Borderlands (South West) Ltd
The Assisi Community Centre,
Lawfords Gate, Easton, Bristol BS5 0RE
Job Description
Job title: Mentoring Manager; flexible full time post (33 hours average per week); fixed term contract ending 31st March 2017
The delivery of the Mentoring Project will require the post holder to work flexibly each month including regular weekend and evening work. (please see outline time plan attached)
Background: Borderlands is a charity that is dedicated to helping excluded and marginalised people that works primarily with asylum seekers and refugees in Bristol.
Purpose: The purpose of the Mentoring Manager post is to lead and deliver a Mentoring Project in which local people will volunteer to participate, and are recruited and trained in how to mentor asylum seekers and refugees with whom they will have regular contact and support sessions. The aim of the Mentoring Project is to transfer skills and understanding to asylum seekers and refugees to enable them to lead more independent and fulfilled lives.
Salary: £25,836 per annum, pro rata for 10 months. Fixed term employment contract ending 31st March 2017
Reporting: The post-holder will be employed, supervised and managed by Borderlands (South West) Limited and reports to the Chief Executive
Responsibilities: The post-holder will be responsible for the management, co-ordination and delivery of the Mentoring Project offered by Borderlands to volunteer mentors, asylum seekers and refugees. It is important to note that a significant proportion of the time on the Mentoring Project will take place when volunteers are available and this will involve regularly working weekend and evenings to achieve the project outcomes.
Areas of Responsibility and Specific Duties:
• Advertising and promoting the Mentoring Project opportunity to potential volunteer participants; interviewing, selecting and recruiting them onto the project.
· Organising and overseeing the volunteer mentoring training sessions over the course of the project to train 120 volunteer mentors.
· Organising and delivering the mentoring contact sessions between volunteer mentors and asylum seekers/refugees in Borderlands, other local charities and similar settings.
· Organising regular monthly support sessions for mentor volunteers to meet as a group for team-building, ongoing training, advice, support and sharing.
· Training volunteer mentors on safe contact with asylum seekers and refugees and ensuring best practice delivery. The post-holder should have a strong awareness and good experience in safe contact, setting appropriate boundaries and Safeguarding requirements for vulnerable adults.
· Organising and supporting the volunteer mentoring training sessions by working with an external specialist training company; producing training materials or other training aides that may be required
· Liaise with other external suppliers and organising a public exhibition to be held in Bristol promoting social inclusion and the Mentoring Project. The exhibition will inform the public about asylum, why people are forced to flee to seek safety in other countries and the impacts this has on their lives.
· Responsible for supporting and motivating asylum seekers and refugees who are participating in the Mentoring Project and providing them with support, good advice and a best practice example in mentoring relationship management.
· Working in partnership with other local charities and liaising with them about the delivery of mentoring support sessions in their charities or other settings; attending and supporting (where necessary) the mentoring sessions in these venues.
· Recording, tracking and monitoring the Mentoring Project delivery and outcomes and providing regular monthly reports on these to the Borderlands CEO and Trustees.
· Liaising with other staff about the delivery and co-ordination of the mentoring project.
· Assist in fundraising for the possible future delivery of the Mentoring Project after its initial funding has been completed in March 2017.
· Perform any other administrative and project related tasks necessary to the delivery of the mentoring project.
· Ensure that Borderlands policies and procedures are understood and implemented by all those involved or connected to the mentoring project; for example, Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities, Data Protection, Fire, First Aid and Food Hygiene.
· Providing volunteer mentors and mentees with a positive experience of participating in the Mentoring Project through leadership and good example.
• Ensuring a good, positive and supportive working environment for staff, volunteers, members and other stakeholders where they can achieve their potential and work to high standards
· Ensuring the project remains within budget and is delivered on time and its outcomes successfully achieved.
· Managing the reimbursement of volunteer’s expenses and financial reporting of these expenses and all costs connected to the Mentoring Project.
· Attending training courses that are relevant to the needs of the charity and the project
· Support the work of delivering the mentoring project through being computer literate in using Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
· Ensuring the good reputation of the charity
• Exploring possibilities for new partnerships and directions for the Mentoring Project
• Attendance and participation in the charity’s AGM, Vision Day and Trustee meetings occasionally each year.
