Part-time
Location: The Poppy Factory Richmond-upon-Thames
Contract: Zero hour contract
Salary: £35.19 per group visit (2-2.5 hours)

The Poppy Factory has an important story that should be told to the widest audience. We have created our Visitor Centre to do just that, as it honours our heritage and the veterans of the past as well as ensuring we are here to serve the veterans of today and the future.

Play your part in The Poppy Factory’s 100-year history and join our passionate team at our unique heritage site in Richmond-upon-Thames. Build your historical and military knowledge and make a difference by sharing our story and supporting our modern mission, helping the wounded veterans of today to rebuild their lives.

Based in our new Visitor Centre, the purpose of this role is to host visitor groups of 25-50 people. As well as providing a warm welcome, Hosts help bring to life the fascinating story of The Poppy Factory and ensure a positive and informative experience for all our visitors.

Key duties include:

• Supervising the exhibition space during the visit and advising visitors on any Health and Safety guidance- including any COVID guidance (Training will be provided). Ensuring the visitor centre is secure at the end of visits.
• Welcoming and hosting visitor groups in a friendly and professional manner, whilst acting as an ambassador for The Poppy Factory.
• Guiding visitors around the exhibition and bringing our heritage to life, as well as providing additional information on our modern mission and nationwide employment service.
• Selling items in the Gift Shop and ensuring the shop is re-stocked after the group have left.
• Working effectively as part of a team alongside volunteers and other Poppy Factory / Café staff

We are looking for people with:

• Excellent communication and listening skills, confident with hosting and managing large groups in an informal environment
• A keen interest in learning about The Poppy Factory's history and heritage, as well as the modern mission
• A high level of empathy, able to work alongside people who may have health challenges
• Experience dealing with members of the public and supervising/supporting volunteers

This is a fully flexible role, offered on a zero-hour contract. Shifts will be available according to the schedule of bookings, and Visitor hosts can accept shifts based on availability around other commitments. 

For more information about this position, please see the full role profile, and check out our Visitor Centre!

How to apply:

To apply for this position please send your CV and covering letter. You may address your covering letter to Alice Barrett, Senior Partnerships Manager.

Click here to apply for the role of Visitor Host at The Poppy Factory

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage candidates to apply promptly.

No agencies please.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality, valuing diversity, and promoting inclusion within our workforce, including the volunteers who give their time to us.  We work to maintain an environment where the needs and aspirations of all employees are met, irrespective of characteristics protected under the legislative framework of the Equality Act 2010. We expect everyone to understand and accept their personal responsibility to recognise and value differences and the unique contributions that people make to the way we deliver our work.

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. 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.

We are a family friendly employer.

Part-time, 2-3 months
Location: Home-based with opportunity to work at office in Richmond-upon-Thames
Contract: Temporary / Freelance
Salary: Up to £300 per day dependent on experience

Are you passionate about supporting people to connect with others and boost their physical and mental health? Do you have experience of using digital channels to communicate with Londoners?

London Veterans Partnership is a group of organisations working together to help members of the ex-Forces community find a new way forward. Together, we help veterans and their families access programmes and activities, overcome barriers and explore new opportunities to support positive mental health and reduce social isolation. It is led by The Poppy Factory in Richmond-upon-Thames.

We have a vacancy for a communications specialist to work with The Poppy Factory’s communications team on a short-term, freelance basis. This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in growing the reach and impact of London Veterans Partnership across the capital.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced at working in a communications role either with or alongside local authorities in London, with a good understanding of the public sector in London.
• Adept at working independently to identify and approach new contacts, including Armed Forces Champions within London boroughs and within health trusts and other organisations.
• Skilled at gathering information and creating compelling content, to adapt for use across a range of platforms, primarily digital.
• Experienced at using a range of traditional and digital platforms and tools to proactively promote content, including phone calls, email marketing and social media.
• Experienced in website management, ideally in WordPress.
• Creative with problem-solving, asking questions to learn more about a situation and being thoughtful and tenacious in working with others to find a range of possible solutions.

The ideal candidate for this role will have a good understanding of working with people with health conditions or other challenges such as criminal record, housing or long-term unemployment, and be positive about every person’s potential to succeed regardless of their health or other barriers.

Prior knowledge of the Armed Forces is not required to be successful in this role – our colleagues’ diverse professional experience is one of the strengths of The Poppy Factory and London Veterans Partnership.

This position is ideally suited to someone who is an excellent communicator, thrives on a high degree of autonomy, enjoys a varied role with the opportunity to think creatively to solve challenges, and can work successfully as part of a remote team, sharing knowledge and skills to support and collaborate with colleagues.

If you are excited to be part of an ambitious and growing partnership, this could be a fantastic role for you.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and LGBT+ candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our organisation.

For further information, please refer to the London Veterans Partnership Communications Plan.

How to apply

To apply for this position please send your CV and (optional) covering letter. You may address your covering letter to Amanda Shepard, Director of Fundraising & Communications.

Dan Hodges, Senior Communications Manager at The Poppy Factory, on 07496 645 869.

Click here to apply for the role of London Communications Specialist

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage candidates to apply promptly.

No agencies please.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality, valuing diversity, and promoting inclusion within our workforce, including the volunteers who give their time to us.  We work to maintain an environment where the needs and aspirations of all employees are met, irrespective of characteristics protected under the legislative framework of the Equality Act 2010. We expect everyone to understand and accept their personal responsibility to recognise and value differences and the unique contributions that people make to the way we deliver our work.

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. 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.

We are a family friendly employer.

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 Café Volunteers.

Our Café volunteers provide a warm welcome and help to enhance our visitor experience by providing an enjoyable and unique refreshment break. Our café, set in the heart of our new exhibition, is open to pre-booked group visits only. During these visits we offer ‘Factory Tea Break’ where visitors can enjoy tea, barista coffee and artisan cakes – including our famous poppy cupcakes! Full barista and health & hygiene training will be provided.

Key duties include:

• Welcoming visitor groups in a friendly and professional manner
• Making and serving barista coffees, teas and cakes to visitors
• Set-up and clear-down of the café space, following a strict health and hygiene protocol and cleaning routine
• Working alongside veterans with physical and/or mental health challenges

There will also be opportunity to support the catering elements of special events held in the Visitor Centre, as well as opportunities for involvement in other aspects of the Visitor Experience such as demonstrating poppy/wreath making, and helping with the gift shop.

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

Apply for the role of Visitor Centre Cafe volunteer

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality, valuing diversity, and promoting inclusion within our workforce, including the volunteers who give their time to us.  We work to maintain an environment where the needs and aspirations of all employees are met, irrespective of characteristics protected under the legislative framework of the Equality Act 2010. We expect everyone to understand and accept their personal responsibility to recognise and value differences and the unique contributions that people make to the way we deliver our work.

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. 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.

We are a family friendly employer.

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

Apply for the role of Visitor Centre Volunteer

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality, valuing diversity, and promoting inclusion within our workforce, including the volunteers who give their time to us.  We work to maintain an environment where the needs and aspirations of all employees are met, irrespective of characteristics protected under the legislative framework of the Equality Act 2010. We expect everyone to understand and accept their personal responsibility to recognise and value differences and the unique contributions that people make to the way we deliver our work.

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. 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.

We are a family friendly employer.