Sustainable Merton, Merton's award winning environmental charity, is recruiting a dynamic individual to oversee our Community Changemakers initiative and deliver grassroots acitivity in Pollards Hill, Mitcham. If you are passionate about sustainability, volunteering and making a difference in a local community, we would love to hear from you!
This role combines volunteer leadership with project management. The successful candidate will split their time between:
- Project management and delivery of the WeRPollards project (2 days/week), a grassroots local initiative running from September 2025 to September 2026
- Volunteer and operational management (1 day/week), supporting the charity as a whole
You will work closely with Moat Housing to deliver the WeR Pollards Community Changemaker project and also lead the development and implementation of a new volunteering strategy, support colleagues to adopt new volunteer processes,
and oversee our charity policies to support compliance and our organisational growth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
WeRPollards project management
1. Group Development and Coordination
● Coordinate and facilitate monthly volunteer meetings at the Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio.
● Attend the Wellbeing Studio on a weekly basis, attend schools and community pop-up events to increase awareness of and community engagement in the project
● Support volunteers with soft and technical skills development on their path to becoming Community Changemakers.
● Encourage retention and progression of existing volunteers whilst increasing group membership from 15 to 30.
● Liaise with Moat Foundation officer and project tutors to establish a pathway into volunteering and increasing membership of the WeRPollards group
● Work with colleagues at Sustainable Merton to align this grass roots work with their borough wide initiatives such as Merton Garden Streets, Mitcham Community Orchard, Repair Cafes, Preloved Studio and Merton’s Community Fridge.
2. Community Engagement
● In partnership with Pollards Hill Wellbeing Studio team, develop and implement a local engagement strategy to recruit and retain volunteers to become WeRPollards Community Changemakers.
● Design and deliver an induction and training programme for new volunteers.
● In collaboration with the PH Wellbeing Studio team conduct regular listening sessions to identify resident needs, interests and connect volunteers to, or help them develop, relevant community activities.
3. Project and Event Delivery
● Lead the volunteer group to plan and deliver community activities aligned with the 3R’s agenda, that are run out of the Wellbeing Studio, including:
○ Sewing Skills Workshops (Monthly, 10 sessions)
○ Community Gardening Sessions (Min. 5 sessions)
○ Repair Shed Sessions (Monthly, 9 sessions)
○ Street Planting Engagement & Delivery (Min. 3 events)
4. Capacity Building and Progression
● Deliver at least 6 training workshops including SMART goal setting and planning.
● Support residents to lead and take ownership of initiatives and to become Community Changemakers.
● Build a clear, accessible pathway for participation and leadership within the group and studio.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
● Track Key Performance Indicators including:
○ Volunteer numbers, growth and retention (Target: 30 volunteers, 60% retention)
○ Number of volunteer hours contributed
○ Number of accredited or certified training courses completed
○ Number of volunteers progressing into leadership roles
○ Attendance and engagement in all community sessions
● Conduct volunteer satisfaction surveys and gather qualitative feedback.
● Report quarterly on progress to PHCC meetings, outcomes and impact to the Pollards Hill Community Committee.
Volunteer and operational management - Sustainable Merton
● Develop and implement a volunteering strategy covering recruitment, retention, induction, training, and development
● Identify and recruit a cohort of Community Changemakers
● Draft volunteer role descriptions across all projects
● Conduct annual volunteer surveys
● Plan and deliver twice-yearly recruitment drives
● Establish a volunteer recognition scheme
● Build partnerships with local organisations
● Create centralised onboarding systems
● Maintain and manage safeguarding policies and training records
● Collaborate with volunteers and staff on fundraising campaigns and applications
● Ensure our policies are kept up to date
● Oversee risk register
● Support reporting and KPI tracking
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential
● Experience of managing and supporting volunteers
● Community Engagement experience
● Understanding of environmental issues & the 3R’s agenda
● Project coordination and planning
● Knowledge of volunteer database management and GDPR for volunteers
● Excellent organisational and communication skills
● Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
● Proficiency with Google Suite
Desirable
● Budget monitoring or financial oversight experience
● Bid writing experience
● Knowledge of Merton and the Pollards Hill area
We do require both a CV and a covering letter setting out how your relevant experience and how you meet the job specification.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Established in 1997, Jigsaw4u provide a range of services for children, young people, families and vulnerable adults experiencing complex social and emotional difficulties across South West London. Jigsaw4u has experienced considerable growth and development over the past several years. Jigsaw4u’s Board of Trustees and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) have recognised the need for dedicated staffing resource to hold the day-to-day responsibility for the service management function as part of our Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
As a member of our SLT, you will help to deliver and shape and the organisation’s vision and strategy. It will be your responsibility to ensure that Jigsaw4u’s services achieve their goals, meet their strategic objectives and achieve our growth targets while being delivered to Jigsaw4u’s exceptionally high standards.
Under the direction of the CEO, the postholder’s areas of responsibility will be to:
- Line Manage the Service Managers, ensuring that their teams are high performing, reporting and data collection is of a high standard and relationships with funders and other stakeholders are outstanding.
- Ensure that the structure of all Jigsaw4u services are optimised to allow for growth and support staff and volunteers (including trainee counsellors/therapists) to develop key skills.
- Maintain knowledge and awareness of best practice within the charitable sector (and other sectors where relevant), to inform and update Jigsaw4u so that we take advantage of the latest approaches to change, innovation and development which can have a positive impact on our beneficiaries lives.
- Work proactively and collaboratively to identify innovation and business improvement within the SLT to define and agree Target Operating Models and oversee implementation and ongoing review. Use insight, evaluation and analysis to continually inform and refine practice.
- Play a full part in the development of the SLT and deputise for the CEO as required. Work closely with the Service Management Team to develop and deliver an outstanding approach to people management, building a learning culture that delivers high quality, extensive support enabling people to achieve their best as a team.
- Represent Jigsaw4u at formal meetings with funders and other stakeholders and through submission of reports and data requests. Establish new, and strengthen existing, external relationships to promote Jigsaw4u’s profile, influence and reputation.
- Ensure compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, and adherence to relevant professional codes and standards of good practice.
- Support the CEO in funding and tender applications
- Support the CEO and fundraising team in generating income
As a member of the SLT you will be expected, with training and support, to take an active part in supporting the whole organisation. Experience and aptitude to provide calm leadership and a supportive problem-solving approach to practical problems and judgements involving risk is necessary.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Helping children, young people and families in South West London put the pieces back together following social and emotional difficulties.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.