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IRC166895 - Community, Participation & Volunteering Manager, National Trust

  •  South East
  •  Â£20k-25k
  •  Part time
  •  Closes January 18, 2026
  •  NA
  • #Charity

Description

Job Summary

This role offers a unique opportunity to help shape how we work with and alongside local communities at three of our much-loved places: Basildon Park, Greys Court, and Nuffield Place.

Job Description

What it's like to work here

Working in a team of two with the Community, Participation & Volunteering coordinator, you'll report into the General Manager. This role is permanent, part-time, 30 hours per week.

The Thames Valley is a major tourist destination, with historic houses, parks and gardens, cycling, walking and boating on the river. It's a beautiful area in which to live and work, with numerous small villages and towns in the countryside, yet good transport links to London by train and close to the east-west M4 motorway. The nearby thriving town of Reading with its range of housing types and prices, university and sporting facilities is the most important source for local visitors coming to the National Trust properties in this area. Basildon Park is just 12 miles from Greys Court, with nearby Nuffield Place - the third in the group, forming a close triangle of properties spilling out north across the valley.

What you'll be doing

You'll lead a community-first approach-ensuring that local voices, experiences, and ideas guide our decisions and influence what happens at each property. You'll design inclusive and flexible volunteering opportunities, both on-site and remotely, that reflect the diverse lifestyles and interests of the people around us. You'll also support and co-create ways for individuals, groups, and partners to share their time, skills, and creativity-whether through community-led projects or collaborative activities.

This is a key role in helping us become more welcoming, relevant, and responsive to the communities we serve.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what's possible in this role

Job Requirements

Who we're looking for

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

  • Ability to use strategic outcomes and audience data to set clear priorities and make informed decisions
  • Experience in leading inclusive and flexible volunteering and community participation initiatives, especially those that empower underrepresented groups
  • A track record of building and managing strategic partnerships across public, private, and charitable sectors
  • Deep knowledge and practical application of participatory methods in various contexts
  • Ability to coach managers and teams through change
  • Demonstrated success in developing and implementing innovative, inclusive volunteering models that align with strategic outcomes and deliver measurable public benefit
  • Ability to use empathy, openness, and cultural awareness to build trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders, including volunteers, partners, and community groups

Job Responsibilities

Applications from National Trust redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the minimum criteria below:

  • Ability to understand and respond to community needs by building relationships and using data to guide decisions.
  • Experience creating opportunities for diverse groups to get involved, ensuring volunteering is accessible and meaningful.
  • Knowledge of setting clear priorities using audience insight and lead change across teams to improve public benefit
  • Ability to develop and manage partnerships that support shared goals and increase capacity for community impact.
  • Ability to influence, coach, and build trust with internal teams and external stakeholders.
  • Experience in using research and analytics to identify trends, motivations, and barriers to participation.
  • Ability to evaluate impact regularly and share learning to strengthen practices across the Trust and beyond.

How to Apply

Please apply for this role directly via the National Trust website - https://careers.nationaltrust.org.uk/OA_HTML/a/#/vacancy-detail/166895

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