| Reports to | Operations Director |
| Location | London – at our Lewisham HQ |
| Salary | £26,000 – £28,000 dependent on experience |
| Start Date | As soon as possible |
| Job type | Potential to hire as either part-time or full-time role |
INTRODUCING ONWARDS & UPWARDS
We are a charity created to directly tackle the cycle of reoffending driven by the barriers to unemployment faced; our purpose is clear and our plan is simple. We will break the cycle of reoffending by starting sustainable social enterprises which train and employ ex-offenders. These must be organisations that people are proud to work for, provide personal and professional development, that operate in high demand sectors, and that showcase the talents and potential of ex-offenders as employees to businesses and society at large.
Our plan in the long-term is to launch, test, and grow a range of social enterprises that all follow this model – of training, supporting and employing ex-offenders in positive environments that are part of a community, with aspirational brands, and with full support for people to grow and move on with their lives.
Our first venture is XO Bikes – where we train people to become qualified bike mechanics and then aim to find them meaningful jobs in the cycling sector. XO Bikes has had a fantastic two years, with 64 people having completed training, in-prison workshops and two shops selling the bikes our fixers have refurbished.
XO Bikes relies on a steady stream of bikes to allow us to train, fix, and sell bikes. We currently have a busy website, our retail sites, a strong profile in the sector, and our own range of swagged bikes. None of that would be possible without the donation of bikes, from both our larger donators such as the police, and our vital single donations from the public. We, one day, hope to be the destination for recycled bikes, this role will be pivotal in embedding our current processes, and finding innovative ways to improve.
THE ROLE – OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
We need an organised, pragmatic, and motivated problem solver to manage, own, and complete a range of core activities. This role will principally focus on the delivery, collection and coordination of bikes, working closely with our shop managers, head trainer, and workshop managers. This role is based in operations, so there will be some inevitable change and shift to responsibilities over time, as well as flexibility across the team to ensure skills and expertise are deployed most beneficially for the charity.
Primary responsibilities will include the following:
- Managing the XO Donations functional mailbox and responding to relevant enquiries in the XO hello functional mailbox.
- Building and maintaining relationships with each bike donation resource
- Geographically planning and scheduling regular collection days to maximise efficiency and customer service
- Administration for vans and other transport solutions including driver rotas and instructions, customer deliveries and collections
- Organising and supervising the “Driver” and “Lugger” volunteers to create a regular driving schedule and ensuring positive experiences for volunteers.
- Occasional driving when others are unavailable
- Updating software systems and website. Accurate reporting to record when bikes have been collected or delivered.
- Registering and QR code application to all donated bikes. Following the process and supporting others to do the same.
- Working with XO managers to move bikes between stores, understanding client base
- Organising SWAG deliveries to Belvedere
- Assisting with scrap, donations, and eBay sales
- Adhoc operations tasks
The role will also require pitching in, taking on responsibilities and opportunities for organisation wide projects, and taking initiative to complete what needs doing. Rarely glamorous, always important.
THE PERSON
Our hope is to find an energetic, organised, and positive team player, similarly comfortable working independently. It is a very varied role and one that needs calm focus as well as spontaneity and initiative – things change fast here, and this allows us to progress towards our mission rapidly.
As a rough guide the sorts of skills/qualities we are looking for are:
- Excellent organisational skills – many moving parts, many iterations
- Fluent on IT systems – consistent use of Monday, website updates, and email will be necessary
- Strong communication and teamwork – writing well and a good balance of speaking and listening
- Ability to manage workload – prioritising and balancing focus
- Reliable – doing what we say we will, always
- Taking initiative – we are a small team, no space for waiting around
- Driving license – this role requires a clean and valid driving license, and the ability, and permission to drive a van around London.
We are none of us perfect, so please do speak to us if you are interested in applying but unsure if you meet the full criteria, and we will happily answer any questions you may have.
How to apply
If you would like an informal conversation before applying, have any specific questions, or would like the chance to come and talk through in person please do contact Ollie at [email protected]
To apply please send an up-to-date CV and three hundred word Expression of Interest covering your suitability for the role to [email protected] We will be reviewing applications as they come in so do please register your interest with us as soon as possible.
All applicants need to have the right to work in the UK and be able to provide two references.
