ROLE

VOLUNTEER TASK DESCRIPTION

Location:The Refugee Council, Stratford

Time commitment:2 days a week

Responsible to:HR Manager

Main role:Help the HR team to maintain the administrative work by creating hard and soft files and processing DBS applications

The Refugee Council is one of the leading organisations in the UK working with refugees and people seeking asylum. We not only give help and support, but also work with clients to ensure their needs and concerns are voiced and addressed.Volunteers are a key part of many of the services that support our clients and work alongside paid staff across the organisation.

Human Resources

To provide an effective HR service to the Refugee Council.

The volunteer role

Working as part of a small team, you will assist in providing an effective and professional HR service to the charity by carrying out a full range of administrative tasks in relation to the HR function with a particular focus on coordinating staff recruitment and starter checks for staff and volunteers.

Specifically, the volunteer role includes:

1. Prepare offer letters and contracts of employment for new employees

2. Ensure all references for staff and volunteers are taken up in a timely manner and received before 3.they start working or volunteering.

4. Respond to reference requests for previous staff members.

5. Ensure all new staff and volunteers that require a DBS check have completed the necessary forms and 6.provided the correct documentation. Inform line managers and volunteer coordinators as to when a 7.check has been received in line with our safe recruitment practices.

8.Calculate staff annual leave holiday entitlements

9. Set up, maintain and archive personnel files (electronic and hard copies).

Useful skills and experience

List the skills you are looking for in your volunteer. These can be qualifications:

  1. Good written and spoken English of a standard sufficient to produce and respond to a wide range of correspondence.
  2. Good organisational skills
  3. Basic numerical skills
  4. Basic Microsoft Office skills
  5. Strong understanding of and the ability to apply the principles of confidentiality in a HR context.
  6. Good understanding and adherence to Equal opportunities, particularly in HR context
  7. Ability work collaboratively and build effective relationships
  8. Good interpersonal and communication skills, sufficient to liaise with wide range of contacts, verbally and in writing in clearly understood way.

Skills and experience to be gained from the role

  • HR experience: Volunteer will have the opportunity to learn about all the areas of Human Resources including recruitment and selection, pay and rewards, training and development and employee relations.
  • Volunteers will work with wide range of staff and managers regarding different HR issues, providing the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills in communication and rapport-building.

How we support our volunteers

Volunteers are valued members of our teams and we provide them with support and development opportunities. Volunteers will receive regular planned support sessions with their supervisors.

Refugee Council allows volunteers to attend our professional training courses when possible, free of charge. Training will be discussed with you during support sessions with your supervisor.

Volunteers will be given IT access and a Refugee Council email address whilst volunteering on this project.

Volunteer roles are unpaid, but we can reimburse volunteers for lunch and travel costs. (Unfortunately our limited budget only allows for local travelling costs.)

Unanswered questions?

For more information contact Robert Hartley on0207 346 6722

Email:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Health & Safety

The volunteer is responsible for:

Cooperating with the Refugee Council in delivering all legal responsibilities in respect of your own and your colleagues, volunteers, clients and others health and safety whilst at work.

Becoming familiar with the Refugee Council’s Health & Safety Policy and procedures including evacuation procedures at your workplace.

Carrying out risk assessments of your own work and especially of your own workstation to ensure that you do not expose yourself or others to unnecessary risk.

Equal Opportunities Statement

As part of its recruitment policy, the Refugee Council intends to ensure that no prospective or actual employee or volunteer is discriminated against on the basis of sex, race, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation, employment status, class, disability, age, religious belief or political persuasion, or is disadvantaged by any condition or requirement which is not demonstrably justifiable.

You can apply for this role at

Registered address: British Refugee Council, Gredley House, 11 Broadway, Stratford, E15 4BQ
Registered charity no. 1014576 Registered company no. 2727514