Get Involved
Volunteer your time, or build your career with us
Every field officer, legal aid lawyer, and community coordinator we employ started somewhere — often as a volunteer who wanted to see, up close, whether an idea for a better Armenia could actually work. We are candid about what we ask of our people: real hours, real accountability, and a genuine willingness to be trained, supervised, and held to a rigorous code of conduct, because the households and children we serve deserve nothing less.
Why volunteer with us
Structured roles, real responsibility
Armenia's civil society sector runs, in large part, on volunteer labour — but too many organisations treat volunteers as an afterthought: undertrained, unsupervised, and quietly relied upon without acknowledgement. We take the opposite approach. Every volunteer role at Innovative and Equal comes with a written description, a named supervisor, a training plan, and a defined start and end date, because ambiguity is where both burnout and safeguarding failures begin.
We also believe volunteering should genuinely benefit the volunteer, not merely extract free labour. Whether you are a university student building a CV, a mid-career professional looking to give back, or a diaspora Armenian wanting a tangible connection to the homeland during an extended stay, we design placements that combine meaningful contribution with real skill-building, mentorship, and — where earned — a strong reference for your next step.
Volunteer Roles
Four current openings for volunteers
Gyumri and surrounding villages, Shirak region
Skills: Comfort with smartphones, basic computer applications, and online banking or government e-services; patience teaching older adults; Armenian fluency required, English or Russian a plus for occasional international volunteer coordination.
Training: A mandatory two-day induction covering our teaching curriculum, adult learning principles, safeguarding basics, and how to handle frustration or digital anxiety among older learners, followed by one shadowed session with an experienced mentor before leading your own class.
Supervision: Reports to the Shirak Field Coordinator, with a brief weekly check-in call and a monthly in-person supervision meeting to review class attendance, learner progress, and any concerns.
What you gain: Hands-on teaching experience, a reference letter after successful completion, a certificate recognised by our partner network, and the deep satisfaction of watching a grandmother make her first video call to a grandchild abroad.
Central legal aid office, Yerevan
Skills: Current or recent law student, paralegal, or licensed lawyer preferred but not mandatory; strong written Armenian for drafting client intake notes and simple correspondence; discretion and emotional steadiness when working with survivors of domestic violence.
Training: Two half-day sessions on intake procedures, confidentiality obligations, trauma-informed communication, and referral pathways to our staff lawyer and to state legal aid where our capacity is exceeded, plus an ongoing mentorship pairing with our senior legal officer.
Supervision: Works directly under our senior legal officer, with daily informal check-ins and a formal weekly case review meeting where files are discussed without disclosing client-identifying details beyond what is necessary.
What you gain: Direct exposure to real casework in family law, land disputes, and domestic violence protection orders, a strong reference for law school or bar admission applications, and practical skills in client intake that most law faculties do not teach.
Vanadzor and rural municipalities across Lori region
Skills: Outgoing personality and existing familiarity with local communities preferred; comfort speaking publicly at village meetings; basic proficiency with smartphone-based data collection tools (we provide a short tutorial); a valid driving licence is an advantage but not required.
Training: A one-week induction shadowing our current coordinator across three villages, covering needs assessment techniques, respectful and non-coercive engagement with vulnerable households, data privacy basics, and how to identify and refer safeguarding concerns.
Supervision: Reports to the Lori Regional Manager with a weekly phone debrief and a monthly field visit where the manager accompanies the volunteer on at least one household visit to observe and give feedback.
What you gain: Deep community organising experience, a network of contacts across dozens of villages, training certification in needs-assessment methodology, and often the strongest possible foundation for a future career in social work, public health, or rural development.
Border villages of Tavush region, including Berd and Noyemberyan districts
Skills: Background or degree in agronomy, veterinary science, or agricultural engineering strongly preferred; ability to communicate technical recommendations in plain, practical language to smallholder farmers; comfort with fieldwork in variable weather and occasional overnight stays in host communities.
Training: Joint training with our agricultural partner organisation covering climate-resilient crop varieties, integrated pest management, and safe pesticide handling, plus orientation on border-zone security protocols since some target villages sit near the line of contact.
Supervision: Supervised jointly by our Tavush Programme Officer and a technical advisor from our partner agricultural institute, with field visits every two weeks during active season and monthly otherwise.
What you gain: Applied field experience directly relevant to agronomy or development careers, direct collaboration with a respected research institute, and a front-row seat to Armenia's fragile but resilient border agricultural economy.
