Volunteer Ambassador

Role purpose:

Community Ambassadors play a vital role in raising awareness of Heart of Kent Hospice and helping ensure more local people affected by terminal illness can access the care and support they need. By sharing our story and inspiring others to support us, Ambassadors help make a lasting difference across our community. They attend local events and functions, speak about our work, and encourage people to support us through fundraising or volunteering. By reaching new audiences, inspiring fundraising activity and thanking existing supporters, Ambassadors help raise awareness of the services we provide for people living with a terminal illness and their families.

This varied role can be tailored to your strengths, interests and availability.

Main duties:

• To assist with the preparation of the coffee shop for service during opening times, ensuring supply of clean crockery, cutlery, serviettes etc, and sugar bowls, milk jugs and other sundries are replenished as appropriate.
• Ensure all work areas are kept in a clean and hygienic condition and that equipment and products are used correctly and in line with established policies and procedures.  Leave service area clean and tidy prior to finish. 
• Welcome, assist and serve customers in a courteous, helpful and friendly manner, ensuring cash payment procedures are complied with.
• Assist in maintaining clean and safe working areas which minimises health, safety and security risks to self and others.
• Take direction from the Catering Manager as appropriate and work in a mutually respectful manner alongside other hospice colleagues and volunteer teams.
• Report any concerns about the Coffee Shop to the Catering Manager without delay.

Communication:

• Promote close working relationships and good communication links with colleagues at all levels throughout the hospice.
• Liaise with hospice departments and respond to enquiries from and maintain good relations with internal and external contacts at all levels.
• Support other members of the staff and volunteer teams by liaising, cooperating and communicating as and when required.

Training and development:

• Attend all appropriate statutory and mandatory training and undertake training and development as identified through individual supportive discussions with the line manager.

Health and safety:

• To take reasonable care of the health and safety of yourself and others that may be affected by what you do while carrying out the role and co-operate in the implementation of the Hospice’s Health and Safety Policy.

General:

• To be aware of and comply with all Hospice and Statutory Policies and Procedures as appropriate.
• To work as a member of the hospice team, to foster the team’s caring mission and to have commitment to the cause of helping terminally ill patients and their families/carers.
• At all times to behave in a manner befitting the role and the professional dignity of the hospice and ensure that the hospice is positively represented to the public and other stakeholders.
• To maintain an appropriate standard of confidentiality.  Any disclosure of confidential information (including personal information kept on computer or other media) made unlawfully outside the proper course of duty will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence.

Essential skills: 

• Ability to demonstrate customer care skills, i.e. courteous manner, keen to serve customers with a helpful and friendly approach.
• Good communication skills and ability to deal with visitors, patients, families and carers in a sensitive and caring manner.
• Ability to handle cash.
• A “people person”, who can work flexibly as part of a team in a busy environment.
• Ability to positively promote the ethos of the hospice and the work it does in the community.
• An understanding of health and safety requirements relating to the role.
• A Standard DBS will be required for this role; the hospice will facilitate this.

Desirable skills:

• Previous voluntary sector experience.
• Previous experience in a similar role, ideally in a customer service environment.                         

If you wish to discuss this role before applying please call People Services on 01622 792200 Ext. 240