Mentoring Programme Officer

About Foróige

At Foróige, you’re not just taking on a job – you’re joining a movement that empowers young people and transforms communities. With over 600 dedicated staff and thousands of volunteers, we work together to create impactful change through innovative programmes, clubs, and services.

Foróige is an independent, non-profit national voluntary youth organisation engaged in out-of-school youth development and education. The purpose of the organisation is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and the development of society.

About the Programme

Foróige’s Mentoring Programme connects a vulnerable young person with an adult volunteer mentor to facilitate a positive transition from adolescence into adulthood. The Mentoring Programme has undergone numerous evaluation studies to assess outcomes for young people. Results show that the mentoring intervention is effective in improving emotional wellbeing and social support and is a model of best practice in youth work provision in Ireland.

The programme matches an adult volunteer to a young person in need of support. Its core assumption is that a caring and supportive friendship will develop and reinforce the positive development of the young person. Typically, the matches meet once a week, for one to two hours, and the initial commitment is for one year. The underlying assumption is that the adult volunteer will become a role model, a mentor, but perhaps most of all, a friend. A blended mentoring programme can be offered to support young people by matching them with a caring adult volunteer who they can connect with weekly in person or online.

The successful candidate will be responsible for facilitating a range of Foróige’s Mentoring models including Big Brother Big Sister, MentorMe, Site-based Mentoring, and Peer-to-Peer School Mentoring.

Key Responsibilities

The Programme Officer will be employed by Foróige and will be given a fixed-term contract. It must be understood that if the position becomes redundant at any time during the period of the contract, or if the funding of the post is discontinued, or a post holder fails to perform satisfactorily, employment may be terminated.

The duties of the Programme Officer, in carrying out any functions which may be involved in or arise out of the appointment, shall be as notified by the Organisation’s National Council and/or its Chief Executive from time to time. These duties include:

• Implementing and operating the Mentoring Programme locally in the Sligo/Galway regions.

• Recruiting volunteer mentors, assessing their suitability, and providing training and ongoing support and recognition.

• Liaising and networking with key referral agencies to seek referrals of young people aged 10–18 to the programme, conducting an intake process to assess the programme’s suitability to meet the needs of these young people.

• Setting up and supervising matches between young people and volunteer mentors and providing support to the young people, volunteer mentors, and parents/guardians as appropriate.

• Organising and facilitating group activities for matches.

• Implementing a case management approach to the role using the programme’s Salesforce system.

• Operating efficient office procedures in line with GDPR requirements and recording HR and financial data using Foróige’s HR and financial data processing system.

• Attending team meetings and preparing written reports as required for Management and Funders.

• Any other duties as the National Council and/or the Chief Executive shall deem necessary for the effective implementation of the policy and programmes of Foróige and the Mentoring Programme.

Professional Qualification and Experience (D: Desirable; E: Essential)

• Education to National Diploma or Degree standard, preferably in Youth, Justice, or Health Promotion work. Candidates with exceptional relevant work experience may also be considered in lieu of degree qualifications (E).

• Access to a car and full Irish driving licence (E).

• Relevant paid or voluntary experience working with young people (D).

• Experience and understanding of Mentoring an advantage (D).

• Experience of using Salesforce or another case management system (D).

Person Specification (Essential)

• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with young people.

• Ability to be proactive, use own initiative, and work effectively within a pressurised environment.

• Positive and flexible approach to working as part of a national team.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to draft summary information and correspondence.

• Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to liaise with a wide range of contacts and build and maintain effective working relationships.

• Excellent standards of accuracy and attention to detail.

• Ability to follow organisational guidelines and processes.

• Knowledge and experience of systems, processing, and administration, including use of Google Workspace.

• Flexibility in relation to hours of work to meet the needs of the role.

Benefits to Support You

• Salary: Foróige Youth Officer Salary scale: €38,558, €40,163, €41,769, €43,376, €44,982, €46,592, €48,201, €50,601, €53,001. The highest starting point for this role will be Point 3.

• Annual Leave: 29 days annual leave plus Good Friday.

• EAP: 24/7 Employee Assistance.

• Pension: Contributory pension benefits.

• Bike to Work Scheme.

• Commuter Travel Tax Saver Ticket.

• Training & Development: Structured onboarding together with a 9-day Foróige Induction Programme. Ongoing CPD.