Key information
Closing date: 10am, Thursday 5 February 2026
Salary: £26,000 per year pro rata (0.6 FTE) / £15,600 per year
Hours: Part time, 21 hours per week
Contract: Fixed term for 12 months
Location: Home-working role based in East Suffolk/Leiston
Interviews: Online, Wednesday 21 / Thursday 22 January 2026
We empower people with the literacy skills they need to succeed in life. Together we're helping people change their stories. You could join us to support our work with volunteers across East Suffolk.
What you’ll be doing
Our Literacy Champions project identifies, trains and supports volunteers who work with us to design new and exciting ways to promote literacy in their community.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised individual to support and coordinate our Literacy Champions programme in and around Leiston, East Suffolk. Working alongside our national communities team as well as our education and communications teams, you will develop new strategies for recruiting volunteers and mobilising key community partnerships to increase our reach and build sustainability. You will also organise and deliver training events and maintain regular contact with volunteers, gather data, share learning and develop case studies to build an evidence base of impact.
You will be based in East Suffolk, working from home with regular travel locally, as well as national travel when necessary. This will include coming to London three times per year for our regular staff days, as well as induction, and three team days per year that take place in other locations. All travel expenses will be covered.
What we’re looking for
You will be experienced in recruiting, training and supporting volunteers, and providing project support in a charity or educational context. You will also have excellent knowledge of volunteer management and safeguarding practice in this context, and experience of developing resources and training materials.
Experience of community mobilisation and event planning would be an advantage, as would knowledge of working with nurseries, schools and/or community-based organisations.
You will need to live in East Suffolk, within easy access of Leiston, and a good knowledge of the area. Due to the nature of delivery, you will need a full clean driving license and access to your own vehicle. You will also need to be able to manage physical aspects of the role, including managing book stocks and other resources.
Why our work is so vital
Literacy changes everything.
It gives you the tools to get the most out of life, and the power to shape your future. It’s the key to knowledge, confidence and inspiration. It’s better results at school, and better jobs. If children grow up without the tools to communicate, without books to read or opportunities to write, it’s harder to get where you want to go.
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity helping people overcome these challenges and change their life chances through the power of words – reading, writing, speaking and listening. From first words, through school days to training, jobs and beyond.
- We work collaboratively in local communities, focusing our work in 20 areas of the UK that are facing the biggest challenges.
- We support schools, developing the most effective tools and techniques and providing resources and programmes to engage and inspire children.
- We campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians and decision-makers.
- We support vulnerable adults, people in the criminal justice system and young offenders’ institutions to build their literacy skills.
What we offer you
Our team are passionate about our mission and we have a strong and positive working culture, based on shared values and respect. We offer a range of flexible working options and promote a workplace where you can be yourself and contribute to our success, whoever you are.
As well as a competitive salary, we offer benefits including a generous leave allowance totalling 39 days (including bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year), pension contributions of 8% of annual salary, a cycle to work scheme, employee assistance programme and other health and wellbeing benefits.
We support flexible working and promote a workplace where you can be yourself and contribute to our success, whoever you are.
Application details
Our people are our most important asset and we value and respect diversity in all its forms (seen and unseen). We particularly welcome applications from those from Black and Asian backgrounds, as well as candidates with disabilities and from the communities in which we work. We would like to increase representation of these groups among our staff as we know greater diversity will lead to an even greater impact for our work.
For more information and to apply, download the files below.
Please also complete our online equal opportunities monitoring form when you submit your application.
Unfortunately, we are unable to respond individually to applications so if you have not heard from us by the advertised interview date, this means we have not been able to shortlist your application this time.
Please note we do not accept CVs. No agencies or recruitment sites.