ABOUT CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL

Children International, Inc. herein referred to as CIM is based in Quezon City, Philippines and is an affiliate of Children International, a global non-profit, headquartered in Kansas City, USA. Children International globally delivers child and youth development programming to break the cycle of generational poverty. Through a long-term, customized approach, we serve young people in 10 countries around the world for the first two decades of their lives. By providing access to resources such as education, health care and positive role models, along with life skills and job skills they need to become sustainably employed adults, we are empowering our participants to improve their own lives, while transforming their families and communities. We are in it for the long haul, because we know that the nearly 220,000 children and youth we support around the world deserve a fighting chance.

THE CAREER OPPORTUNITY

The Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead is employed by CIM and will be joining the agency at a pivotal period as the organization implements the new Child Path strategy aimed at enhancing effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability to benefit more than 25,000 sponsored children across different communities in Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, and Calumpit, Bulacan.

Reporting directly to the Programs Manager of CIM, the Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead will also coordinate with the Global Lead for Technical Program Support for technical guidance and to ensure global alignment, as well as the Agency Program and Operations leadership to ensure contextualization. Collaboration with various colleagues—including the Agency Director, department managers, program leads, Service Area Coordinators, and field officers—is required. Accordingly, the Volunteer Strategy & Support Lead must comply with all [Agency] policies, particularly those pertaining to child safeguarding.

We seek a committed and experienced Agency Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead to guide and coordinate the implementation of the Agency’s volunteer engagement approach as CI shifts to a more community-led operating model. This position will work alongside Agency leaders-and operating core across different locations to support volunteers to deliver engaging and meaningful experiences within their communities.

This role encompasses support for initial implementation and ongoing support for each stage of the volunteer life cycle, including enrollment, onboarding, engagement, appreciation and retention. Thus, it will involve cultivating strong, supportive relationships and fostering a sense of empowerment and confidence among CI volunteers. To this end it is expected that this position will spend a significant amount of time in communities and at service delivery points to engage volunteers and incorporate their perspectives. The Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead will contribute to an environment that promotes both personal and professional development among volunteers.

The Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead will collaborate with the Service Area Coordinator to ensure that support staff (e.g. – field officers who supervise volunteers) and ultimately volunteers themselves are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to effectively support community-based activities. This role is integral to initiating positive change within the organization.

Given the ongoing transformation within CIM, the Volunteer Engagement & Support Lead position is of critical importance. While the role presents significant challenges, it also offers the rewarding opportunity to contribute to—and observe—the meaningful transformation in the lives of thousands of young people participating in the agency’s child and youth development program.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS ROLE

• Design and guide agency volunteer planning and support including enrollment, onboarding, engagement, appreciation, and retention.
• Regularly assess volunteer needs through both direct (site visits, pause & reflect sessions) and indirect (surveys, staff feedback) channels.
• Coordinate with the Service Area Coordinators to provide support to field staff and to provide volunteers with the necessary support to be safe and successful in their roles.
• Empower field staff to develop volunteer assignments that provide meaningful, satisfying work in a community reflective of the core values of the organization.
• Work with Talent Growth to provide volunteers with a safe, healthy, and supportive environment in accordance with all appropriate legislation and regulations.
• Assist in creating annual budget for volunteer program activities.
• Collect and analyze demographic and volunteer satisfaction data via annual survey and report on summary statistics and learning
• Identify meaningful volunteer stories; collaborate with Agency Journalists to document and share
• Effectively communicate organization and program updates to volunteers.
• Plan and implement formal and informal volunteer recognition activities to show appreciation for the contributions of volunteers to the organization.
• Demonstrate behaviors aligned to CI values consistently. 
• Foster a learning culture that tackles agency challenges and models effective problem solving. Join learning sessions to exchange best practices and lessons learned.
• Adapt quickly to change within a complex, ever-changing work environment
• Enable seamless information flow and ensure effective collaboration and coordination of volunteers within the Agency and the communities and across the global organization to maximize collective impact on young participants and families.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND KEY SKILLS:

• A college degree (or demonstrated experience) in a relevant field of study with at least 5 years of experience in training, teaching, or coaching roles, particularly in community or educational settings.
• Experience working directly on volunteer support and programs that mobilize and engage volunteers.
• Proficient in verbal and written communication, as well as documentation, in English/Spanish (depending on region) and relevant local languages.
• Ability to influence and empower teams and build a culture of high performance that is also reflective of CI values.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to deal tactfully, build, nurture and leverage relationships with diverse stakeholders across levels, both internally and externally.
• Relevant computer skills with proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications.
• Time management and planning skills with the ability to handle multiple deadlines and priorities smoothly.
• Learning mentality characterized by listening, humility, and openness/courage to change.
• Self-motivated and proactive with a high level of compassion, empathy, integrity and passion to work on complex social causes, especially the cause of children and youth.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENT

• Willingness to travel across the service areas in the city/country in support of volunteer work at service delivery points and in communities. It is expected that this position will spend a significant amount of time directly engaging with volunteers to listen, learn, and provide coaching where appropriate.

Organizational Policies

• Strictly observe confidentiality and strong ethics with respect to all participant information, financial reports, and other organizational data.
• Comply with and ensure adherence to the organization’s policies, safety and security protocols and child safeguarding norms and guidelines by self and other stakeholders both internal and external.
• Value other cultures and demonstrate respect while relating with all organizational constituents irrespective of their race, color, faith, gender, sexual orientation, age, caste, abilities, experiences, beliefs, and ethnicity.

Overall Decision Making & Supervision

• This position requires critical thinking, subject matter expertise, analysis, evaluation of intangibles, and a high degree of initiative.
• This position is monitored on results and feedback from collaborators.

JOB INFORMATION

• Department: Programs
• Reports to: Program Manager
• Grade: 7