Volunteer Manager Job Description
Recruit, support and retain volunteers so your organisation can deliver vital services. Use this template to create a clear, practical vacancy that sets expectations for candidates and helps you attract experienced volunteer-management professionals.
What does a Volunteer Manager professional do?
A Volunteer Manager leads volunteer recruitment, onboarding, training and retention, ensuring volunteers are safely deployed and supported to meet organisational objectives.
Volunteer Manager job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Volunteer Manager
About the role
[Organisation name] is seeking a Volunteer Manager to lead our volunteer programme from [insert base location]. You will design volunteer roles, recruit and onboard volunteers, provide training and line management, maintain records and ensure safeguarding and data compliance. This role reports to [insert manager title] and suits someone with proven volunteer-management experience and a clear commitment to our mission. Hours: [insert hours].
Key responsibilities
- Develop and deliver a volunteer strategy that meets service needs and supports organisational objectives
- Design clear volunteer role descriptions, risk assessments and person specifications
- Plan and coordinate recruitment campaigns, including outreach to community groups and partner organisations
- Manage the application, vetting and onboarding process (references, induction, DBS checks where required)
- Design and deliver induction and ongoing training for volunteers and volunteer supervisors
- Create and maintain accurate volunteer records and rotas using digital systems; ensure GDPR-compliant record-keeping
- Line-manage volunteer supervisors and provide regular supervision, feedback and performance monitoring for volunteers
- Develop and implement safeguarding procedures and ensure volunteers receive appropriate training
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience managing volunteers or a comparable people-facing function
- Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, able to engage diverse communities
- Strong organisational skills and experience maintaining accurate digital records and rotas
- Clear understanding of safeguarding principles and the ability to apply them in practice
- Ability to design and deliver training and induction sessions to groups and individuals
- Comfortable working flexibly, including occasional evenings or weekends as service needs require
- Eligibility to work in the UK
Desirable
- Experience of volunteering in the charity or community sector
- A qualification in volunteering management, community development or people management (desirable, not essential)
- Familiarity with volunteer-management or CRM systems
- Experience managing budgets and external contracts or partnerships
- Full driving licence and willingness to travel to outreach locations occasionally
What we offer
- [Pension scheme with employer contribution]
- [Generous annual leave allowance]
- [Flexible or hybrid working options where applicable]
- [Training and professional development budget]
- [Employee assistance programme / wellbeing support]
- [Travel expenses reimbursed for outreach and events]
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Volunteer Manager role?
A Volunteer Manager organises and leads a volunteer programme within a charity, social enterprise or community organisation. They recruit and match volunteers to roles, provide inductions and training, manage records and rotas, and ensure safeguarding and compliance. The role balances people management with administrative oversight and partnership working to maximise volunteer contribution and impact.
People leadership
Line-manage volunteer supervisors, support volunteers through supervision and create routes for progression.
Recruitment & outreach
Design recruitment campaigns, build local partnerships and attract volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
Training & compliance
Deliver inductions, safeguarding training and maintain DBS and GDPR-compliant records.
Typical Volunteer Manager responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Develop
Develop and deliver a volunteer strategy that meets service needs and supports organisational objectives
Design clear volunteer role descriptions
Design clear volunteer role descriptions, risk assessments and person specifications
Plan and coordinate recruitment campaigns
Plan and coordinate recruitment campaigns, including outreach to community groups and partner organisations
Manage the application
Manage the application, vetting and onboarding process (references, induction, DBS checks where required)
Design
Design and deliver induction and ongoing training for volunteers and volunteer supervisors
Create
Create and maintain accurate volunteer records and rotas using digital systems; ensure GDPR-compliant record-keeping
Line-manage volunteer supervisors
Line-manage volunteer supervisors and provide regular supervision, feedback and performance monitoring for volunteers
Develop
Develop and implement safeguarding procedures and ensure volunteers receive appropriate training
Volunteer Manager skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience managing volunteers or a comparable people-facing function
- Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, able to engage diverse communities
- Strong organisational skills and experience maintaining accurate digital records and rotas
- Clear understanding of safeguarding principles and the ability to apply them in practice
- Ability to design and deliver training and induction sessions to groups and individuals
- Comfortable working flexibly, including occasional evenings or weekends as service needs require
- Eligibility to work in the UK
Useful where relevant
- Experience of volunteering in the charity or community sector
- A qualification in volunteering management, community development or people management (desirable, not essential)
- Familiarity with volunteer-management or CRM systems
- Experience managing budgets and external contracts or partnerships
- Full driving licence and willingness to travel to outreach locations occasionally
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Volunteer Manager job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Lead with the mission
Open the advert with a short sentence about the organisation’s purpose so candidates understand the impact they’ll support.
