Experience Durham

Grade 5: - £22,417 - £25,941 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 07-Jul-2021, 6:59:00 AM

Job Family: Community, Participation and Engagement Services

Our Characteristics: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.

Our Values: We are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

• Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
• Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

Roles in this family provide an excellent stakeholder experience for our diverse and supportive community.

Overall family purpose

• Provide excellent student support services, development and extra-curricular activities.
• Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Respond to stakeholders at the point of service delivery, either in situ or remotely.
• Facilitate the development of excellent colleague and academic engagement.
• Provide a stakeholder focussed service designed to increase widening participation and diversity.
• Promote the Durham reputation by establishing and broadening national and international community links to enhance the cultural and economic viability of the City and region.
• Enhance the Durham wider student experience by developing extra-curricular activities.
• Contribute to and enhance active, inclusive and supportive communities of stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
• Engage with suppliers, consultants and specialist professionals to deliver programmes and activities to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Engage and encourage outreach and participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.
• Engage and network with both internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and impact through local, national and international communities.

Link to key strategic plan

• An economically and environmentally sustainable approach to delivering stakeholder focussed services across the University;
• A world-class student, alumni and donor experience;
• Focussed on the needs of all users working together to deliver front-line services as part of the Wider Student Experience;
• Learn from and match best practice in the Wider Student Experience around the world;
• Opening up our world-class sporting facilities to local clubs and athletes;
• Support and facilitate activities as part of the Widening Student Experience at Durham;
• A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
• Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose

As a Department Experience Durham is striving to play a pivotal role in developing, delivering and transforming a Wider Student Experience that is as impactful as anything in the world. We remain steadfast in our core commitment to accelerating the growth of far-reaching and market-leading programmes across performance, participation and community outreach, whilst fostering a culture that safeguards academic excellence. We are guided by the belief that an investment in the Wider Student Experience is ultimately an investment in the quality of graduates that the University produces and are motivated by the opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation of talent. In doing so, we feel confident that we are making a positive contribution to the development of rounded, global citizens.

Student Volunteering

Student Volunteering is a pillar of the Wider Student Experience at Durham University. Having recently received Investing in Volunteers re-accreditation Durham students now volunteer their time for over 35,000 hours per year spanning 80+ projects supporting: Social Inclusion, Complex Needs, Education, Sport & Physical Activity, the Environment and Global Citizenship.

As a University we are committed to further developing our volunteering programme and want to do so by further enhancing a supportive, stimulating and student-led culture which, we believe, promotes and enhances social interaction and successfully engages students and members of the wider local and regional community.

The Volunteering Team Leader role will support the Head of Student Volunteering and Outreach in developing, supporting and overseeing all student volunteering at Durham University through the provision of training, partnership development and student support.

Core responsibilities:

• Act as more knowledgeable team member with oversight and responsibility for Volunteering Administrator, interns and the Student Volunteering and Outreach Executive Committee.
• Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.
• Provide advice, guidance and training on volunteer project development and University safeguarding policy where necessary to volunteers and less experienced team members to disseminate and share practice.
• Contribute to the ADR process, assisting with the identification of development needs where appropriate.
• Supervise the implementation of changes to service procedures and practice.
• Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team with joint planning and team objectives to meet excellence in the student volunteering experience.
• Provide feedback to team members about the monitoring and achievement of team objectives and performance expectations.
• Work collaboratively across the organisation and/or externally with colleagues, students and external partners to deliver a Student Volunteering service.
• Provide guidance and advice to resolve problems and queries for a broad range of service users.
• Plan and organise own workload and activities for others with or without involvement with other project work streams.
• Organise and schedule resources, activities and events.
• Analyse work activities to ensure the effective and efficient use of capital and consumable equipment and resources.
• Liaise with contacts internally and externally to build links to pass on information for effective working.
• Advise others and make recommendations into work processes and procedures for consideration by senior management to improve services.

Role responsibilities:

• Deliver support services to ensure the effective and efficient running of outreach, internal and external activities that enhance student volunteering programmes and the Durham reputation.
• Monitor feedback and identify service changes to meet service level agreements.
• Collaborate within the Volunteering and Outreach service team and across other services to ensure the seamless provision of products and services.
• Contribute to volunteer engagement, promotion and communication activities, events and presentation with or without team members including an Annual Volunteers Award.
• Welcome and induct external service providers, contractors and specialists to deliver a range of opportunities, activities and events to enhance student volunteering and the reputation of Durham.
• Identify and expand the service user knowledge base for service desk working and update team members on changes.
• Liaise across the organisation to update and exchange key service information to ensure advice given to users is the most up to date and accurate.
• Implement and update Child Safeguarding and Volunteering processes and procedures, including related documentation where appropriate.
• Work with internal and external partners and suppliers to deliver cross-functional products and services.
• Accurately record information and data on all student volunteering projects and disseminate within internal networks.
• Identify and offer a range of accredited training courses for student volunteers.
• Be the designated Child Safeguarding Officer for Experience Durham.
• Represent Durham University on regional and national committees and networks.
• Assist to develop and implement a global citizenship volunteering programme, including management of the Duke-Engage Durham programme and Global Citizenship Programme.
• Manage Volunteering budgets, financial reconciliation and administration.
• Any other reasonable duties

Specific role requirements

• The post holder will be expected to be regularly available in the evenings and weekends for participation in events and to provide training and guidance to students.
• The role will involve some travel, mostly within the County.
• The post holder will be expected to work some ‘on call’ shifts.
• The post holder will hold an enhanced DBS clearing them to work with children and young people.

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification.

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online. Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV;
2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
3. Examples of how you satisfy the essential criteria in the person specification, this will require completion of the 'Questionnaire' application section.

The Realising Your Potential Approach criteria is for information only, but may be referred to during the interview process.

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information please contact; Katie Binks 0191 3344628 katie.binks@durham.ac.uk

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria:

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge and experience of safeguarding processes and national legislation
• Relevant experience in a similar role / environment.
• Evidence of personal development to maintain skills. 
• Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes.
• Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
• Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
• Ability to deliver training workshops and presentations.
• Demonstrable supervisory experience.
• Ability to contribute to planning at operational level.

Desirable Criterial:

• Full UK Driving Licence.
• Knowledge of Durham University and the colleges system.

Realising Your Potential Approach

The Realising Your Potential Approach clarifies the behaviours expected to be demonstrated by all staff across Professional Services in the University regardless of their role. Along with the core responsibilities, role responsibilities and the person specification, the Realising Your Potential Approach behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process. Further information on the Realising Your Potential Approach is available here.

DBS Requirement: Please note that the succesful applicant will require DBS disclosure.