• Reports to: Operations Manager
• FTE: The role is full-time, 38 hours per week.
• Salary & Conditions: $100,000, plus superannuation. We offer fringe benefit salary packaging.
• Location: Sydney. Based at either our Redfern or Parramatta centre, and moving between them as needed.

About Story Factory

At Story Factory, we believe that stories can change lives. We focus on enriching the lives of young people in under-resourced communities through quality creative writing programs, improving their writing skills, increasing their confidence and expanding their future prospects. Reading is access but writing is agency.

Since opening in 2012, we have taken more than 55,000 student enrolments, with nearly 10,000 enrolments in 2023. 16% of our students are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 49% are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We have won a number of awards for our work, including Executive Director and Co-founder Dr Cath Keenan being named Australian of the Year Local Hero in 2016.

Our values

• Young people come first.
• Writing is agency.
• Creativity unleashes potential.
• Diversity makes us better.
• We have high expectations of ourselves and the young people we work with.
• We have heart. Passion matters.

When working with our students and colleagues, we are:

• Positive. We see strengths.
• Inclusive. We build connection through shared experience.
• Helpful. We support students to reach their writing goals.
• Respectful. We value young people's ideas and experience.
• Generous. We choose the more edifying interpretation.
• Fun. Because writing should be joyful. At least some of the time.

Purpose of the role

Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting young people in Story Factory writing programs. The purpose of the Volunteer Manager’s role is to ensure we have enough volunteers in our workshops to effectively support young people, and that our volunteers are equipped to most effectively support them to build their literacy and find their voice. The Volunteer Manager is also responsible for ensuring that volunteers have a rewarding and meaningful experience working with Story Factory.

What we offer

• A genuinely collaborative and diverse culture;
• 4 weeks annual leave plus up to 8 days additional annual leave in December/January;
• Fringe benefit may be applicable;
• Ceremonial and cultural leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

The position and its responsibilities

We currently have approximately 350 volunteers, and the Volunteer Manager is in charge of all stages of the volunteer experience. This includes responsibility for recruitment and training, management of paperwork (including Working with Children Checks and Police Checks), scheduling volunteers into workshops, communications, administrative tasks and ongoing volunteer support and recognition. Story Factory is a Child-Safe Organisation, and the Volunteer Manager is responsible for ensuring all volunteers adhere to our Child Safety Guidelines.

The vast majority of volunteering opportunities at Story Factory are in workshops. While all our workshops are designed and led by our expert Storytellers - exceptional teachers with a passion for writing - they are assisted by volunteer tutors, who work with students in small groups to support them as they write. The volunteer tutors do not need to be writers or teachers and come from a diverse and interesting range of backgrounds. Their role is to provide encouragement and guidance to young people in our programs.

Volunteers also assist with some behind-the-scenes tasks, such as typing up student work for publication at the end of each term, binding books and other administrative tasks as they come up.

The Volunteer Manager is the first point of contact for volunteers working in any capacity across our organisation. They will work closely with Storytellers to ensure that volunteers are supported to effectively tutor in our workshops, and collaborate closely with our Senior Manager, Communications and Publishing, especially around recruitment. They will work under the direction of the Operations Manager.

The successful candidate will be inclusive and empathetic, with exceptional people and communication skills. They will have confidence training and presenting to groups of various sizes, and possess very strong organisational and computer skills. This is a busy role and the ideal candidate will be able to work independently and juggle multiple tasks. An ability to work harmoniously with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds is essential.

The Volunteer Manager will work full time, Monday to Friday. Flexible working conditions can be negotiated.

