JOIN US

Join our team on Samos!

We work in a demanding context.

Volunteers should expect to live and work in an environment that can, at times, be physically and emotionally demanding. On certain occasions, we have to work very long hours at short notice and deal with unfamiliar and challenging situations, including emergencies. 

We provide support and training for our team. Still, everyone applying to volunteer should be confident that they will be able to cope with the situation here both mentally and physically. 

General Volunteering

We are looking for team players who are also able to work independently. We need people who are patient, professional, and prepared to respect the pre-existing systems and code of conduct we’ve developed over the years to make our services as fair and smooth-running as possible, but who can also bring new, fresh ideas, energy, and enthusiasm.

Our timetable and each volunteer’s role vary depending on day-to-day needs. For this reason, an open mind and a flexible approach to work are essential.

You may assist with:

• Reception shifts;

• Facilitating recreational activities,

• Cleaning and maintenance of our spaces,

• Teaching classes,

• Translation (if applicable),

• Distributing clothing in our warehouse and/or free shop,

• Sorting and stocking our Non-Food Item donations,

• Other tasks depend on our projects and needs.

Language teachers

We are looking for volunteers to join our team on Samos and teach adult English language classes.

We are looking for enthusiastic people who are passionate about teaching and education.

Although a teaching qualification would be beneficial, it is not required.

If you have teaching experience or would be interested in teaching and you can commit for eight weeks or more, we would love to hear from you!

In your volunteer application below, make sure to mention you are interested in the teaching position.

The Logistics Officer is mainly responsible for maintaining and improving the Samos Volunteers buildings (community centers, warehouses, and volunteer houses) and vehicles. They will work under the supervision of the Logistics and Distribution Coordinator, also supporting with other tasks, including operating our clothes free shop and managing the warehouse.

We offer a stipend of 200 EUR to cover personal expenses and free accommodation in our volunteer houses.

Key responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

1) Maintenance of vehicles and buildings:

• Safety and security of the buildings (e.g., checking fire extinguishers);

• Maintenance of the spaces (Alpha Centre, Alpha Land, warehouse, and volunteer houses): repairs, cooperating with plumber, electrician, etc.;

• Bring the cars regularly to the mechanic and ensure they are safe and clean.

2) NFI distribution:

• Support the smooth operation of the free shop and ensure all beneficiaries receive an equal amount of items;

• Support the registration of beneficiaries using Boxtribute and Google Sheets;

• Act as the security focal point for the warehouse in the absence of the coordinator;

• Ensuring the warehouse and free shop are clean and tidy together with the coordinator;

• Support in the procurement of NFI and sorting incoming donations.

Key Requirements:

• Minimum commitment of 3 months;

• Basic maintenance and building skills (e.g., building shelves, fixing tents, repairing furniture);

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;

• Strong organisational, decision making and conflict resolution skills;

• Experience in logistics and NFI distribution

• An understanding of the complexity and challenges of humanitarian work, ideally with experience in a similar organisation or environment;

• Flexibility. Living and working on Samos is constantly changing and adapting; two days never look the same. The ability to be adaptable and flexible is extremely important;

• Driver licence;

• Fluent in written and spoken English.

The Alpha Centre Officer and Alpha Land Officer oversee our community centres, including organising recreational activities. The roles also include leading the daily shifts and managing the volunteers on shift, ensuring that the centres are a safe and secure space for all service users in cooperation with the coordinators, stocking up on supplies and materials, and ensuring the centres are clean and organised.

We offer a stipend of 200 EUR to cover personal expenses and free accommodation in our volunteer houses.

Key responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

• Oversee the Community Centre space;

• Organise recreational activities and create the schedule;

• Lead the shift in the Community Centre and manage the volunteers on shift;

• Ensure that the space is safe and secure for all service users in cooperation with the coordinators;

• Ensure the space is clean and organised;

• Stock up on supplies and materials;

• Co-facilitate our Women's Safe Space and/or LGBTQ+ support group.

