EY
Volunteer Lead - Senior Associate - Permanent - London, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow
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Role Profile:
Job Title: Volunteer Lead
Application Deadline: 13/07/2026
Job Type: Permanent
Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow
Introduction to EY Foundation
The EY Foundation is a charity established in 2014 to help young people from a low-income background to develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. We were founded by EY, the professional services firm, who continue to be our primary funder.
Our ambition is that all young people eligible for Free School Meals have an employment and earnings potential equitable to other young people in the UK. We do this through a deep understanding of both sides of the labour market, bringing together employers and young people. We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to deliver employability skills programmes, scalable digital interventions, and by leveraging our convening power to influence systemic change.
We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week, however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.
As an independent charity we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants.
EY Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring service, where appropriate.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
At the EY Foundation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the transformative power of embracing differences and creating a culture where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves.
We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates diversity in all its forms, ensuring that everyone – regardless of background, identity, or experience – feels safe, accepted and that they truly belong. Our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging means continuously learning, improving, and challenging ourselves to build a workplace where every individual can thrive.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you share our commitment to creating a culture of belonging and inclusion, we encourage you to join us and help to make a difference.
Your role as Volunteer Lead
This role is the key central support for volunteer recruitment, communications and the wider volunteer stewardship journey. The purpose of this role is to design, implement and lead evidence-based systems and processes for the management of a large pool of volunteers, ensuring their ongoing training, support and retention.
This role reports to either the Head of Programme Operations or the Chief Programme Officer. The post can be based in any of our Hubs – Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham or London.
The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.
Within the Foundation we adopt flexible roles that reflect the dynamic nature of our charity and enable our people to learn, develop and grow their skills and open up career opportunities. This is part of our investment in you. This role profile provides an outline of what will be involved in your role rather than an exhaustive list of duties. Both you and this role will naturally evolve.
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The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:
Core Responsibilities
- Lead on the implementation and smooth running of volunteer management, from recruitment through to building long term relationships to ensure high levels of retention and satisfaction amongst volunteers.
- Ensure quality processes are in place to manage the recruitment, training and retention of volunteers.
- Lead on the development and implementation of the volunteering strategy.
- Lead on volunteer communications including daily news stories and capturing of volunteer case studies.
- Manage key stakeholder relationships, including but not limited to, EY Partner sponsor for volunteering, EY CSR groups and committees, EY Ripples, organisations that are already providing UK wide volunteering opportunities to share and learn from best practice.
- Work closely with EY Foundation teams (programmes, corporate partnerships, fundraising) to help support/coordinate their volunteer needs.
- Lead / support the EY Ready Workshop – supports young people to learn more about EY apprenticeships and assessment methods required for them.
- Work closely with the Data and Impact team to ensure we are collecting appropriate volunteer data.
- Analyse this data to identify trends, priorities and gaps in order to continuously improve our work.
- Maintain oversight and responsibility for volunteer compliance and training.
- Manage other team members or secondees if required.
Your Skills, Knowledge, Experience And Qualification
What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable skills, experience and knowledge in the following areas:
Required:
Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences and produce clear, engaging volunteer communications, guidance and promotional materials.
- Strong interpersonal, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the confidence and credibility to build effective relationships with volunteers, EY colleagues, senior stakeholders, internal teams and external partners.
- Strong organisational and task management skills, with the ability to translate goals into actionable plans, manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work with minimal supervision.
- Ability to use initiative and judgement to solve moderately complex problems, improve ways of working and contribute to continuous improvement.
- Good digital and analytical skills, including the ability to use systems, tools, data and feedback to identify trends, gaps, risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across teams, value diverse perspectives and contribute to a respectful, inclusive and solutions-focused working environment.
Knowledge
- Practical understanding of volunteer engagement, including recruitment, onboarding, training, retention, recognition and building long-term volunteer relationships.
- Understanding of what volunteers need to contribute effectively, including clear expectations, appropriate training, strong communication and ongoing engagement.
- Understanding of safeguarding, data protection, information security, confidentiality and compliance requirements when working with volunteers, young people and stakeholders.
- Understanding of how effective volunteer management supports organisational goals, quality delivery and positive outcomes for young people.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and to EY Foundation’s ambition to improve the working lives and prospects of young people facing barriers to employment.
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Experience
- Experience of working with, coordinating or managing volunteers, stakeholders, partners or service users in a delivery-focused environment.
- Experience of building effective relationships across a range of people, teams and levels, including internal and/or external stakeholders.
- Experience of developing, improving or implementing processes, guidance, tools or ways of working to support consistent, high-quality delivery.
- Experience of managing multiple tasks, priorities or projects, with strong attention to detail and a focus on outcomes.
- Experience of creating communications, promotional materials, guidance or engagement content for different audiences.
- Experience of using data, feedback or insight to inform decisions, identify improvements and support effective delivery.
Desirable:
Skills
- Ability to use CRM, volunteer management or reporting systems to support planning and insight.
- Ability to coach, guide or support others to build confidence and capability.
Knowledge
- Understanding of corporate volunteering within large or complex organisations.
- Knowledge of the charity, employability, social mobility or corporate responsibility sectors.
Experience
- Experience of working with corporate volunteers or employer partners.
- Experience of contributing to a volunteer strategy, engagement plan or volunteer journey.
- Experience of using volunteer or stakeholder data to improve engagement, quality or impact.
Recruitment Process
Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best candidates through a comprehensive evaluation of their skills, motivation, and potential. The process includes:
The first stage interview will be based on:
- Competency-Based Interview Questions: We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
- Motivational Interview Questions: We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
- Scenario-Based Questions: You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
The second stage interview will be based on:
- Presentation Development: Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
- Understanding of Our Organisation: We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.
Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Key dates
- First round interviews: week beginning 20th July (subject to availability)
- Second round interviews: week beginning 27th July (subject to availability)
If you are invited to interview and are unavailable please let the recruiter know, we will do our best to offer an alternative.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let the recruiter know when contacted.
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