UK Assurance Team Leader
Join our UK Scouts volunteer team
Equal opportunities
Scouts is an equal opportunity recruiter. We're committed to diversity and actively seeking applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, in particular, Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.
About the role
Would you like to help make sure we can answer the question: 'are We Scouting Safely?'
We’re looking for someone to help put in place a simple, useful and consistent approach that shows us where things are going well and where we could be safer. Our first priority is ensuring every part of Scouting is safe. As our assurance work develops and we learn from the process, we’ll gradually broaden our scope to look at wider areas. The initial focus will centre around safeguarding, safety & governance.
As our UK Assurance Team Leader, you’ll support volunteers and teams to understand and use our new assurance model in a way that strengthens local Scouting and helps every Group, District and County/Area/Region in our movement make sure they are Scouting safely. The design of the framework itself is owned by the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, but you’ll be able to influence it and lead the practical, day-to-day work of helping people put it into action.
You won’t be doing this alone. You’ll work closely with staff colleagues, senior volunteers, Nations and Counties and the Committee. You’ll have the chance to build your own team to support the work. As a federated charity, responsibility for making sure local assurance and improvements happen remains with the local trustee boards. The role of your team is to coordinate, guide and encourage - helping volunteers feel confident and able to do local assurance, as well as tracking whether remediation is happening and coordinating support where needed.
This is a great opportunity to lead positive cultural change, build new skills, and help strengthen Scouting for the future.
Key tasks
- Champion assurance: Help volunteers see assurance as something that supports the delivery of adventurous and inclusive programme, not extra paperwork.
- Lead cultural change: Support the shift towards a clearer, more consistent way of checking how well Scouting is doing.
- Operational lead: Turn the assurance framework into practical steps volunteers, especially trustees, can follow.
- Support local improvement: Keep an overview of where Groups, Districts or Counties need help, and work with local trustees and volunteers to make sure support is in place to resolve weaknesses that are identified.
- Work with governance: Share insight and feedback with the Committee and staff team so the framework stays useful and realistic.
- Build a team: Recruit and guide volunteers who will help deliver assurance across the UK.
- Influence and collaborate: Work with senior volunteers and staff, Nations and Counties to build shared understanding and consistent expectations.
- Grow skills and confidence: Help shape and deliver training that makes assurance & remediation feel simple and achievable.
- Connect the movement: Travel to meet teams, share good practice, and help build a supportive network of people involved in assurance.
This role leads the cultural and operational implementation of the UK assurance model, ensuring it is embedded effectively across the movement . The role holder will maintain a clear oversight of assurance completion rates as well as a clear focus on identifying systemic issues across Scouting.
Person specification
- Strong experience as a volunteer at Scouts, or a similar organisation (usually 5+ years).
- Experience of assurance, internal audit, compliance, quality improvement and governance, through Scouting, work or study.
- Experience leading teams and supporting change.
- Understanding of how Scouting works at Group, District and County level.
- Willingness to learn more about assurance in the charity sector through training & networking.
- Able to explain things clearly and make assurance feel approachable.
- Confident influencing others, even without direct authority.
- Good at supporting change and helping people try new ways of working.
- Ability to analyse data to develop appropriate reports and action plans.
- Strong organisational skills and able to manage your own time.
- Trusted to handle sensitive information.
- Comfortable using online tools and digital resources.
- Keen to help Scouting improve and grow stronger.
- Calm, fair and objective when supporting volunteers.
- Inclusive and supportive in your approach.
- Happy to travel and meet volunteers across the UK.
This role includes a range of tasks that need a realistic and ongoing time commitment, with flexibility around when those tasks are completed. If you already volunteer with Scouts, please take time to think about how this UK role would fit alongside any other roles you hold, and have a conversation with your current Team Leader before applying.
For some people, taking on a UK role may mean stepping back from, or handing over, another role so they can give each one the attention it deserves and have a positive and rewarding volunteering experience.
UK Safe Scouting Team
Safe Scouting is a relatively new team within the UK Volunteer leadership structure and we are now at an exciting moment to expand the team.
We know that our volunteers care passionately, and work hard to make Scouting a safe place for young people and adults.
The UK Safe Scouting Team work in partnership with the Safety, Safeguarding, and Assurance staff teams to support our volunteers with the best possible materials, guidance, and rules to keep everybody safe.
Our young people tell us that Safety is their number one priority, If you have a passion to support them in enjoying safe activities, in safe places, supported by trusted adults then we would love to hear from you.
Ian Hill (UK Lead Volunteer for Safe Scouting)
Sound good?
Before making an application please ensure that you've read carefully read our vacancy informtion. In order for us to monitor the application of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy, we'd be grateful if you'd also complete the Diversity Monitoring questions on the Application Form.
Questions?
If you'd like to discuss this role in more detail, please get in touch with:
Ian Hill (UK Lead Volunteer for Safe Scouting)
Next steps
Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering with our team. You can apply for the role yourself by completing the Application Form.
A Search Group has been set up to guide the selection process. They will carefully review all applications and nominations and then invite selected applicants to the next stage, once internal checks are complete.
Interview date: TBC
Apply nowKnow someone who might be a perfect fit?
Use the Nomination form if you know someone that might have the skills and experience that we're looking for.
We'll get in touch with them and invite them to apply for the role.
Nominate someone for this roleLocation:
UK Safe Scouting Team
Closing date:
Fri, June 19, 2026, 9:00 AM