Role Description

Click HERE for a welsh language version of this job description

Reports to:             Head of Programmes at the Choir With No Name
Hours:                     20 hours a week including evenings and weekends as necessary
Annual Leave:        25 days + UK bank holidays pro rata
Contract:                One Year Fixed Term Contract
Salary:                    £27,779 pro rata
Pension:                 6% employer contribution
Location:                Based in Grangetown, Cardiff and from gigs/rehearsals. Some home working considered

Background to the role

The Choir with No Name (CWNN) runs choirs for people affected by homelessness in London, Birmingham, Brighton, Liverpool, Cardiff and Coventry. Their mission is to support people to make friends, build their confidence and skills, improve well-being, and find their place in society. Each week they offer a rehearsal, and the members, volunteers and staff all sit down and eat with each other. In 2019 The Wallich joined in partnership with CWNN to launch a new choir in Cardiff. The Wallich is a leading homelessness and rough sleeping charity in Wales. For more information about their innovative work to support people across Wales, visit The Wallich website.

The Cardiff CWNN Choir Manager role will take on the administrative and pastoral side of the Cardiff choir. Your job will be to recruit choir members, support them to integrate into the choir, build confidence, and signpost them to relevant services as needed. You’ll recruit, co-ordinate and motivate volunteers who play a vital role in supporting the choir rehearsals and gigs. You will event manage regular gigs and outreach workshops and you’ll work closely with our Cardiff choir director and other CWNN staff while receiving direct line management from The Head of Programmes at Choir With No Name alongside The Head of Service Innovation & Enhancement at The Wallich.

All our choirs have a strong focus on being coproduced with our members as we believe in bringing the strengths and resources of all members to the centre of everything we do.  Going forward we would like to expand our offer to other areas of Wales and with a focus on Wallich services.  You will project manage short term pilot projects to gauge interest in forming wonderful new choirs that are led by members as well as looking at ways that you can built stronger partnerships with like-minded organisations.

You can download a PDF and Word version of this job description at the bottom of this page in both English and Welsh

Job Description

Member recruitment and liaison

• Be responsible for recruiting choir members, ensuring that the opportunity to attend choir is available to as many potential members as possible.
• During work hours and at rehearsal, be the first point of contact for potential and existing choir members.
• Where appropriate, aid members in crisis by signposting or referring them to specialist services and act as Safeguarding lead for the choir.   
• Enable and support choir members to take an active role in their choir e.g. taking-up informal volunteering, member representative and ambassador roles.

Rehearsal and Volunteer Management        

• Be the person responsible for all aspects of running a smooth rehearsal (except the musical bits!)
• Line manage all Cardiff volunteers, including supporting them in their relationships with choir members.
• Arrange regular training and reflective practice sessions for volunteers.
• Be responsible for the health and safety and food hygiene at choir activities.

Gigs and workshops

• Arrange and promote regular gigs for the Cardiff choir, in consultation with the Choir Director.
• Arrange regular outreach workshops (and occasionally larger-scale community projects) within the homeless, mental health and other relevant communities.

Administration

• Set and deliver an appropriate work plan for the Cardiff choir, ensuring that it follows the agreed priorities of CWNN and The Wallich and that we reach as many people across the city as we can.
• Follow operational policies and procedures consistently, and help to keep them relevant and up-to-date.
• Contribute to measuring the social impact of the choir through conducting appropriate member surveys/focus groups and compiling results.
• Send quarterly updates to CWNN and The Wallich staff to be included in external communications and internal reports.
• Be responsible for the Cardiff choir budget, ensuring spending is reasonable and in line with predicted costs.
• Send regular updates to CWNN and The Wallich to be included on national communications, and get involved with communicating your successes to your local community (via social media). 

Person Specification

Essential

• Passion for the choir and its members’ potential.
• Commitment to the vision, mission, and values of CWNN and The Wallich.
• Strong understanding of coproduction and strength-based working.
• Proven experience of working positively with disadvantaged people
• Knowledge of Wales Safeguarding Procedures as per the legislative requirements and expectations of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
• Proven experience of volunteer management 
• Proven experience of working effectively to a clear budget and strategy   
• The ability to act calmly and decisively in emergencies, and to work positively with challenging behaviour.
• Highly motivated self-starter with initiative to make things happen.
• Organised and methodical
• Good contacts and beneficial relationships within the voluntary sector, and the ability to build new ones.
• Ability to keep accurate financial records.
• IT literate (Microsoft Office including Word and Excel)
• Compassion and respect for all members of society, including a commitment to equal opportunity.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the homelessness sector
• Knowledge of Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care models of support
• Excellent written communication skills
• Experience of managing events
• A sense of humour and a love of music
• Ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable

HOW TO APPLY

In the interest of a non-biased approach to recruitment, all applications will be anonymised before they reach the selection panel.  We are not, at this stage, asking for information about your work experience or education, we are only seeking the answers to questions that will demonstrate the skills required to deliver the role. 

Please follow these steps:

• Copy and paste the questions on the final page of this document onto a separate Word document.
• Answer the questions, trying not to use more than 300 words per question. 
• Don’t put your name or any identifying information on the document. 
• Email the document as an attachment to info@choirwithnoname.org by 9am on 30th January 2023.  Include your phone number in the email. 

If you are shortlisted you will be invited to an interview on the 7th February.

If you have access needs that make any aspect of the application process difficult, please contact us at info@choirwithnoname.org and we will make reasonable adjustments.  You can also use this email address if you have any questions about the process. 

Thank you so much for your interest in working with us at the Choir with No Name, and good luck with your application!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Try not to use more than 300 words per question – thank you.  Don’t feel you need to use the full word limit if you can answer more succinctly. 

1. Why is the Choir with No Name Cardiff where you want to be, and why now?

2. Can you tell us about when you have supported, or advocated for someone.  What was the outcome and would you have done anything different next time?

3. This is a varied part time role.  Tell us about how you would prioritise work and ensure that the right stuff gets done.

4. Scenario: You receive a call from a distressed member of the choir.  They say another member has sent them threatening text messages.  They don’t know why this has happened, but want it to stop.  What steps would you take to ensure everyone was safe and supported?

5. Scenario: A member of the choir tells you that another member keeps borrowing money off them at choir rehearsals. They don't want to tell you who it is but have said they are thinking about leaving the choir to avoid seeing the person any more. How would you handle this?