Unity in Community Project Officer

About Dublin City Volunteer Centre 

Dublin City Volunteer Centre (DCVC) is the ‘one-stop-shop’ for volunteering in the Dublin city area. We are a registered charity in Ireland and a member of Volunteer Ireland and the network of 29 Volunteer Centres nationally. 

Our Vision: People in Dublin City are empowered to connect with and contribute to an inclusive, vibrant and sustainable society through volunteering.

We experience high demand for our services, based on a population base of 554,000. We are committed to the delivery of quality services, leadership and good governance.

The Role

Overview of the role

• The Unity in Community Project Officer will lead a new strategic initiative funded by the Ireland Against Racism Fund. The objective of the Unity in Community project is to reduce racist attitudes and foster community cohesion through structured, collaborative volunteering.

The Project Officer will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project, facilitating cohesive community dialogue by bringing together volunteers from minority backgrounds and residents of Dublin City to work on shared community goals (e.g., area beautification, sports coaching). The role involves managing partnerships, recruiting and training volunteers, overseeing project budgets, and overseeing the production of a short documentary to showcase the project’s impact.

Key areas of work

Project Management & Governance

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the project, including activity planning, budget management, and partner liaison.
• Maintain a detailed project plan with milestones and timelines, utilising the Monday.com project management tool to track progress.
• Track project expenditures against the approved budget and submit quarterly financial reports.
• Compile and submit all required reports to the Ireland Against Racism Fund, ensuring compliance with grant agreement schedules.
• Ensure all participant data is managed in compliance with GDPR guidelines.

Community Partnership & Engagement

• Identify and secure partnership agreements with 5 local community organisations in areas at risk of racism or deprivation.
• Conduct needs assessments with partners to ensure volunteering activities are responsive to specific community needs.
• Facilitate 10 intercultural dialogue and reflection sessions to foster empathy and mutual understanding between participants.

Volunteer Mobilization & Training

• Recruit and train 100 volunteers, ensuring a mix of participants from minority backgrounds and the local host communities.
• Develop and distribute a volunteer training toolkit focused on intercultural cooperation and project goals.
• Deliver 5 six-week collaborative volunteering projects (e.g., clean-ups, mural painting, sports coaching) across Dublin City.

Communications & Impact

• Lead a visibility and awareness campaign (social media, local press, video shorts) to reach an estimated 1 million impressions.
• Oversee the production of a professionally-produced short documentary
• showcasing participant stories and the project’s impact.
• Organise 3 community screenings of the documentary with facilitated discussions.
• Implement a monitoring and evaluation system (feedback forms, reflections) to measure the project's success in changing attitudes.

Other

• Support the Volunteer Engagement Officer and Inclusion Officer to deliver a high- quality, inclusive, accessible service to potential volunteers
• Other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Centre Manager

Person Specification: 

Essential:

• Commitment to the concept of volunteering and the objectives of the Ireland Against Racism Fund.
• Proven track record in project management, specifically in the community or voluntary sector.
• Experience in volunteer engagement, recruitment, and management.
• Strong understanding of social inclusion and the barriers faced by minority groups and those experiencing racism.
• Experience managing budgets and financial reporting.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral, for reporting and promotional campaigns.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with project management tools such as Monday.com.
• Experience in event management or organizing community initiatives.
• Experience with media production or managing creative projects (e.g., documentary/video).
• Familiarity with the National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR).

Key Information about this role

• The role will require flexibility to travel within Dublin. Travel outside of the office is reimbursed according to our expenses policy.
• A Time Off in Lieu system (TOIL) operates. 

DCVC offers the following benefits in addition to salary: 

• Annual Leave of 25 days
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme (My Future Fund)
• Further Education / Training and learning investment programme
• Travel (bike-to-work schemes/tax saver commuter tickets)
• Paid volunteering leave of four days per annum
• Employee assistance programme with self-help wellbeing supports and access to free, confidential advice and in-person counselling services as required 

A complete list of all the terms and conditions will be made available to the candidate offered the role through DCVC’s Staff Handbook.