading stock and other materials.
• Answering or replying to enquiries from clients, referrers, donors, partners, and other contacts via the main charity phone line and email inboxes.
• Conduct regular office-based administrative, printing, and reporting activities.
• Deputise for senior staff or fill in for other team members where appropriate in day-to-day operational cover and external meetings and relationships, including with foodbank referrers and partner organisations.
• Coordinate and supervise volunteers and logistics around food deliveries, food drives, and food sorting sessions.
• Work and lead on projects to help maintain and increase donation levels.
• In collaboration with other staff, assist volunteer recruitment, training, and development activities.
• Attend and organise meetings and events where required to represent the foodbank or conduct project-related work.
• Undertake training and personal development as appropriate and agreed with your line manager.

The post-holder will be responsible for managing their own workload and time management, completing timesheets and reports for the board.

There may be other project-specific tasks requested from time to time for the benefit of the charity to be discussed and agreed with your line manager.

About you

Essential Experience and Knowledge:

• A full clean driving licence and willing and able to drive a 3.5tn van regularly.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills in order to coordinate your own workload and schedule, effectively managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with other staff members, volunteers, referrers, and foodbank users.
• Ability to respond to unexpected situations in a busy service delivery environment and make decisions related to health and safety and emergency incidents.
• Ability to independently make and carry out decisions in line with foodbank policies and procedures.
• An enthusiasm for all aspects of work at Manchester Central Foodbank, and the flexibility and willingness to get involved with projects and tasks that may sit outside of your normal work.
• Experience of working with service users in a community setting.
• Proficiency in IT, including email, spreadsheets, and Google Drive.
• A clear understanding of, and belief in the values and aims of, Manchester Central Foodbank and the Trussell Trust.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience of volunteer management.

Essential Behaviours and Competencies

• A clear understanding of, and belief in the values and aims of, Manchester Central Foodbank and the Trussell Trust.
• The ability to communicate and work with people with a range of backgrounds, views, and interests and build ongoing relationships and trust.
• Personal integrity, high professional standards, and honesty.
• Empathy and confidence when working with people who are experiencing financial and/or personal hardship.
• Passionate about social justice and tackling food poverty.
• Ability to be hands-on and adaptable in changeable circumstances.