VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS WITH
THE NORTHERN IRELAND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
The Commission is offering a ‘volunteer’ opportunity to work alongside
staff and Commissioners to support our digital communications work. The
successful applicant will assist the Communications Worker in developing
and improving the NIHRC’s website and social media presence.

This is a voluntary opportunity and no payment, other than
reimbursement of expenses, can be made.

The Commission welcomes applications on a full or part–time basis
(negotiable).
The closing date for applications is Friday 18 September 2015 at 12.00
noon.
Successful applicants will be invited to interview on 1 October 2015.
1
ROLE DESCRIPTION AND TERMS AND CONDITIONS
ROLE
Volunteer Opportunity - Digital Communications
LOCATION
The volunteer will be located at:
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Temple Court
39 North Street
Belfast
BT1 1NA
Telephone:
028 9024 3987
Textphone: 028 9024 9066
SMS Text:
07786 202075
Fax:
028 9024 7844
Email:
information@nihrc.org
Website:
www.nihrc.org
The volunteer may be required to travel within Northern Ireland and
occasionally beyond.
DURATION OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
Full or part–time (negotiable).
Fixed term for a minimum of three months, up to a maximum of
six months from date of appointment.
2
WORKING HOURS
While this is a voluntary opportunity, we would prefer that the successful
applicant adopts a standard pattern of attendance at the Commission (to
be agreed).
Normal office hours are from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
RESPONSIBLE TO
The successful applicant will report to a Deputy Principal Officer within the
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES






To help build and increase the Commission’s reach on social media
To provide ideas and recommendations for social media and website
content opportunities
Upload files and content to the Commission website
Track and report on website and social media analytics as required
Research groups and organisations relevant to the NIHRC and
provide recommendations for online engagement
Research new ways to raise the digital profile of the Commission
PERSON SPECIFICATION
See Appendix 1.
PAYMENTS
A volunteer opportunity does not constitute employment and is
unpaid. The Commission will reimburse expenses for meals, travel,
telephone, stationery etc, subject to a maximum of £10 per day, unless
approved in advance. Unfortunately, the Commission cannot help with
accommodation costs, although we will offer assistance in finding
accommodation if required. Some travel within Northern Ireland will be
required to fulfil this volunteer opportunity; the cost of this is in addition
to the £10 per day and will be covered by the Commission.
3
START DATE
The person appointed will be expected to take up duty as soon as is
practicable.
NOTICE
While this is a voluntary opportunity, which can be terminated by the
volunteer at any time, we ask that one month’s notice is given of
termination where possible.
HOLIDAYS
The person appointed will be entitled to the usual public and privilege
holidays, but will not be paid on the days when the office is closed due to
the aforementioned. The current entitlement for public and privilege
holidays is 12 per annum (April to March).
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Application should be made by completing the attached application form
detailing how the candidate meets both the essential and desirable
criteria listed in Appendix 1.
The closing date for applications is Friday 18 September 2015 at 12.00
noon.
Successful applicants will be invited to interview on 1 October 2015.
Please note that this date is fixed and will not normally be changed to
accommodate the availability of applicants.
Candidates travelling more than 30 miles to the interview from within the
United Kingdom or Ireland can claim travelling expenses at approved
rates after attending for interview and upon production of receipts.
Please return your completed application form and monitoring
form, marked ‘Application for Volunteer Opportunity’ by post, by
hand, or email to arrive no later than 12:00 noon on 18 September
2015 to:
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Temple Court
39, North Street
Belfast
BT1 1NA
or
placements@nihrc.org
4
Applicants who send their application and monitoring forms by email are
also required to meet the closing deadline for receipt by the Commission.
We will not accept incomplete application forms, reformatted application
forms, faxed applications, or application forms received after the closing
deadline.
The receipt of applications will be acknowledged. If you have not
received an acknowledgement within one week of submitting your
application, please contact the Northern Ireland Human Rights
Commission at the above address.
Applicants using the postal system to submit their application forms
should note that first class mail does not guarantee next day delivery. It
is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that sufficient postage has
been paid to return the form to the Commission. We will not accept any
application where we are asked to pay any shortfall in postage.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Commission is an equal opportunities employer and considers
applications strictly on the basis of merit. We wish, in particular, to
encourage applications from disabled people.
For monitoring purposes, please complete the enclosed equality
monitoring form (including criminal convictions declaration), which will be
treated separately from application forms.
The monitoring form, once received, will be checked and stored securely
by the Commission. The information contained on the form will not be
made available to anyone except when required by law.
SELECTION PROCESS
Shortlisting will be based on an assessment of how well each candidate
demonstrates in their application that they meet with the essential and,
where necessary, the desirable criteria. Shortlisting will be conducted
following the closing date for applications and, in the interest of freedom
from bias, will be based on anonymised applications.
Selection will then be on the basis of an interview to assess how each
short listed candidate meets the essential and desirable criteria listed in
Appendix 1.
5
GUIDANCE ON APPLICATION FORM COMPLETION
The application form plays a key part in the Commission’s selection
process. It decides whether an applicant will be short listed for interview.
The following advice is intended to help applicants to complete the
application form as effectively as possible.

