Contract: Permanent, 18.75 hours per week
Salary: £11,996 - £13,857 per annum (£23,993 - £27,715 FTE per annum)
Location: Southampton SO30 2HL
Closing date: Monday 12th January 2026
Interview date: Thursday 22nd January 2026
We’re recruiting a Volunteer Coordinator for our Rehoming & Fostering Team in Southampton!
As Volunteer Coordinator, you’ll recruit, support, and inspire volunteers to enhance rehoming and fostering services, while promoting Blue Cross in the community and driving local volunteering initiatives and fundraising. You’ll be joining a team who strives to be the best versions of themselves, so that they can do their best for the pets who need our help.
More about the role
At our Southampton rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7.
The centre has facilities to care for dogs and cats, as well as a specialised area for kittens.
Our Volunteer Coordinators recruit and support our amazing volunteers in the local area, promote the benefits of volunteering and raise the awareness of our centre and Blue Cross.
As a Volunteer Coordinator you will be responsible for recruiting and supporting a diverse team of volunteers. Working closely with the Centre Manager and Assistant Managers, you will ensure our volunteers who undertake a diverse range of roles, are fully integrated into the team, ensuring the team welcome and collaborate with these wonderful people.
In addition to this, you will be building relationships with local communities and partners, promoting the benefits of volunteering to provide more targeted support.
This role works on a 2-week rota. Week one is Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, week two is Tuesday and Thursday. There may be some flexibility around working days, along some ad hoc weekend working.
At our Southampton rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7. Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site. Occasionally you will be expected to carry out night checks when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time.
If you excel in an environment where you can see the difference you make every day, then this is the role for you. Interested? Then apply and let’s work together to see if this is the role for you.
About you
You will be an excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to actively promote to a range of external stakeholders the work of Blue Cross and the benefits of volunteering. You will be a self-motivated individual with a focused, creative, and forward-thinking approach to volunteering and will enjoy the opportunity to be involved in a range of local volunteering events and national initiatives.
With the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with people at all levels, you will have a passion for ensuring that volunteers have the right opportunities to thrive in their roles.
You will be organised, flexible and analytical in the way you work, and you will enjoy working to targets and managing a diverse team of volunteers. With an approachable and supportive manner, you will be able to offer guidance and advice and will have the confidence to deal with volunteer situations should they arise and be able to offer pragmatic solutions.
You will know what it is like to work in an emotionally charged environment and have excellent ‘bounce back ability’ and resilience. In addition, you will be emotionally intelligent, showing empathy and knowing how to support volunteers and your colleagues.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
* Demonstrable experience of supervision or management of volunteers or colleagues.
* Working with and relationship building with a range of stakeholders.
* High standards of verbal and written communication.
* Previous experience in working in a client focused environment where delivering a high level of customer satisfaction is the norm.
* Strong organisational, administration and analytical skills, including use of computerised systems.
* An awareness of health and safety legislation.
* Current full driving licence.
* Ability to demonstrate, understanding and apply our Blue Cross values
It would also be great (but not essential) if you had:
* Qualifications in managing volunteers or similar.
* Training or coaching skills.
* Presentation skills.
* Working with animals, and knowledge of animal welfare.
* Organising events.
* Understanding of safeguarding issues.
Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need.
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Monday 12th January 2026.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
Blue Cross benefits
Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today.
In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are.
Our generous benefits package includes:
* Enhanced annual leave entitlement: 30 days plus bank holidays
* Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
* Health cash plan
* Life assurance
* Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
* Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
* Free access to GP via MetLife
* Recognition scheme Annual volunteer days
* Claim for professional fees
To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.