Chicago Volunteer & Teams Mobilization Manager

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that is fighting for change that lasts, right here in the U.S. and across the globe. We bring sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. The organization is approximately 75 years old and has worked in over 100 countries around the world since its founding.

In the United States, we come alongside local churches, community organizations and hundreds of individual volunteers to support newly arriving refugee and other immigrant families. Today, we are proud to partner with over 6,000 local churches, and 95,000 volunteers globally to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

POSITION SUMMARY:

World Relief is a unique and invigorating place to work. We are looking for talented, passionate, and collaborative people to come alongside our mission, vision and values as we partner with churches and volunteers to empower the most vulnerable in the world.

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten?  Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor? Are you passionate about leading others and coaching them to foster authentic relationships? 

If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.

The Chicago Volunteer & Teams Mobilization Manager oversees the work of volunteer coordinators and spearheads collaboration with other World Relief staff teams to build welcoming communities across the Chicagoland region. This role is responsible for training and supporting a team of volunteer coordinators to cultivate impactful volunteers within their spheres of responsibility, as well as working directly with a caseload of volunteers serving in team models in Chicago. The role also ensures proper tracking of volunteers and documentation of their contributions. Within the Chicago office location, this position collaborates closely with other staff team leaders to strategically plan for and place volunteers in service alongside World Relief staff. The ultimate goal is creating and sustaining volunteer engagement opportunities and experiences that build mutually-beneficial relationships between refugees and immigrants, volunteers, and World Relief.

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Volunteer Mobilization Team Management:
• Coach and influence volunteer coordinators and other staff who engage with volunteers to reach their full potential and desired program results through training, professional development, team collaboration, accountability, and ongoing improvement.
• Train volunteer coordinators in accurate database recording of volunteers and their contributions, and conduct quality control checks to ensure database work is consistently accurate. Contribute to grant reports and participate in audits as needed.
• Alongside other volunteer mobilization leaders, convene with volunteer coordinators and church mobilization staff across Chicagoland on a regular basis to discuss and monitor recruitment efficacy, collaborate around shared projects and concerns, and coordinate volunteer recognition efforts. Join leaders in building deeper collaboration across the Chicagoland region among all staff teams.
• Collaborate with directors, managers, and their teams in Chicago about anticipated needs for volunteer involvement, and assist in developing volunteer role descriptions and supervision support expectations. Glean regular feedback from service lines to continually improve volunteer engagement with our service teams and clients. Participate in Management Team meetings and other strategic development meetings.
• Attend regular internal client progress assessment meetings and departmental meetings as necessary to nurture volunteer and community collaboration on client adjustment and goal achievement.
• With mobilization leadership and program directors, participate in the implementation of the organization-wide volunteer recruitment strategy. Ensure the organization is meeting quarterly volunteer placement goals. Join in the rotation of World Relief staff who contribute by representing World Relief at community events and training new volunteers through orientation.
• Join in support of the regional Chicagoland Volunteer Mobilization team with other duties as needed.

• Oversee and coordinate the Good Neighbor Team (GNT) and HOME Team programs in the Chicago location (team-based volunteer programs providing support to refugees and asylum seekers). This includes recruitment, screening, training, placement, support and supervision, and appreciation and retention of volunteers who serve in the GNT and HOME Team programs.
• Collaborate with church mobilization colleagues to provide details for meetings and represent World Relief at events to recruit for GNT’s and HOME teams.
• Collaborate closely with case management teams for placement of GNT and HOME team volunteers with clients, and to ensure teams are partnering with clients in a helpful and empowering manner. Facilitate communication between WR Chicago staff and volunteers on these teams for partnership purposes in support of any clients being served by both volunteers and staff.
• Maintain regular contact with GNT and HOME team leaders throughout their service term to help course correct, encourage, and guide their partnership as needed.
• Collaborate with DuPage/Aurora GNT and HOME team coordinators, as well as national GNT staff across the WR network to ensure program consistencies, share learnings and glean from best practices.
• Maintain up-to-date records of volunteer information, hours and activities in the WR database.

• Team building and management experience: ability to grow staff and volunteer team development and cohesion while navigating interpersonal conflicts as they arise; ability to hold crucial conversations as needed
• Leadership experience: ability to mobilize, convene, train, motivate, and coach staff and volunteers toward individual goals and a shared common purpose
• Program management skills: ability to craft a plan, outline steps to achieve the plan, and deploy a team to enact the plan
• Excellent interpersonal and written/spoken communication skills; proactive collaboration skills
• Initiative, proactivity, and ability to work independently with strong follow through
• Excellent problem solving and planning abilities, and a willingness to analyze and adapt processes to better achieve goals
• Tact and ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism
• Ability to manage competing priorities with strong attention to detail
• Spanish language skills or knowledge of another second language is a plus
• Basic computer skills (Word, Excel, Publisher, Power Point, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, databases)

• Mature and personal Christian faith
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
• Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
• Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document
• At least two years of previous volunteer coordination experience, and a passion for engaging volunteers in service opportunities
• 1-2 years experience working or volunteering in social service or ministry setting
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively with people of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds
• Bachelor’s degree
• Current driver’s license and access to a vehicle required
• Periodic evening and weekend availability required (for meeting with partners and volunteers)
• Ability to be in person 4 days/week in the Chicago office required

World Relief offers a competitive benefits package (25 hours + per week):

- Medical, Dental, Vision

- Offer 16 company Paid Holidays + 4 additional Personal days per year!

- Paid Sick and Vacation Time

- Paid Parental Leave (12 weeks for qualified employees)

- FSAs: Medical & Dependent Care, & Commuter Funding

- Supplemental Life Insurance (employee, spouse, and children)

- Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Accident insurance policies

- Legal Shield Insurance

World Relief pays 100% for eligible employees:

- Group Term Life (employee, spouse, and children)

- Long Term & Short-term Disability

- Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)

- Long Distance Travel Insurance

- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

World Relief - Retirement:

- 401K & Roth

- WR matches up to 4%, then an additional quarter percent up to 10%

- Eligibility: Full Time (40 hours per week) is eligible after 3 months of employment. Part time is eligible after 1000 hours in a year. 

World Relief Discounts (Immediately Eligible):

- Verizon

- Pet Insurance through Nationwide

- Home and Auto insurance through Liberty Mutual

- Working Advantage Discount Program

- Active & Fit Gym Membership

World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Silver-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

·         While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations

·         The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-15 pounds.

·         Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read application information.

·         The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

·         General office setting. World Relief also offers hybrid and remote schedules for limited positions.

·         Great lengths of time working on computer, reading from computer screen, entering information, standing at copier or fax machine, and some time on the phone or in virtual meetings may be required.

·         Year-end archiving activities involve repeated lifting and bending.

·         Physical, emotional and intellectual demands

·         Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier.

·         All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.

For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Legal Background in the United States

World Relief is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. World Relief strictly prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination against employees on the basis of person’s race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law, which does not conflict with the protections afforded World Relief as a faith-based employer.  

In addition, physical or mental limitations will not be a factor in the application of World Relief's employment policies or employee practices, except for those situations in which occupational requirement make consideration of such factors necessary.

Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 2000e 1(a) World Relief has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with World Relief’s Statement of Faith.

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