Key requirements:

• Minimum commitment of 3 months;

• Experience in working with vulnerable or displaced populations;

• Experience in working in a community space or psychosocial projects;

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;

• Strong organisational, decision making and conflict-resolution skills;

• An understanding of the complexity and challenges of humanitarian work, ideally with experience in a similar organisation or environment;

• Flexibility. Living and working on Samos constantly changes and requires adapting; two days never look the same. The ability to be adaptable and flexible is extremely important;

• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Communications Officer

The Communications Officer is mainly responsible for our social media, supporting the Communications, Advocacy, and Fundraising Coordinator. The officer contributes to our project’s long-term sustainability through our social media, website, newsletter, and general donor relationship management. The role is especially rewarding because it involves taking on tasks on your own initiative. Next to these core tasks, it is possible to get involved in advocacy and/or fundraising. On a part-time basis (around 30%), the officer also supports our team with the different services we provide, to develop a clear understanding of our work, values, and daily operations.

We offer a stipend of 200 EUR to cover personal expenses and free accommodation in our volunteer houses.

Key responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

• Manage the social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter);

• Create and design content for these platforms;

• Take photos and videos in our spaces for social media use;

• Support with fundraising campaigns on social media;

• Ensuring our social media is in line with our guidelines and values;

• Support in writing the quarterly newsletter;

• Draft donation receipts and provide support to general donor management.

Key requirements:

• Minimum commitment of 3 months;

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;

• Fluent in written and spoken English; desirable: working knowledge of Greek

• The ability to follow a style guide and communications strategy;

• Previous experience in communications or social media (preferred for humanitarian, charitable and/or political causes);

• Graphic design, photography, video editing and writing skills are preferred;

• An understanding of the complexity and challenges of humanitarian work, ideally with experience in a similar organisation or environment;

• Flexibility. Living and working on Samos is constantly changing and adapting, and two days never look the same.

Project Manager

Samos Volunteers (SV) is an independent group of volunteers providing informal education, psycho-social support and NFI distribution to people living in the Closed Controlled Access Center of Samos (CCAC). 

Samos Volunteers finds itself in the process of adapting the organisation´s services and internal structure to the ever-changing circumstances. Whilst this makes the role of the Project Manager challenging, it also holds great opportunities in actively shaping the organisation's direction. 

Starting date: 2nd June 2025

Location: Samos, Greece

Minimum commitment: 6 months, full-time

Application deadline: on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is found

Interviews will be held in the week of 5th-9th May.

Equal Opportunities

All applications will receive equal treatment regardless of the applicant's sex, ethnic or national origin, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religious or political beliefs, marital status or family circumstances. Our aim is to foster a culture of inclusivity and to embrace and celebrate our differences. We therefore particularly encourage applicants from under-represented backgrounds, such as people with lived experience of migration, people of colour, those who identify as LGBTQI+, and those from low-income backgrounds.

Further information

The coordinator will have their reasonable living expenses refunded by the organisation in form of a stipend of 840€ per month. A private room in one of our shared houses is provided free of charge.

Mandatory time off: one week after three months of engagement; two weeks after six months if the engagement is extended for at least two more months.

The selected candidate will have to be able to provide a criminal record check and two references.

By sending your application, you give your consent to Samos Volunteers to process your personal data. You have the right to withdraw your data at any time. Read our Privacy Notice and Data Protection Policy for more information.

If you have any questions about this role or would like to find out more, please contact our project manager at projectmanager@samosvolunteers.org.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please fill in this form as soon as possible as this position will be filled on a rolling basis.  

