Job Title:  

Technical Volunteer Coordinator

Department:

Training

Reports to: 

Client Services Team Lead

Hours:  

37.5 hours per week

Location:

National Headquarters and Training Centre, Model Farm Road, Cork 

Contract Term:

12-month contract

Purpose of Role

• Oversee the recruitment, management and administration of Volunteers (e.g. such as Puppy Raisers and Temporary Boarders) to support the delivery of the organisation’s strategic targets.
• Oversee and continuously evolve the rehoming process of withdrawals and retired dogs.
• Provide administration support to Operations as needed.

Key Responsibilities Recruitment and Management (Programme Volunteers) 

• Oversee the recruitment, screening, induction, training, engagement and recognition of all Puppy Raising and Temporary Boarder Volunteers to ensure sufficient numbers of suitable volunteers are in place to meet the planned allocation of puppies and dogs in training. 
• Plan, organise, manage and attend recruitment events and campaigns for dog volunteers. 
• Respond to and resolve communications via email and phone calls from all dog volunteer services including enquiries, applications and issues. 
• Liaise with team members and other relevant stakeholders to resolve any concerns impacting volunteers. Coordinate with programme team members to ensure Temporary Boarders are managed efficiently. 
• Manage day-to-day administration including maintaining records for Volunteers and contacts relating to dogs.
• Coordinate with IGDB staff, other volunteers, and relevant stakeholders to develop programme Volunteer support and management strategies that result in greater retention rates. 

Development and Support (Programme Volunteers) 

• Apply innovative and creative strategies to build and maintain a network of Volunteers nationwide to ensure IGDB strategic goals are met.  
• Capture and analyse feedback from existing Volunteers to resolve any issues and increase retention rates. 
• Work closely with IGDB Volunteer Branches to build a strong support network within local communities between Clients and Volunteers. Liaise with IGDB Volunteers and related stakeholders nationwide in relation to all key activities such as temporary boarding and support, as required. 

Rehoming and Programme Delivery Support 

• Oversee the rehoming of all pups and dogs withdrawn or retired from IGDB programmes. 
• Assess, select and support all rehoming applicants and manage waitlists. 
• Streamline rehoming process to improve efficiency of process. 
• Respond to and resolve queries from stakeholders who have rehomed an IGDB puppy or dog.
• Provide out of hours support for puppy raising and other dog services as needed.
• Perform frontline support for Puppy Raisers and Temporary Boarders as needed. Manage the inventory of puppy supplies, e.g. food, training equipment, etc. required for Volunteers. Procedures and Policy Management (Programme Volunteers) 
• Ensure compliance with policies and procedures for all Volunteer activities, including any regulatory requirements.
• Continuously review, update and maintain SOPs for Programme Volunteer services.
• Proactively participate in the evaluation and implementation of SOPs and key processes within Programme Volunteer services.
• Update and maintain online standards and systems.

In addition to these key accountabilities, you may also have ownership for one or more key processes which will be communicated to you via your manager and/or the Performance Management framework.

Values and Behaviours 

IGDB places great emphasis on how people get the job done. For example, we need people who are passionate about enabling people who are vision-impaired and families of children with autism to lead better lives and become more mobile and independent. Employees are expected to achieve these standards to fully meet the expectations of their role.

Person Specification 

Essential

• Minimum of one years’ experience in business or recruitment role or equivalent.
• Third level degree in business or equivalent.
• A “hands-on” and “can do” attitude that can influence through collaboration and leadership.
• Proven track record for consistently meeting and exceeding goals and delivering a superior level of job performance.
• Time management and experience multi-tasking across concurrent projects.
• Excellent verbal, written presentation/IT skills and communication skills.
• Ability to achieve results working collaboratively and independently.
• Evidence of continued professional development to enhance knowledge and experience relevant to the role.
• Practical experience of working with puppies within either dog care or training environment.
• Administration experience delivering excellent customer services.

Desirable

Special Conditions

• Full clean driving licence essential.
• Must be eligible to work in Ireland and EU.
• Subject to full Garda vetting.