Job Description - Head of Repair Operations

Reports to CEO

Based between our Bath base and our Repair Cafes with the flexibility to work from home.

Permanent 37.5 hours per week - our ideal candidate would work Tuesday to Saturday. It is essential to regularly visit our Repair Cafes which primarily operate on a Saturday morning predominantly at the cafes and to occasionally cover our Bath base.

31 days holiday p.a (including bank holiday allowance)

£30,000 p.a

About Us

Share and Repair is a small but dynamic Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which aims to change mindsets and behaviour through the promotion of sharing and repairing to reduce carbon emissions and build strong communities.

We currently run five main projects: Repair Cafes, a Library of Things, HOW TO Workshops, a School Programme and HomeKIT.

All activities have a positive environmental impact and we are passionate about reducing waste. We have a small team of staff and a large group of enthusiastic volunteers. We work mainly in B&NES, although some of our Repair Cafes extend into Wiltshire.

More information is available on our website here.

Role

Our Head of Repair Operations is responsible for all our community repair projects; engaging with local people to support them to keep items for longer and to reduce consumption and waste through our Repair Cafes and repair sessions at our base. This also includes our programme of repair focussed workshops and activities which empower people to feel confident to try repairing themselves.

We are looking for someone with a strong understanding of the value of repairs who can support our existing projects and spot opportunities to grow our impact.

You will take overall responsibility for current and future Repair Cafes and our workshop sessions and also manage our repair operation at our Bath base. This will entail managing our repair sessions at our base and then working either from there or from home apart from when visiting Repair Cafes or workshops.

Volunteers are an essential ingredient of our work and your experience and understanding of recruitment and nurturing volunteers will be vital to the success of this role. You will work closely with our Volunteer Coordinator to ensure that we have a consistently excellent approach to our volunteer recruitment, support and management. Our people are our most important asset.

Repair Cafes and associated workshops run every Saturday across the region with plans to expand on other days. We currently have 10 Repair Cafes with plans well progressed to launch at least one more this year. We run pop up events with the University of Bath and Bath Spa University, working closely with students. We want to offer access to community repair across as many of our local neighbourhoods as possible.

You will need to be able to get to various locations across Bath and the surrounding areas, some of which are only accessible by car. It is important that you are available to work at least 2 Saturdays a month and occasional evenings as you will be expected to regularly visit and support our Repair Cafes and workshops. You may also need to cover our Bath base on ad hoc Saturdays where required.

You will work alongside our Volunteer Coordinator whose main responsibility is to coordinate and manage the volunteers for our base. You will also work closely with our Head of Sharing Operations to ensure that both our sharing and repairing projects work in tandem and complement each other to increase our impact and income generation.

As part of the management team you will be expected to provide cover for other members of the staff team where necessary during annual leave periods and to work with them to ensure our base has management cover when it is open to the public.

Key Objectives

• Support our existing repair projects and ensure they are effectively marketed and that strong volunteer teams are in place and have what they need to operate.
• Build great relationships with our volunteers where they feel supported and grow strong partnerships with our users and partners.
• Expand our repairing operation in line with our Share and Repair strategy.
• Increase our donation levels from repairing and workshops to allow us to grow our impact.
• Shape our repairing strategy to ensure that we are creating opportunities for our community to access repairing in their neighbourhoods and to have the potential to feel supported to attempt repairs themselves.
• Support, establish and monitor our systems to ensure they work effectively and are safe for all involved and we have the data we need.
• Work closely with our Head of Sharing Operations to ensure our overall repair and borrowing activities work together to achieve our charitable aims and strategy.
• Build relationships with other Repair Cafes and Repair Networks in the UK and further afield to ensure we are able to adopt and share best practice and continue to help lead the discussion on promoting repair in the UK.

Key Activities

• Understanding the repair process and the different projects we offer and working to support our Cafe Leads and repair volunteers.
• Ensuring we offer an excellent customer and volunteer experience and that our projects run safely and smoothly.
• Management of our repair flow and evaluation of all repairs in our base and on a day to day basis ensuring that customer repairs move smoothly through our system.
• Monitor the health and safety of our repair operations at our base and support our Repair Cafe volunteers to do the same. Initiating new procedures where required to keep everyone safe.
• Running regular meetings with our volunteer Cafe Leads to grow their sense of community and share best practice.
• Organising induction, training for our volunteers and working with the Volunteer Coordinator to provide social and skill sharing opportunities.
• Recruitment of volunteers in conjunction with the Volunteer Coordinator and tracking of our volunteer team using our Three Rings system.
• Managing repairing budgets and reporting regularly on project performance and impact. It is essential we work in a cost effective manner and monitor our targets for income and impact.
• Growing relationships with partners to ensure smooth operation of our projects and that new opportunities for collaborations arise.
• Providing cover for delivery of projects where required and working with the other staff to ensure our base always has sufficient management cover.
• Responding to and working with new volunteers willing to establish new Repair Cafes and workshops.
• Managing our partnership with B&NES Council at the Reuse Shop in Keynsham where we PAT test and repair items for sale in the shop.
• Provide images and case studies for our Social Media Manager to ensure our activity is excellently promoted.
• Work closely with our Head of Sharing and our Volunteer Coordinator to ensure our base offers a safe and welcoming space to volunteers. Managing the whole base in the absence of the Head of Sharing Operations.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• An understanding of the repair process.
• Exceptional people skills with the ability to support our volunteers, customers, partners and the broader staff team.
• An understanding of how working with volunteers differs from working with staff.
• Commercial acumen, with the ability to spot new opportunities and to formulate plans to make the most of them.
• Financially aware with the ability to manage budgets.
• Ability to successfully collate and interpret data.
• Proficient IT skills and the ability to learn new software and train our volunteers in how to use the systems we have to support them.
• Good communicator, both orally and in writing.

Attributes

• A passion for the environment and how we as individuals can make a difference.
• A positive and enthusiastic approach with a “can do” mentality.
• Great people skills and ability to build strong relationships and a team ethos.
• Ability to work flexible hours especially Saturdays.
• A self-starter, able to manage priorities to meet the needs of the operation.
• Ability to take a structured and practical approach to challenges and to think of alternative solutions.
• Someone who naturally takes a hands on and practical approach to projects.

Willingness to travel to our community projects on a regular basis to build relationships with our volunteer teams. Access to a car will be essential.