Stepney Mission Support Officer (Project Manager)

Overview

The Church of England in London is growing vibrant and at the heart of communities throughout the capital. At the London Diocesan Fund we seek to do everything we can to support this mission and growth, using our resources to help our parishes and chaplains to serve over 4 million people.

The Diocese of London (LDF) is seeking a Mission Support Officer to play a key role within the Stepney team.

EDI

The Diocese of London is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce which represents our context and wider community.

We are aware that those of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME), women, and disabled people are currently under-represented among our clergy and workforce, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase this representation.

Benefits

The LDF offers a supportive working environment, opportunity for career development and the following financial benefits:

• Competitive remuneration package
• 27 annual leave days + 1 gift day, to rise to 30 after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays
• 15% employer pension contribution
• Death in service benefit 3x of basic gross salary
• Season ticket loans
• Access to Benenden Health Insurance
• EAP counselling through Health Assured                              
• Up to £100 for eye test and contribution to spectacles                        
• Two additional paid days for community volunteering

Introduction

To work closely with the Stepney Episcopal Area team, in particular their respective Area Dean of Mission, as well as the 2030 Vision programme office. The person in post will be line managed by the 2030 Vision programme office but be locally deployed for four days a week in the local Stepney Episcopal Area of the London diocese. In this way, they will spend four days a week working within the Area, and one day a week working in the 2030 Vision Office. To support implementation of the Diocesan Vision 2030, they will need to run projects of different sizes to ‘make things happen’ on the ground at parish level. They will also facilitate greater connection and collaboration between Area mission teams and the 2030 Vision office, as well as the application of data to parish revitalisation and strategic change.

Job Context

The Stepney Episcopal Area is the south-eastern area of the Diocese of London bordering the Two Cities Episcopal Area to the West, the Edmonton Episcopal Area to the North, the Diocese of Chelmsford to the East, and Diocese of Southwark to the South. It contains three London Boroughs – Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington – with a total population of just under 800,000 people. The population across each of the three boroughs is comprised of just under 50% of people of colour. The diversity makes this an exciting place in which to live and serve.

The Stepney Area is undergoing a vast amount of change: it has a young, diverse, fast changing and fast-growing population. The Mission Support Officer needs to be able to support the Area team in their strategic development which the church is undertaking in order to be able to respond to the needs of the Area and to help bring the gospel afresh to new generations. This will include actively supporting funding bids which are being drafted at the moment for church growth and planting among younger people, the Sacramental tradition, and throughout estates in Islington and Hackney. They will also be asked to support projects and parishes in Tower Hamlets and across the Area as a whole, to respond imaginatively to the needs and challenges of those boroughs.

Main Responsibilities

• Work closely with Area Dean of Mission (DoM), supporting them in their work, taking direction from them about priorities.
• Manage projects of different shapes and sizes under the direction of the DoM, to see change happen on the ground by driving the plan, organising meetings, ensuring actions are followed etc. This could include supporting a collaboration between a variety of churches to bring about church growth.
• Project manage bespoke short-medium term Area specific project initiatives, as directed.
• Use data to inform Area Plans, and assess any progress made - thereby supporting strategic decision making and providing input into turnaround packages for parishes.
• Join the Area’s Leadership team meetings, DoM group meetings, and Ambition and Priority lead meetings on occasion, by invitation when appropriate.
• Work closely with each of the 2030 Vision Ambition and Priority Leads and their teams, carrying knowledge and understanding of how to impart and embed more of each into each of the Areas, in close partnership with each of the Area teams.
• Support missional funding bids (from SDF and elsewhere if/as appropriate) where they pertain to the Episcopal Areas you are supporting, including gathering impact data.

GENERAL

• Other tasks as assigned by the 2030 Vision Office, in agreement with Area offices where relevant.
• Active involvement in local church activities by way of understanding and engaging with the culture of the local areas.
• Attend regular prayer meetings, including in Area teams and the 2030 Vision Programme Office.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for the full details on the main responsibilities.

The Ideal Candidate

Required characteristics:

• A practicing Christian (even if not Anglican).
• Able to understand the particularities of churches of different traditions across the Episcopal Areas.
• Strong communication skills, oral and written.
• Team player and experience of working in complex teams.
• An imagination and flair for problem-solving and innovation as we seek to ‘proclaim the faith afresh in [this] generation’.
• Proven ability to handle project work and plan effectively.
• Experience of supporting the delivery of strategic change.
• Good data handling and data presentation skills.
• IT literate.
• A good eye for detail and process.
• Creativity and resourcefulness in problem-solving.
• High level of discretion and ability to keep confidentiality.
• Able to handle a diverse workload, prioritisation and in keeping to deadlines.

Desirable characteristics:

• Experience of operational Church life, (ideally with experience of church planting and growth).
• Experience of facilitating workshops and leading meetings.
• The person appointed will also be fully committed to the Diocesan 2030 Vision.

About us

The LDF is the employment body that serves and supports the Diocese of London and Church of England. The Diocesan of London comprises of c400 parishes north of the River Thames and within the M25 motorway. The Church of England in London is vibrant, growing and is at the heart of communities throughout the city and the purpose of the LDF is to support this work, seeking to use our resources to facilitate the ministry of our parishes and chaplains who seek to serve four million people.

The diocese has just launched a new 2030 vision, which outlines our priorities for the next 10 years. For an outline, please see our website: london.anglican.org/our-2030-vision.