Community Engagement & Volunteer Officer

The Charity:

Aphasia Support is a passionate, community-centred charity. Our mission is to improve the wellbeing of people with Aphasia and their carers by providing tailored speech and language therapy and long-term support. We want to create a world where every person with Aphasia has access to support and can communicate with confidence.

The charity currently has 4 staff members (Chief Executive, Fundraising & Communications Manager, Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, Administrator) and 8 Speech and Language Therapists working for the charity on a sessional basis. The sessional workers oversee our 1to1 support and aphasia cafes. The charity has over 60 volunteers who provide the 1to1 support and help run our aphasia cafes.

The Role:

Aphasia Support is looking to recruit a Community Engagement & Volunteer Officer who will work with the charity s speech and language therapy team and volunteers in West Yorkshire, Harrogate and Barnsley to ensure our support reaches the people who need it most.

We envisage this to be a split role:

• 3 days focused on ensuring people in West Yorkshire, Harrogate and Barnsley receive timely support through the charity's community-based Aphasia Cafe's and at-home 1:1 speech and language therapy service.

• 2 days focused on overseeing the charity's volunteer recruitment and retention programme, ensuring Aphasia Support's valued volunteers receive the best possible experience, utilising their time and resource to create the biggest impact.

What's essential is that you love what you do. We want you to enjoy coming to work every day and to care about your job, your colleagues, and our beneficiaries. If you think you can do an outstanding job for us, then we'd love to hear from you. We would be interested to hear from people who may have transferable skills from different sectors.

This role is offered on a fixed term basis until 31st July 2026, however the charity is hopeful the position will continue beyond this point.

Main duties will include:

Processing of new referrals into the charity alongside the current SLT Assistant. Contacting new referrals and outlining the charity s 1to1 support and aphasia café support offer and completing initial referral paperwork via phone and email.

Gaining a thorough understanding of the speech and language therapy apps used by the charity and supported conversation techniques. You will work towards being the resident expert on the speech and language therapy apps used by the charity.

Matching people with aphasia with volunteers for our 1to1 support service within West Yorkshire, Harrogate and Barnsley.

Completing initial appointments in the client s home alongside volunteers. Taking speech and language therapy assessments and turning them into clear therapy plans that can be delivered confidently by the volunteers.

Provide ongoing advice and support to volunteers and clients.

Provide home based 1to1 support for clients, if required.

• Leading on volunteer recruitment for all areas of the charity by liaising with the charity s Fundraising & Communications Manager alongside branch committees, volunteer centres, universities, colleges and NHS volunteering teams.

Screening of new volunteers and administering of reference and DBS checks.

Leading on the charity s quarterly volunteer inductions.

On occasion supporting the charity s event fundraising calendar which will require some evening work.

If required, supporting the running of the charity s aphasia cafes.

Completing other tasks which are commensurate with the role

Person Specification

Essential

Good general level of education or equivalent work-based experience

Excellent organisational skills and time management skills.

Good administrative and record keeping skills including strong attention to detail.

Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully both verbally and in writing

Good technical literacy of Microsoft Applications e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint.

Experience working with CRM databases, and maintaining accurate records

Highly confident user of technology, specifically iPads, with a willingness to learn about speech and language therapy apps.

Good interpersonal skills including listening and display empathy

Proven ability to build and maintain effective relationships

Demonstrates understanding and ability to manage self, and work with others at all levels

Demonstrate a commitment and enthusiasm for supporting people with aphasia and their carers.

Have access to a car for work purposes and hold a full current UK driving licence

Desirable

Experience of supervising volunteers or mentoring/coaching others

Previous experience of working in the third sector and supporting people with disabilities and/or people who are socially isolated.