Head of volunteering

We're looking for an inspiring Head of Volunteering to lead and shape the future of volunteering across Sense.

This is a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change, ensuring volunteering continues to play a vital role in delivering our mission. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you'll provide organisation-wide leadership on volunteering, helping us maximise our impact, strengthen community connections, and support the long-term sustainability of our services.

Working closely with senior leaders and teams across the organisation, you'll champion inclusive, accessible and innovative volunteering opportunities that enable people from all backgrounds to contribute in ways that are meaningful to them.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and deliver a volunteering development plan aligned to Sense's strategic priorities.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on volunteering strategy and opportunities.
• Champion volunteering as a key contributor to organisational impact, reputation and sustainability.
• Represent Sense internally and externally, promoting excellence in volunteering.
• Create new, flexible and inclusive volunteering opportunities across services, communities, retail and corporate activity.
• Develop frameworks, tools and guidance that support managers to recruit, engage and retain volunteers effectively.
• Build volunteering opportunities that are meaningful, accessible and rewarding.
• Develop robust KPIs to measure volunteer engagement, impact and experience.
• Use volunteer feedback to drive continuous improvement and innovation.

Inclusion and Engagement

• Promote accessible and inclusive volunteering practices across the organisation.
• Work alongside volunteers, disabled people with complex needs and families to co-design volunteering opportunities.
• Ensure volunteer voices help shape the future of volunteering at Sense.

Governance and Compliance

• Provide expert guidance on volunteering governance, risk management and best practice.
• Lead the development and review of volunteering policies and procedures.
• Ensure volunteering activities comply with relevant legislation, regulation and safeguarding requirements.
• Manage the central volunteering budget and demonstrate value for money.

About You

You’ll be a passionate and experienced volunteering leader with a strong commitment to inclusion and social impact.

You’ll bring:

• Proven leadership experience within volunteer management.
• Experience working in social care, health, disability services or a related sector.
• A track record of developing and growing inclusive, sustainable volunteering programmes.
• Strong coaching, facilitation and influencing skills.
• Experience using data and insight to inform decision-making and demonstrate impact.
• Budget management experience and an ability to demonstrate return on investment.
• A commitment to accessibility, inclusion and rights-based approaches.

We’d love it if you also have

• Experience supporting disabled people with complex needs.
• Experience within regulated services.
• Experience of co-production and co-design approaches.
• Understanding of trauma-informed or positive behaviour support approaches.

Why Join Sense?

This is an opportunity to shape volunteering across one of the UK's leading disability charities. You'll join a values-led organisation where collaboration, inclusion and innovation are at the heart of everything we do.

If you're passionate about creating outstanding volunteer experiences and want to help more people make a meaningful difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.

We actively encourage disabled people to apply for our vacancies and believe that a diverse range of perspectives, experiences and talents makes us stronger.

If you need us to adjust our recruitment process to help you access our vacancies, then please get in touch with a member of the talent acquisition team.