Volunteer Work Experience Opportunity
Role Description & Person Specification
About Us
The Association for Nutrition (AfN) is the voluntary regulator for qualified nutritionists. We maintain the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN), a competency based register of individuals who:
- are qualified and competent in nutritional science and practice
- agree to uphold professional and ethical standards through a comprehensive code of conduct
Only individuals who meet the highest standards in evidence-based science and professional practice of nutrition can join and remain on the Register.
AfN currently employs sevenmembers of staff, sixof whom are part-time. We are a small, friendly, hardworking team, based in central London, and are committed to growing both AfN and the UKVRN over the coming years. For more information, please visit
Role Description
The Volunteer Work Experience Opportunity is ideal for a recent nutrition graduate to gain work experience of life in a busy office and understand further the role and operation of the voluntary regulator for qualified nutritionists.
As part of a supportive and close knit team, the Volunteer will undertake a piece of research to support our development of the Animal area of the UKVRN. You will have the opportunity to observe a management team meeting, Standing Committees and work alongside key staff in undertaking a range of general administrative tasks, including data-inputting. The work experience will include one-to-one briefing from the Chief Executive and the Registration Manager on their roles and current issues in voluntary regulation, an opportunity to work-shadow(depending on schedule) and develop your understanding of routes to registration. There will also be an opportunity to present your research project to the management team and receive feedback.
Research Project
-Undertake desk based research to identify and map key external stakeholders in Animal nutrition in the following categories;
- UK and overseas professional, voluntary and statutory bodies, charities, organisations, societies and NGOs with an interest in Animal nutrition
- Government, commissioning and arms-length organisations with an oversight of nutrition policy/ activity/funding in Animal nutrition in England, Wales, NI & Scotland.
- University UG & PG course providers in Animal nutrition with the potential to meet AfN Standards for Accreditation.
- Short course providers with the potential to meet AfN Standards for Certification.
- Key experts in Animal nutrition with the potential to meet AfN Standards for Registration.
-Key issues in Animal nutrition AfN should be aware of.
- Animal membership organisation relevant to existing expertise within UKVRN.
- Other relevant organisations and individuals
-Draw together existing contacts from staff team/ Trustees/ committee members to inform research activity.
-Identify and accurately record contact information (according to a template) and input into our Subscriber database.
-Identify key stakeholder issues/ concerns for management team consideration
-Provide a brief report to management team on outcome of research project
-Assist with organising a workshop of existing UKVRN registrants with a specialism in Animal nutrition
Person Specification
This section lists the essential and desirable requirements. Applicants will be short-listed solely on the extent to which they meet these requirements.
Education and Work Experience
Essential
- Educated to degree level or postgraduate level in nutritionfrom an AfN accredited course andeligible for direct entry as an Associate Nutritionist.
- Able to demonstrate your willingness to engage with and learn from a highly skilled team, and develop a research brief into an active project.
- Excellent organisation and time management skills,with demonstrable ability to prioritise and multi-task.
- Experience of maintaining confidential files and records, demonstrate a high level of attention to detail and accuracy.
- Substantial user experience ofthe Microsoft Office Suite.
- Basic knowledge of the ‘nutrition landscape’: its regulation, the bodies which inform and promote nutrition, the role of AfN.
Desirable
- Experience of working‘hands on’ as part of a small team, in a supportive, flexible and friendly manner, with staff, external stakeholders and registrants.
- Experience of working autonomously, under a minimum of supervision, referring or consulting when necessary.
- Experience of using and maintaining a membership/contacts database (training will be given).
- Knowledge of issues around UK sports and exercise nutrition, professional/ voluntary regulation in nutrition and sympathetic to the demands of a science-based discipline.
This Volunteer Work Experience Opportunity is a chanceto undertake a piece of research on which feedback will be given. AfNwill reimburse travelling expenses (up to £10 per day) and lunch expenses (up to £5per day) on submission of receipts according to AfN’s travel and subsistence policy. We will also pay the Volunteer’s UKVRN registration fee as an Associate Nutritionist (if eligible) for one year. This is not an offer of employment nor will it lead to employment with AfN.
You will be required to sign a volunteer contract.
The Voluntary Work Experience Opportunity is offered for a period of three weeks, full time between 13th July- 31thJuly (3 week period). The Volunteer can select a start/ finish time between 8am-10am and 4pm-6pm, with an hour’s lunch break each day, although as this is an unpaid work experience role, there is no obligation to attend on a regular basis. Some degree of flexibility in start/finish times/ length of work experience may be negotiated with the Registration Manager.
References
This appointment is subject to the provision of onesatisfactory reference.
Application Procedure
To apply, please send a copy of your CV with the name, address, telephone and email contact of one reference, and a covering letter outlining how you meet the person specification.
Please send your application to (preferred) or by post to: Sarah Manuel, AfN Registration and Accreditation Manager, 28 Portland Place, London, W1B 1LY.
If you require more information about AfN please visit at our website,
Applications to be received no later than5pm, 1stJuly 2014.
Telephone Interviews will be held Monday 6thJuly 2014. We regret it will not be possible to interview candidates on any alternative date, and it will only be possible to contact those applicants invited to interview.
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