Visitor Centre Volunteers
Do you enjoy communicating with people from all walks of life?
Are you looking to gain valuable customer service experience within a national charity?
Join our friendly and passionate volunteer team as we celebrate 100 years of supporting wounded veterans on their journey towards a positive future.
Our brand-new exhibition centre tells the story of The Poppy Factory across 100 years. Visitors learn about the origins of the poppy and Remembrance, the role of the people who have lived and worked at The Poppy Factory, as well as having a go at making their own poppies and wreaths. We often welcome groups such as the Women’s Institute, U3A (University of the Third age), Coach Tours and Military Regiments as well as school visits and other youth groups.
We have opportunities for individuals to make a significant contribution to the quality of our Visitor Experience as Visitor Centre Volunteers.
Based in our new Visitor Centre, volunteers will support our exhibition Hosts to manage our pre-booked visitor groups (25-50 pax). As well as providing a warm welcome, volunteers will support Hosts to bring to life the fascinating story of The Poppy Factory and ensure a positive and informative experience for all our visitors.
Key duties include:
- Assisting the Host in welcoming and managing larger visitor groups in a friendly and professional manner, acting as an ambassador for The Poppy Factory
- Providing additional information about the exhibition and bringing our heritage to life alongside the Host
- Demonstrating wreath and poppy making and encouraging visitors to have a go!
- Helping in the Gift Shop and ensuring the shop is re-stocked after the group have left
- Working alongside veterans with physical and/or mental health challenges
What we offer:
- Support from experienced volunteers and the Visitor Experience team.
- An induction to The Poppy Factory and your volunteer role
- Reasonable out of pocket expenses
- Access to relevant in-house training and development opportunities
- Opportunity to be a part of a national charity and help make a real difference to wounded veterans across the UK.
For more information about this volunteer position, please see the full role profile
How to apply:
To apply for this opportunity, please click on the "Apply for this Job" button above to submit your CV and expression of interest / covering letter.
Job Title: Employment Consultant (South Midlands)
Location: Home-based with regular car travel across designated region
Salary: £33,154 Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week (part time or flexible working options considered)
Contract: 2 years (with extension subject to funding)
Are you looking for an inspiring, rewarding career, working alongside exceptional people? As a Poppy Factory Employment Consultant, you’ll be helping veterans to find sustainable employment and supporting them in their new roles.
At the Poppy Factory, we help veterans to find meaningful and sustainable employment after service. Our aim is to empower veterans, help them to recognise their unique skills, and give them the confidence to move forwards in their career.
As an Employment Consultant, you’ll assist veterans in navigating barriers to employment, such as physical and mental health conditions, substance use, criminal records, and insecure housing. You’ll be based at your home, but will regularly travel for face-to-face meetings with clients, colleagues, and partner organisations.
You’ll meet with veterans to help them figure out their career ambitions, and support them in drafting application materials, overcoming challenges, and connecting with employers. You’ll work alongside health and welfare service professionals to ensure that your clients have access to all the support they need.
What do we need from you?
- Adaptability. You’re an emotionally resilient person, who thrives in a varied and challenging role where no two days are the same. You’re skilled at balancing competing priorities and can shift focus quickly to effectively support your clients.
- Collaboration: You’re an empathetic communicator, who can quickly build rapport with your clients. You can effectively share back your knowledge about best practice, client engagement techniques, and organisational partnerships with colleagues.
- Motivation and commitment: Helping your clients reach their employment goals requires hard work, tenacity, and a sense of purpose.
- Experience and confidence in empowering people with complex challenges. Many of the veterans you’ll be working with need intensive support to manage health issues, substance use, insecure housing, criminal records, or other barriers to employment.
Why should you apply?
- An opportunity to give back to our armed forces, and make a lasting positive impact in the lives of veterans and their families.
- A competitive salary and benefits package, including generous holiday and pension contributions.
- A varied role, with a mix of travelling in your area, home working, quarterly shared-space working days, and biannual visits to the Poppy Factory in Richmond, London.
- A welcoming and empowering culture, with regular opportunities for team connecting and shared learning throughout the year.
- An opportunity to flex your outreach and engagement skills, collaborating with organisations across your region to empower your clients, grow our service, and make a lasting impact.
For more insight into the role, read our colleague Farrah’s account of a ‘day in the life’ of an Employment Consultant.
For further information, including the full job description for the role, please refer to the candidate pack.
How to apply
To apply for this position please click "Apply for this job" to submit your CV and a covering letter outlining how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification. You may address your covering letter to Keiron Coombs, Services Manager.
The closing date for applications will be 4 January 2026.
For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Keiron Coombs on keironc@poppyfactory.org
No agencies please.
The successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to equality, valuing diversity and promoting inclusion within our workforce. As an equal opportunities employer our commitment is to take positive measures to recruit people from underrepresented groups, and we actively encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and LGBT+ candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our organisation.
As a Disability Confident employer, we offer a guaranteed interview for any job applicant with a disability who meets the essential criteria for the role. Please indicate in your covering letter if you wish to be considered under this scheme. We are also happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process to accommodate disabled candidates.
Additionally, we offer a guaranteed interview to veterans of the UK armed forces or members of the Reservist forces who meet the essential role criteria. Please make it clear in your application if you wish to be considered on this basis. Please note, to be eligible for consideration under this scheme your application must demonstrate that you meet the essential role criteria as set out in the person specification.
We are a family friendly employer and happy to discuss flexible working.
About The Poppy Factory
The Poppy Factory aims to be an exemplar employer. We recognise the impact that working with a challenging cohort can have on our staff, which is why we prioritise work/life balance and support mechanisms including training, supervision and EAP provision.
The Poppy Factory provides competitive terms and conditions of employment, including:
- Opportunity for home-based/hybrid and flexible working
- 28 days’ leave per year (including a day in lieu of Armistice Day, and 3 days’ Christmas closure), rising to 32 days with long service, plus bank holidays
- Double-matched pension contributions up to 10% employer contribution, rising to 14% after 5 years' service