Be specific about time commitments
State typical weekly hours, shift patterns and any regular weekend/evening duties so volunteers and managers know expectations up front.
Clarify essential vs desirable
Separate must-have skills (e.g. safeguarding knowledge) from nice-to-have experience (e.g. a specific qualification) to widen the applicant pool.
Describe the volunteering landscape
Include approximate numbers and types of volunteers the candidate will manage, plus whether roles are remote, in-person or outreach-based.
Note checks and training
If enhanced DBS checks, driving or other checks are required, state who pays for them and what training will be provided.
Volunteer Manager salary considerations
Volunteer Manager pay in the UK varies widely depending on organisation size, funding model and the role’s responsibilities. Rather than a single market figure, consider the following factors when setting a salary band:
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Volunteer Manager candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What are the core hours and shift patterns?
Candidates need clarity on regular working hours, any evening/weekend commitments and flexibility expectations.
Where will I be based and how much travel is required?
State the base location, travel to outreach sites and whether remote working is permitted.
What training and development is offered?
Applicants will want to know induction, safeguarding training, CPD opportunities and whether qualifications are supported.
Are DBS checks required and who covers the cost?
Make clear whether an enhanced DBS is needed for the role and whether the organisation pays for it.
How many volunteers will I manage and what types of roles are they in?
Experienced managers expect to know volunteer numbers, key services supported and supervisory structures.
Is the salary band fixed or negotiable and are benefits pro rata for part-time roles?
Clarify pay range, whether it’s open to negotiation and how benefits apply to part-time contracts.
Where to post a Volunteer Manager job
Volunteer Manager vacancies suit a mix of national and local channels. Use mainstream UK job boards and LinkedIn to reach experienced candidates, and promote the vacancy through local infrastructure bodies (e.g. local CVS), volunteer centres, community newsletters and sector networks to attract people already active in volunteering. For specialist roles (safeguarding, therapeutic programmes) add sector-specific forums and relevant professional networks to target experienced practitioners.
Related charity / non-profit job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Volunteer Manager job description FAQs
Do Volunteer Managers need an enhanced DBS check?
If volunteers or beneficiaries are in regulated activity (children or vulnerable adults) an enhanced DBS check will usually be required for those supervising or placing volunteers; otherwise it depends on the specific activities involved.
What are reasonable KPIs for a Volunteer Manager?
Typical measures include volunteer recruitment numbers, retention rates, volunteer hours contributed, completion of mandatory training, number of role placements and volunteer satisfaction scores.
How long does recruitment usually take?
Allow at least four to eight weeks from advert to start date for a comprehensive recruitment process that includes advertising, shortlisting, interviews and pre-employment checks; specialist roles can take longer.
Should the Volunteer Manager role be full-time?
That depends on volunteer numbers, service complexity and project demands. Small programmes can be managed part-time, while large multi-site operations usually need a full-time manager.
What policies should be included in the volunteer handbook?
Core policies cover role descriptions, safeguarding, health & safety, data protection (GDPR), equality & diversity, expenses and grievance/complaints procedures.
Ready to post your Volunteer Manager vacancy?
Use this template to draft a clear advert and adapt the responsibilities and requirements to your organisation. When you’re ready, distribute the vacancy across sector and local channels to reach the right candidates.