People are Borderlands most valued asset and we wish to support and empower everyone we work with. All staff are required to be flexible in their attitude towards their job, to take on other tasks and to work overtime occasionally where this is necessary to meeting the needs of the charity, and be committed to the overall development of Borderlands.
Christian ethos: Borderlands is not a religious charity and we work with people of all faiths and none, however the charity grew out of the parish outreach work of the Catholic parish of St Nicholas of Tolentino Church. It is therefore necessary that the post-holder can work with and accept the Christian ethos of the Trustees.
Team-working: The post-holder will work as part of a small team delivering the services of the charity. The post-holder must be experienced in working in a small team setting where self-reliance is important; the post-holder must also have excellent communication and team-working skills.
Skills & Qualifications: The postholder must be computer literate using Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc. An understanding of the Data Protection Act and its requirements in the workplace and also of Safeguarding vulnerable people would be useful. High standard of written and spoken English and Maths, as well as an ability to write letters and reports that include financial information. Recent training and experience in Health & Safety, Fire Safety, Food Hygiene and First Aid would be useful.
Disclosure & Barring Service check: The post-holder must be willing to have a DBS check carried out. Failure of the DBS check will not necessarily prevent an applicant from getting the job however failure to communicate the potential of this outcome to the charity in advance of the check being carried out may result in the employment application being terminated.
Salary and Notice: This role is paid monthly and is subject to one month’s notice of resignation. References will be required in advance of an appointment being made.
Holidays: This role is entitled to a standard 4 weeks holiday per year plus Bank holidays.
Person Specification
Job Title: Mentoring Manager
Ability / Essential/Desirable / How demonstratedPrevious experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees and awareness of the challenges they face. / E / Application
Interview
Previous experience in mentoring projects, training delivery and project management & delivery / E / Application
Interview
Commitment to empowering and enabling asylum seekers and refugees to lead independent and fulfilled lives / E / Application
Interview
Experience in working with volunteers, leading and supporting them and being a positive example / E / Application
Interview
Willingness to learn about new cultures, embrace social inclusion and diversity / E / Application
Interview
Work proactively as part of a small staff and volunteer project support team / E / Application
Interview
Very organised and a strong ability to multitask calmly and happily / E / Interview
Previous experience in training volunteers to learn new skills / E / Application
Interview
Knowledge of Safeguarding vulnerable adults / E / Application
High level of motivation, personal commitment to the charity’s cause and strong use of initiative, flexibility and resourcefulness / E / Interview
Ability to speak to large or small groups of people about Borderlands work and the Mentoring Project / E / Interview
Ability to work flexibly, out of hours at weekends and evenings and overtime occasionally / E / Application
Access to a vehicle and able to use this for work purposes from time to time (mileage allowance will be paid) / D / Application
Willingness to undertake a wide range of duties as required for the benefit of the charity / E / Interview
Knowledge and experience of social media in promoting the Mentoring Project online e.g. Facebook & Twitter / D / Interview
Knowledge and experience in office admin and willingness to undertake these duties / E / Interview
Computer literate using Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc. / E / Application
Interview
Knowledge of Borderlands work and commitment to its charitable mission; and a commitment to work to non-discriminatory practice and equality of opportunity / E / Application
Interview
(A) not finalised yet and subject to discussion with post holder. Saturday and Sunday working is essential.
* One evening each week the Project Manager will work for 2 hours on the phone, calling and supporting volunteer
mentors 6pm-8pm; except for one week per month when they will run a group meeting offering Volunteer mentors an advice & support, teambuilding & training session instead 6pm-9pm.
** One weekend in every 2 months will be dedicated to running a training session for new Volunteer mentors 9am - 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Weekend and evening work is essential to support volunteers who are mostly available outside of normal working hours.
The above schedule assumes that the Project Manager will mainly work 4 days each week; which days these are is
flexible and open to discussion with the charity. It would also be possible for the Project Manager to work 5 shorter days instead.
The post-holder will be required to attend work, and lead and /or manage all of the above sessions; the weekend
training sessions will be facilitated by external specialist trainers in addition to the post holder.
The post holder will attend Drop-in's run by local charities for example, those run by Borderlands (Mondays & Tuesdays); and by BRR (Wed, Thurs & Fridays) to support volunteers and mentoring sessions being held there
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