Placement Volunteer, Executive Directors Office (International)

Placement Volunteers at the British Red Cross are highly valued for the skills and energy they bring. We aim to provide our placement volunteers with an insight into the daily workings of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. They will have access to relevant in-house training and development opportunities during their placement with possible ad hoc opportunities to get involved in other areas of activity.

Our placement volunteers will help make a great contribution to the work of the British Red Cross and will be responsible for achieving specific agreed objectives within one of our various departments.

About the role:

The Executive Director’s Office is seeking a volunteer to provide short-term administrative and coordination support to the team during a particularly busy period.

Working closely with the Executive Support Officer and other colleagues, the volunteer will help with a range of administrative, coordination and practical tasks to support the smooth running of the Executive Director’s Office and delivery of its priorities.

The expected start date for the placement is September 2026 and the placement will run for a period of 3 months (flexible weekdays).

This would suit someone who is highly organised, reliable, comfortable working with a range of colleagues and stakeholders, and able to handle information and requests with appropriate discretion and sensitivity.

Typical tasks may include:

• Provide day-to-day administrative support to the Executive Director’s Office.
• Help coordinate and track actions, deadlines and follow-up activities.
• Support the organisation of information, documents and relevant materials.
• Assist with scheduling meetings, preparing meeting materials and capturing actions where required.
• Support correspondence and communications with internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate records, contact lists and other relevant information.
• Help coordinate practical arrangements for meetings, visits and other activities involving the Executive Director’s Office.
• Help coordinate and support events/meetings hosted by the ED’s office
• Liaise with colleagues across the organisation to gather information and follow up on agreed actions.
• Provide additional practical and administrative support to the Executive Support Officer as priorities arise.

Stakeholder Support

• Support engagement and correspondence with colleagues and external contacts.
• Help maintain stakeholder and contact information.
• Assist with coordinating responses and ensuring queries are directed to the appropriate colleagues.
• Handle sensitive information appropriately and maintain confidentiality at all times.

We would like you to have or be:

• Has strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Has excellent attention to detail.
• Is able to prioritise tasks and work across several activities simultaneously.
• Communicates clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
• Is confident using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
• Is comfortable engaging with colleagues and stakeholders at different levels.
• Is proactive, reliable and able to work independently while knowing when to seek guidance.
• Demonstrates discretion, good judgement and sensitivity when handling confidential or personal information.
• Has a flexible approach and is willing to support different priorities as they arise.

Bursary Scheme:

The British Red Cross offers a bursary scheme to those placement volunteers from low-income households. Eligibility will be determined through a separate application process open to all short-listed candidates. All British Red Cross volunteers are entitled to out-of-pocket reasonable expenses. For this scheme we are defining low-income households as: Inside London: Living with family or partner £25,000 or under. Living independently £22.500 or under Outside London: Living with family or partner £18,500 or under. Living independently £16,500 or under

Diversity:

Diversity is something we celebrate. We want you to be able to bring yourauthentic selfto the Red Cross and feel that you belong.

We want to create an inclusive environment, and promote and spread the power of kindness. As part of creating an inclusive space we have an expenses policy that prioritises volunteers not being out of pocket for expenses linked to your role. If up front costs are difficult, you can speak to your volunteering manager about this to find alternatives.

We welcome refugees, asylum seekers and others currently in the UK to volunteer with us.

We want volunteering to be accessible to everyone.

Health and Safety Statement

We take an individual approach to ensuring your safety. We may ask you to complete a simple risk assessment and will also have a conversation with you to discuss and identify any adjustments you may need.