Volunteer Receptionist and Shop Worker

Closing date: N/A

Job Title:

Volunteer Receptionist & Shop Worker

Responsible to:

Service Manager

Responsible for:

N/A

Hours of Work:

To be agreed

Location:

YMCA Together

Salary and benefits:

  • Travel to and from the service
  • Lunch – daily
  • Training courses tailored to your role such as, safeguarding, health and safety and professional boundaries
  • Volunteer support group

YMCA Together has been voted No1 Charity to work for by our employees in 2022. YMCA is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people experiencing challenging times in their lives.

YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.

Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.

Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.

Volunteer Receptionist & Shop Worker Job Role

The receptionist and shop worker volunteer will be the first point of contact for residents and visitors. Providing a warm welcome to all, ensuring everyone is supported and directed quickly and efficiently to ensure their needs are met.  The volunteer will assist in the provision of effective high quality support services to complex, challenging individuals whom present with homelessness, mental health, substance misuse and offending behaviour with the aim of promoting independent living. The volunteer will also run the tuck shop available to all residents within the service.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Meet and greet residents and visitors as they enter the service
  2. Provide a warm welcome to visitors and ensure they sign in and out
  3. Engaging with residents and visitors who enter the service, answering their enquiries or referring them to staff as appropriate
  4. Helping with enquiries in person and/or via email/telephone
  5. Ensure the reception area is clean and tidy
  6. Ongoing observation of the movements of residents around the service
  7. Take in postal deliveries, informing staff as necessary
  8. Handle incoming phone calls politely, taking and relaying messages as appropriate
  9. Maintain confidentiality at all times
  10. Support staff and other volunteers with the tuck shop for residents and any other light duties
  11. Engaging with residents and serving them in a helpful and friendly way in the service tuck shop with food and refreshments
  12. Replenishing the tea and coffee facilities in the residents safe space ensuring it is kept clean and tidy
  13. Sorting and organising the delivery of goods for the shop
  14. Helping to display stock and keeping the tuck shop clean and tidy
  15. The volunteer may be required to attend, from time to time, training as required by their own training needs and the needs of YMCA Together
  16. To establish supportive and effective working relationships with other staff and residents in the service
  17. The post holder may be required to undertake additional duties commensurate with the level of this role.

Resident and Visitor Involvement and Engagement

  • Provide a safe, welcoming environment for all with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages residents to engage. With an understanding and belief in the inclusion of all irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, ability, identity, and experience

Health and Safety 

  • Ensure at all times the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you volunteer
  • Report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people
  • To liaise with all emergency services when necessary
  • Ensure adherence to YMCA Together visitor’s policy and procedure.

Internal Relationships

  • Excellent communication with all YMCA Together staff and residents
  • Flexible and positive approach
  • To be committed to learning and personal development both as an individual and as part of a team
  • Sharing information and expertise with the team

External Relationships

  • Develop excellent and robust relationships with all visitors to the service.

General

  • Uphold and develop YMCA Equal Opportunities policy of anti-discrimination across all services
  • Ensure compliance with code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times
  • Familiarise yourself with and ensure compliance with all YMCA policies and procedures.

The volunteer will be expected to carry out other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the volunteer post and to demonstrate flexibility in all areas of their work including the willingness to attend training if required.

It is recognised that the association operates in a dynamic environment and as such this role description may be varied in consultation with the volunteer to reflect the evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the role.

Person Specification – Volunteer Receptionist and Shop Worker

 

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of dealing with customer enquiries

Desirable

  • Previous experience of working in the voluntary or statutory sector
  • Experience of working in hostels and or support services
  • Experience with handling phone calls, email correspondence
  • Customer service experience

Knowledge

Essential

  • A good knowledge of IT

Skills

Essential

  • Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows
  • Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills
  • Excellent administration skills
  • Patience, tolerance, and flexibility
  • Welcoming, friendly and helpful manner
  • An understanding of the importance of client confidentiality at all times
  • Positive attitude and the ability to work well with others
  • Good listening skills and patience when communicating with others
  • Ability to empathise with residents daily

Desirable

  • A pro-active approach, self-motivated and enthusiastic with a good level of initiative, innovative and imaginative thinking

Behaviour/Attributes

Essential

  • A calm demeanor with a relatable and open behaviour
  • Friendly, empathetic and approachable with a welcoming inclusive approach
  • Patience
  • An awareness of the importance of professional boundaries and confidentiality
  • Ability to interact with people
  • Flexibility

Desirable

  • Experience of or the ability to interact with people with complex needs or challenging behaviours

If you would like to apply for this role please click here APPLY NOW

To download a copy of our application form, please click HERE

If you would like to apply not directly through the website, please email your completed application form to recruitment@ymcatogether.org.uk

Apply Now