Read all the information provided – the job description outlines
the duties and responsibilities the post holder will be expected to
carry out in this post and the person specification lists the
knowledge, competences and qualifications required.

Prepare a rough draft – this will avoid mistakes and repetition and
ensure that the final version is well organised, well presented and
relevant.

Career history – when listing your career history, ensure that the
dates are correct and in the right order; present or most recent
employment should come first. CVs must not be included with an
application form and if submitted will not be considered.

Short listing – applicants will be short listed for interview on the
basis of the information contained in their application form. It is
therefore essential that applicants demonstrate evidence through
their application the knowledge, competences and qualifications
required for the post, providing examples and dates on how the
applicant satisfies each of the criteria specified.
By analysing present and previous jobs/roles, applicants may
uncover “hidden” skills that they may have taken for granted. This
includes any relevant experience gained through community,
voluntary or leisure interests.
The Commission will short list only those candidates who from the
information supplied on the application form, most closely match the
essential selection criteria for the post. Depending on the volume of
applicants, desirable criteria may also be used to create a short list of
applicants to be invited for interview.
Short listed applicants will be expected to demonstrate the
competences required for the post at interview.

Presentation – please make sure that the completed application
form is well presented. Ideally, the application should be word
processed, or completed using a black ballpoint pen if the applicant
prefers. This will ensure that it is clear when copied. Always keep a
6
copy for your own record. Make sure the application is sent in plenty
of time, as applications will not be accepted after 12 noon on the
closing date.
Applicants should write in a clear, concise, well organised and
positive way, tailoring their application for the particular job being
applied for. If any part of the form does not provide enough space
please continue on a separate sheet of paper – indicate on the
separate sheet the part of the form to which it refers.

Monitoring form – so that the Commission can comply with equality
legislation, and promote equal opportunities, applicants must
complete the equality monitoring form. The form also allows the
Commission to monitor the effectiveness of its policy of equal
opportunities in employment and the effectiveness of our recruitment
advertising.
7
APPENDIX 1
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Applicants for Volunteer Opportunity - Digital Communications will
be assessed in accordance with the following criteria. It is the candidate’s
responsibility to provide evidence of how s/he meets these criteria.
The essential criteria and, where necessary, the desirable criteria will be
used to identify a pool of candidates to be interviewed for the placement.
Disabled people who meet the essential criteria will be invited to
interview. Both the essential and desirable criteria will be used in the
interview to select the candidate who will be offered the post.
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
What the Commission requires of applicants:
Knowledge:
Digital
Communications
Competencies:
Communication
Knowledge of a Content Management System to
edit websites;
Knowledge of social media, new trends and
changes to platforms.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing and
in person with individuals and groups, and
present complex issues and ideas in an accessible
form.
Personal
effectiveness
Ability to work successfully with other people and
to manage personal work effectively, to use one’s
own initiative and to be self-motivating in order
to achieve results.
Computer based
skills
Proficiency in the use of Microsoft office
applications, word, excel, PowerPoint and outlook
& software packages including Photoshop.
8
DESIRABLE CRITERIA
The Commission will prefer applicants with:
Qualifications:
A degree in a communications related field OR be
within one year of completing OR one years’
experience working in a communications role.
Knowledge:
Content
Management
Knowledge of HTML and experience of using
content management systems.
Website/Social
Media
A working knowledge of uploading information to
social networks and website for professional
accounts.
Analytics
Knowledge of Google Analytics, Facebook Insights
and Twitter Analytics.
Competencies:
Organisation
Proven organisational skills, particularly in the
context of conducting investigation or research
projects.
*** *** ***
9