National Coastwatch Institution
National HR Officer - Volunteer
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Company Description
The National Coastwatch is a registered charity comprising c.3,000 volunteers based in 61 coastal lookout stations around the coasts of England and Wales. Our mission is to assist in the saving of lives at sea by keeping a visual and listening watch for vessels and people getting into difficulties using our inshore waters around the coast. If you – or someone you know – are on the water or beach - sailing, kayaking, boarding, or swimming etc. – we are watching and keeping you safe. NCI has also signed the Armed Forces Covenant, reflecting a strong commitment to supporting current and former service personnel and integrating military skills into maritime search and rescue.
Role Description
We are now seeking a volunteer to spend up to 10-15 hours per week supporting our Board of Trustees in fulfilling their legal obligations to our volunteers. The role and person specification is outlined below, and we would welcome enquiries from suitably qualified and experienced candidates.
The National HR Officer will provide central human resources support across NCI’s volunteer network, helping ensure consistent, fair, and effective HR practices for all volunteers.
The purpose of the role is:
- To advise the Board’s HR Policy Committee on legal compliance, the development of best practice, and highlighting policy risks.
- To ensure that NCI's approach to people management remains aligned with its charitable objectives, relevant UK employment legislation, safeguarding guidance and ensuring consistency across the full recruitment life cycle.
- To coach and partner with Sector and Station Managers to ensure consistent, fair, and legally compliant HR practices across NCI.
Key Responsibilities
Governance Support and Advice
- Provides technical support, guidance and practical advice to the HR Policy Committee on HR issues such as implementation of HR policies and volunteer management.
- Contributes to effective governance by ensuring that volunteer-related responsibilities, processes, and risks are appropriately documented and managed.
- Works with the volunteer management teams to strengthen NCI’s overall volunteer operations.
- Manages formal recommendations for the rescinding of NCI Membership, ensuring that cases are appropriately documented, evidence-based, and handled in accordance with NCI’s governing documents and relevant policies for the General Secretary to present to the Board for consideration and decision.
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Volunteer Lifecycle
- Supports NCI in building and maintaining a strong and diverse volunteer base.
- Develops and maintains clear processes for volunteer recruitment, selection, induction, role allocation and ongoing engagement.
- Ensures that volunteer roles have clear responsibilities, expectations, reporting lines, and appropriate support.
Operational Support and Advice
- Supports and advises NCI’s Chief Operating Officer and volunteer operational management in all people matters.
- Demonstrates and encourages a positive, inclusive, respectful, and supportive volunteer culture.
- Works with NCI’s National IT Officer to maintain a secure centralised database for sensitive personal data across the organisation.
Procedures and Good Practice
- Develops, maintains, and periodically reviews volunteer agreements, policies, procedures, role descriptions, codes of conduct, and other people-related documentation.
- Promotes consistent and good practice in volunteer management across NCI.
- Identifies opportunities to simplify, improve, and standardise volunteer processes.
- Ensures NCI's volunteer practices remain appropriate to its charitable objectives and organisational needs.
Safeguarding Checks and Compliance
- Ensures appropriate processes are in place for safeguarding, DBS checks where relevant, references, and other role-specific checks.
- Supports trustees and volunteer leads in understanding and applying relevant policies and procedures.
- Ensures appropriate records and documentation are maintained of incidents.
- Liaise with the National Training Officer to ensure all volunteers undertake safeguarding training appropriate to their role(s).
- Promotes appropriate handling of confidential and sensitive volunteer information, in accordance with UK data protection requirements.
Issue Resolution
- Supports and advises managers on the resolution of concerns and conflicts.
- Actively handles unresolved, complex disputes and escalates to the Board only as a last resort for extreme, critical issues (such as a legal or financial risk identified).
- Conducts exit interviews with departing volunteers, capturing feedback and identifying themes, trends, and opportunities to improve volunteer experience, engagement, and retention.
- Provides appropriate feedback and insights to the volunteer leadership team and Board to inform improvements to volunteer management and organisational practice.
- Promotes consistent, fair and respectful treatment of volunteers at all times.
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Qualifications
- Experience in Human Resources (HR) and HR Management, with the ability to support a dispersed, volunteer-based organisation.
- Relevant HR qualification (e.g., CIPD or equivalent experience).
- Knowledge of HR Policies and procedures, including the development, implementation, and review of guidelines for volunteers.
- Skills in Employee Relations, including advising on performance, conduct, and conflict resolution in a sensitive and impartial manner.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain HR concepts in accessible language.
- Experience working with charities, volunteer organisations, or non-profit bodies is highly beneficial.
- Familiarity with UK employment and volunteer regulations, safeguarding principles, and equality, diversity, and inclusion practices.
- Comfort working remotely, using digital tools for communication and document management, and collaborating with stakeholders at different levels.
- Evidence of continuing professional development in UK employment law.
- Evidence of understanding of safeguarding policy best practice.
- Proven experience working as a sole HR practitioner or autonomous lead within an organisation.
Skills and Abilities
- Proven ability to coach and partner with line managers to resolve complex people-management issues.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex HR policies into simple, practical advice.
- Accurate record keeping.
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to align HR practices with NCI's broader values and charitable objectives.
- Experience setting up, auditing, and managing HR administrative systems from scratch.
- Experience of delivering projects, managing workloads, and meeting deadlines.
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