Key responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

1. Oversee the activities and services of the Samos Volunteers project on the ground:

• Work closely with the relevant Field Coordinators to ensure the smooth running of services which are currently being provided from four locations: Alpha Centre and the two Warehouses/Free Shop in Samos town, and Alpha Land in Zervou;

• Support the Board in ensuring that Samos Volunteers is compliant with paperwork and legal requirements, in accordance with Greek law and the guidelines of the Ministry for Migration and Asylum;

• Develop new internal policies and processes whenever necessary;

• Manage relationships with local partners and stakeholders, such as donors, other NGOs, the accountant, lawyer and civil engineer;

• Responsible for emergencies and safety on the ground;

• Play a leading role in bolstering volunteer team morale and actively work to resolve and manage potential issues within the team;

• Engage in conversations around the Code of Conduct and behavioural issues among the Volunteer team, ensuring that team members understand the complexity of humanitarian work;

• Monitor and (if needed) take the necessary steps to maintain the organisational culture of SV;

• Chair the weekly Team Meeting, Field Coordination Meeting and ;

• Chair the bi-weekly Samos Coordinators Meeting;

• Join the monthly Board meeting and act as the primary contact to relay information from the field;

• Ensure the timely completion of necessary reporting (internal and to funding partners);

• Oversee Samos Volunteers’s GDPR practices;

• Liaise with other NGOs and projects operating on Samos, offering support where needed and working with others to identify potential service gaps;

• Have weekly shifts in the Community Centres and in the Warehouses when needed;

1. Management of a team of four Field Coordinators:

• Work closely with the Field Coordinators to ensure that they get the support and resources they need to deliver a high standard of service in their activity area;

• Chair the weekly Field Coordinators Meeting;

• Recruit and train new Field Coordinators, with the support of the outgoing Coordinator and a member of the Board;

• Ensure that on-boarding, training and management of Officers and volunteers is followed up by the responsible Coordinator;

• Have monthly individual check-ins with the Coordinators and be responsible for their well-being;

• Be responsible for covering shifts and most tasks of Field Coordinators when they are on-leave.

1. Finances

• Keep an overview and prepare the Coordinators monthly stipend payments;

• Manage the petty cash and the credit cards;

• Work with the coordination team to set the yearly budget, supported by the responsible board member, and report on this to the board at meetings;

• Collect the invoices and upload them into the accounting system.

Key Requirements

• Minimum commitment of 6 months and ability to stay in Greece without visa support;

• Fluent in written and spoken English;

• Aged over 26;

• Previous experience in project management and administration, in a supervisory role and/or leading a team;

• Previous experience in the humanitarian context, preferably in Greece;

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, ability to interact with various actors and express ideas and concepts in written and oral form;

• Commitment and willingness to work in a challenging and dynamic environment, with new challenges arising everyday;

• Confidence in guiding a big and multi-cultural team of people holding different opinions and perspectives;

• Confidence in decision-making and dealing with moral dilemmas that may arise;

• Ability to structure and lead meetings, both online and in person.

Desirable skills, knowledge, experience

• Good understanding of the asylum process in Greece;

• Awareness of the cultural diversity of the camp community;

• Experience in leadership positions in grassroots organisations operating in Greece is an asset;

• Knowledge of administrative procedures;

• Farsi, Dari, Arabic, Greek or French languages are a plus;

• Proficiency in working with Google Sheets, Slack, Trello & Xero Accounting;

• Driver’s licence.

Questions?

You can find answers to some questions we’ve been asked about volunteering on Samos here.

Travel and Accommodation

You can find information for volunteers about travelling to Samos and accommodation on the island here.

Further reading about volunteering in a humanitarian context.

Without the contribution of volunteers to humanitarian work, life for displaced people living in Samos would be much more difficult than it already is. However, despite good intentions, untrained volunteers can cause harm or aggravate the problems they seek to address. We underline the importance of training our volunteers and encourage self-study to prepare people to work in this challenging environment.

We’ve selected the following article and videos to give you an idea of the challenges you may face as a volunteer and clarify the challenges that can and do arise from working in the environment we’re based in.

As Travel Opens Up Again, Aid Voluntourism Needs To Get Real.

Volunteer Tourists Are Still Showing Up at Greek Refugee Camps. Are They Really Helping?