Standards
Volunteer Code of Conduct
Every volunteer signs this code before beginning any placement. It exists not as bureaucratic formality but because clear rules protect beneficiaries, protect volunteers from misunderstandings, and protect the organisation's integrity.
1. Safeguarding first
Every volunteer working near children or other vulnerable people must complete safeguarding training before unsupervised contact and must never be alone with a child without another adult present.
2. Confidentiality
Volunteers must not disclose any beneficiary's name, story, or circumstances outside their assigned work, including on personal social media, without explicit written consent, in line with /policies/privacy.
3. Non-discrimination
Volunteers must treat every beneficiary, colleague, and community member with equal respect regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or political opinion.
4. Political neutrality
Volunteers may not use their role, uniform, vehicle, or organisational contacts to promote a political party or candidate, or express partisan political opinions while identified as representing us.
5. Gifts and conflicts of interest
Volunteers must not accept gifts of significant value from beneficiaries, vendors, or partners, and must disclose any personal or business relationship that could bias a decision they influence.
6. Photography and consent
Volunteers may photograph beneficiaries only with prior informed consent (parental consent for minors), must never publish images independently, and must submit all photos to staff for the organisation's consent records.
7. Alcohol and substances
Volunteers must not consume alcohol or any illegal substance before or during assigned activities, or arrive at a placement under their influence.
8. Duty to report
Volunteers who witness or suspect misconduct, corruption, or a safeguarding concern must report it through our confidential channel without delay, regardless of who is implicated.
9. Termination
Breach of this code may result in immediate termination of the volunteer placement and, where warranted, referral to law enforcement; minor first violations may instead trigger a documented warning and additional training.
Process
How to apply, step by step
1. Expression of interest
Submit a short online or paper form describing which role interests you and your availability.
2. Screening call
A 20–30 minute conversation with a programme coordinator to discuss motivation, fit, and logistics.
3. References
Two references are contacted, at least one from a prior work, study, or volunteer supervisor.
4. Police clearance certificate
Mandatory for any role with contact with children or vulnerable adults, obtained at the applicant's local police department; we reimburse the fee.
5. Safeguarding induction
A mandatory training session on our Code of Conduct, safeguarding policy, and reporting procedures before any placement begins.
6. Placement agreement
A written agreement specifying role, hours, supervisor, duration, and expectations, signed by both parties.
7. Probation review
After 6 weeks, a joint review meeting confirms the placement is working well for both the volunteer and the organisation, or adjusts it if not.
Careers
Current job openings
Gyumri, Shirak region, with frequent travel to surrounding villages
Responsibilities:
- Conduct household needs assessments and maintain accurate beneficiary case files
- Coordinate and co-facilitate digital literacy and vocational training sessions
- Liaise with municipal social service departments and community leaders
- Prepare monthly narrative and financial progress reports for the Shirak Regional Manager
- Uphold all safeguarding and anti-corruption policies in daily fieldwork
To apply, send your CV and a short cover letter referencing the position title to horvathtamas6554@gmail.com.
Yerevan headquarters, with quarterly regional field visits
Responsibilities:
- Design and maintain indicator frameworks for all active programmes
- Conduct baseline, midline, and endline data collection and analysis
- Support external evaluators and auditors with data access and documentation
- Draft the annual report's impact section and donor-specific results reports
- Train field staff on data collection tools and quality assurance
To apply, send your CV and a short cover letter referencing the position title to horvathtamas6554@gmail.com.
Yerevan legal aid office, with occasional court appearances in surrounding regions
Responsibilities:
- Provide free legal consultations on family law, land and inheritance disputes, and domestic violence protection
- Represent clients in court where capacity allows, or refer to partner legal aid
- Supervise legal aid volunteers and paralegal assistants
- Track case outcomes for the organisation's monitoring system
- Contribute legal expertise to policy submissions on relevant draft legislation
To apply, send your CV and a short cover letter referencing the position title to horvathtamas6554@gmail.com.
Yerevan headquarters
Responsibilities:
- Process invoices, procurement documentation, and expense reports in line with our anti-corruption policy
- Assist in preparing grant budgets, financial reports, and audit documentation
- Maintain the restricted and unrestricted funds ledger
- Support the annual external audit process
- Reconcile bank statements and petty cash logs monthly
To apply, send your CV and a short cover letter referencing the position title to horvathtamas6554@gmail.com.
Other ways to help
Not everyone can volunteer full-time — here is what else works
horvathtamas6554@gmail.com · +374 10 56 02 12
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