Warehouse Operative- Volunteer & Wellbeing Champion

Salary: £26655 per annum

Location: Birmingham

Benefits: 25 days holiday, pro-rata, 5.5% Employer Pension Contribution

including Life Cover, Occupational Sick Pay Benefits & Enhanced Maternity,

Adoption and Paternity Leave and Pay, plus more

Reporting to:Warehouse Operations Manager

The Role

To undertake all aspects of warehouse duties, ensuring effective, safe and efficient distribution of food each day. You will have responsibility for coordination of our food stock, from goods-in to picking, dispatch and stock rotation and will be expected to drive vans, and Forklift Trucks (training provided).

As the volunteer & wellbeing champion you will be responsible for working closely and in partnership with the volunteer team to ensure that volunteers have a direct operational contact for day-to-day tasks. Be the key contact for volunteers. Oversee Corporate Volunteers that regularly attend the depot for their day of volunteering and delivering a positive volunteering experience.

Working closely with the wider team and volunteers, you will also support the monitoring and utilisation of warehouse space, stock, deliveries and collections to ensure food reaches its destination amongst our members safely, on time and in full.

Main Duties / Responsibilities

1.   Operations 

• Undertake all warehouse duties, ensuring effective, safe and efficient coordination and distribution and of food
• Escalate any safeguarding issues that may arise
• Hold a safe space for weekly drop-in sessions for mental health & wellbeing check ins.
• To work to performance indicators so that stock is accurate, and delivery routes are efficient to allow the organisation to grow
• To ensure that all work areas – both inside and outside the warehouse - are clean, organised and safe to work in
• Follow all H&S and Food Safety standards set out in the FareShare policies and procedures to ensure the safety of all our colleagues & visitors, and the safe receipt of food by all our members.
• Undertake van/Forklift Truck driving duties to ensure effective, efficient timely and safe delivery & collection of food, in line with compliance standards
• Ensuring great customer service in delivery
• Loading and unloading, sorting for, and following deliveries, ensuring safe lifting, and carrying
• Refer van “issues”, in a timely manner to Transport Department to ensure minimum disruption to service delivery
• Undertake all checks and procedures from pre-delivery to post-delivery
• Ensure lock up, parking and storage of vans and equipment following completion of deliveries

2.  Volunteer Communication & Co-ordination

• Work closely with the volunteer teams a diverse group ranging from regular and long-term, volunteers, placements (e.g. Job Centre) to business people having just a 1-day volunteering experience – to ensure that all shift duties are covered, and teams work effectively
• Provide leadership and guidance to volunteers, ensuring they follow all policies and procedures, high standards of accuracy are maintained and their volunteer experience with FSM is a satisfying one.
• Work closely with the Warehouse Manager, Volunteer Manager & wider staff team with the recruitment, training and development of volunteers in the context of our commitment to Equal Opportunities
• Participate in end of day reviews and planning for the next day’s activities

3.  Standards

• Ensure compliance with relevant Health & Safety, Food Hygiene and other standards applicable to the building, vehicles, refrigeration equipment, our staff and volunteers. carrying out risk assessments as required
• Uphold and develop high quality customer care towards & communication with our Community Food Members (CFMs)

4.   Administration

• Ensure that food movements are accurately logged on the electronic stock management system
• Carry out depot administration, including running reports, correspondence with member groups, updating volunteer records
• Ensure that relevant administrative matters are dealt with in a timely way, for instance food safety traces & customer complaints.

5.  FareShare Midlands Profile/Representation

• Represent FSM both internally and externally at an operational level through networking, promotional activity and sustaining well established links with Community Food Members, Suppliers and other key stakeholders at local, regional and national level.
• Build excellent relationships with local partners including public services and VCS and volunteer involving groups.
• Keep abreast of local and national developments in public and third sector policy likely to affect FSM ensuring it is positioned to influence and shape future policy.
• Ensure a positive culture within the organization, in line with FSM Values and Behaviours Framework, reflecting our joint commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, code of conduct, learning, development and continuous improvement, engendering trust amongst all stakeholders. This will include ownership for self/ personal development and the development of teams.

Person Specification - Skills, Qualities & Experience

Skills

• Excellent, clear and proactive communication skills, both internal and with external stakeholders
• Team working skills, including both the ability to delegate and to develop people with a positive approach
• Good organisational skills including attention to detail, an ability to prioritise and meet deadlines working with own team
• All round good health and ability to do physically demanding work at times
• A positive and creative attitude in support of our FareShare & partners values
• A motivation to collaborate with and develop others, with a demonstrable commitment to Equal Opportunities
• A flexible work approach, including a willingness to cover alternative shift rotas

Qualifications

• Driving license
• IT literacy, in particular of using Microsoft applications (Outlook, Word etc)
• Sound numeracy skills
• Food safety Level 2
• Mental health awareness
• Safeguarding Level 2
• Health & Safety as it applies to food distribution (if not, it is essential that you have the commitment to training in these areas)

 Desirable Experience

• Up-to-date Forklift truck license
• IT literacy, in particular of using Microsoft applications (Outlook, Word
• Sound numeracy skills
• Health & Safety as it applies to food distribution (if not, it is essential that you have the commitment to training in these areas)

Values and behaviours 

• A commitment to Equal Opportunities
• An appreciation of FareShare Midlands’ mission and vision
• Flexibility of approach and ability to work in a team
• Proven ability to develop and maintain good working relations, with both internal and external audiences
• The role holder will be required to work flexibly to meet operational needs

How to Apply

To apply, please submit:

• A supporting statement demonstrating your suitability for the role and explaining your interest in FareShare Midlands.
• Your CV.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands. 

“Right to Work” in the UK status is required.

Closing date for applications: Friday 16th October 2026