Part time, 4 days / week
Based at: Calderstones Park Coach House
Location: Wigan
£17,000-£22,000
Leading UK social enterprise The Reader develops innovative shared reading-aloud groups in diverse communities across society. They work with over 5,000 people across 370 weekly groups, events and activities; from pre-schoolers to the elderly. They are looking for a Wigan Community and Training Lead to support volunteers and nurture partnerships to support a project which places volunteers reading with older people living with dementia across Wigan.
You will also need to develop and deliver a publicity plan to raise awareness of the project and build up contacts locally to set up referral routes into groups where appropriate.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support volunteers to run Shared Reading groups and undertake Volunteer Organiser, Community Advocate and Community Champion duties
- Recruit community members to reading groups
- Develop good working relationships with project partners and local services, including building referral relationships
- Take responsibility for representing The Reader in public, maintaining relationships with partner agencies and ensure that positive impacts are recorded
- Keep up to date records and contribute to project reports
- Ensure monitoring and evaluation processes are undertaken on the project
- In conjunction with our Communications team, develop publicity materials, such as leaflets and posters to promote the groups and volunteering opportunities – including developing and delivering a publicity plan to raise awareness of the project
- Keep up to date records of delivery of shared reading, and volunteer records in line with organisational best practice, and project needs
- Schedule training support modules, refresher workshops and ongoing quality practice support and source appropriate venues
- Model quality Shared Reading practice (training will be provided)
- Work with the Evaluation Manager to ensure effective review of learning opportunities and cascade learning to internal Volunteer Project Learning Teams
- Work with the Head of Reading Excellence to ensure volunteers deliver a quality service
- Provide cover for groups as and when required
- Manage the administrative processes underpinning the project and related provisions
- Be an effective team member, participating in personal and professional development
- Attend weekly catch up sessions with Project Manager and report back useful information in a timely manner
- Attend and contribute to staff meetings, feeding back useful information
- Other duties as designated by line manager
Essential Criteria
- A degree in English, or ability to demonstrate wide range of personal reading, including poetry and the ability to talk about it in an engaging manner
- Excellent at reading aloud
- Excellent IT skills
- Ability to co-ordinate a number of different activities and work to a specific plan
- Experience of managing staff or volunteers
- A good communicator with great speaking, listening and writing skills
- Able to make and maintain appropriate relationships with external organisations
- Commitment to engage and work with a diverse and varied range of participants
- Able to support, coach and progress volunteers in a sensitive and constructive manner
- Able to deal with potentially distressing situations and challenging behaviours in a careful and calm manner demonstrating excellent emotional resilience
- Self-motivated and able to work unsupervised in a peripatetic style
Desirable Criteria
- Community engagement experience
- Understanding and experience of The Reader’s shared reading model
- Experience of delivering training
- An understanding of the problems of engaging people who think books are not for them
- Driving license and use of a car
You must be willing to undergo a fully enhanced DBS check. Training and supervision in Shared Reading and Safeguarding practice will be provided.
How to Apply
Visit www.thereader.org.uk and select the ‘Get Involved Section’ where you will be able to view the full job description, recruitment pack and download an application form. Please complete the application form and submit to kateharrison@thereader.org.uk
The deadline for applications is 9am on 24 July 2018. Applications arriving after 9am will not be considered.
Please use vacancy reference code 10/2018 when applying.
If successful at shortlisting you will be invited to attend a panel interview. You may be required to complete a selection task at the interview if this is the case you will be informed of this prior to the interview date.