Key position priorities:

Volunteer Recruitment:

• Develop and execute an effective strategy to recruit and train a diverse volunteer cohort, especially in Western Sydney. The Volunteer Manager will be expected to track the effectiveness of the strategy and adjust it as needed to ensure maximum efficiency;
• Run effective outreach and recruitment initiatives, including running community stalls, presenting on our work in diverse settings, developing relationships with universities and other institutions across Sydney and more;
• Deliver engaging orientation and training sessions for new volunteers, both online and in person, that effectively prepare them to tutor in our digital and in-person workshops;
• Work with our Storytellers to identify additional training needs for volunteers and provide professional learning opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Volunteer Management:

• Communicate effectively with volunteers before and after volunteering with us to ensure they are prepared and have a good experience;
• Effectively use Better Impact, Campaign Monitor and direct forms of communications to book volunteers into appropriate workshops;
• Brief Storytellers about their volunteers before workshops and check in regularly on their performance;
• Attend Story Factory workshops as needed to observe volunteers as they tutor and provide feedback;
• Liaise with other members of staff, including our Publishing Manager and Storytellers, to coordinate different opportunities for volunteers (e.g., typing, proofreading, assisting with printing and binding, etc) and ensure volunteers are appropriately supervised as they execute these tasks;
• Ensure volunteers feel adequately recognised and rewarded for their work, including by nominating them for external volunteer awards and running our Volunteer of the Year award;
• Supervise and manage volunteers, interns and work experience students;
• Ensure compliance with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

Communications:

• Advise volunteers about volunteer opportunities through our CRM Better Impact, through our e-newsletters via Campaign Monitor, direct emails and other forums;
• Continuously gather feedback from volunteers on their experiences, including mid-term and end-of-term check-ins, and promptly respond to any concerns or questions, using their feedback to improve the volunteer experience.

Administration, Procedures & Reporting:

• Efficiently process all paperwork related to volunteering, including ensuring that all volunteers have current Working with Children Checks and Police Checks, and that these are renewed as needed;
• Maintain accurate, detailed and up-to-date records about volunteers and all volunteering opportunities through our Better Impact and Salesforce (CRM) systems;
• Confirm volunteers’ attendance at workshops and troubleshoot cancellations, making sure these are communicated quickly to Storytellers;
• Prepare regular reports on volunteer engagement and participation for the leadership team.

Resources available

Story Factory has robust processes and systems for volunteer management in place, including our Better Impact volunteer management software. The Volunteer Manager will be assisted in the organisation of their duties by the Operations Manager, and will be supported by our Senior Manager, Communications and Publishing.

Selection Criteria

Essential:

• At least 5 years’ experience managing a diverse volunteer cohort, including extensive experience recruiting and training volunteers;
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build and maintain relationships with people from diverse backgrounds;
• Experience and confidence in training and presenting to groups of various sizes;
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, and high levels of emotional intelligence and empathy;
• Very strong organisational and coordination skills, including experience using Better Impact as a CRM;
• Ability to work unsupervised, take initiative and creatively solve problems as they come up.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with Salesforce and Google apps;
• Drivers licence and the ability to travel across Sydney and Western Sydney for workshops and training and other opportunities.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

At Story Factory, we embrace differences in gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural background, disability, religion and sexual orientation. We know that diversity and inclusion helps us to attract, recruit, engage and retain a team of talented people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, are particularly encouraged to apply.

If you require specific support to apply for this position, please advise us by contacting [email protected] using the subject line: Volunteer Manager - Redfern / Parramatta enquiry via EthicalJobs. We will work with you to identify the best way to assist.

Story Factory is a Child-Safe Organisation. The successful applicant must undertake a Police Check and Working with Children Check prior to commencement. The role has a six month probation period. Start date to be negotiated.

Candidates are asked to send in a CV and a cover letter of no more than two pages replying to each of the criteria above and outlining their relevant experience and transferable skills. Applications will be assessed as they are received.

All queries can be directed to [email protected] using the subject line: Volunteer Manager - Redfern / Parramatta enquiry via EthicalJobs.

For further information visit our website here.

To view our current strategic plan click here.

To view our Reconciliation Action Plan click here.

To view our latest Annual Report click here.

A position description is attached.