Social Action Lead Officer

Overview

This role will champion social justice throughout the Diocese of Liverpool area, increasing the number, range, impact, and quality of faith-based social action projects within parishes, as part of the Diocese’s vision for a Bigger Church, Bigger Difference.  To enable and equip parishes to develop their social action with programmes, tools, skills and connections, supporting parishes to identify and address issues of importance to the communities they serve.   

Introduction

A fixed term role for up to 3 years

This role will require the successful applicant to be prepared to complete a DBS application and undergo regular safeguarding training.

Hours of work are 21 per week

Salary is £14632.80pa
Enrolment into the Pension Builder Pension Scheme

Free parking at the hot desk location

Working remotely from home, other suitable venues for training events and a hot desk in St James House, Liverpool.

This role reports to the Chair of Trustees

Interviews to take place 2nd February 2021.

Main Responsibilities

• To work with local, national, and regional partner organisations to develop a toolkit for asset-based community development to be applied in practice across the Diocese of Liverpool area.  This includes mapping, understanding and promoting existing good practice models of social action.
• Identify, train and support community activists (both lay people and clergy) in using such social action methods within churches and other faith-based organisations across the Diocese of Liverpool area.
• To develop Together Liverpool’s Network of Kindness, engaging and networking socially active people and churches at different levels: by geography, topic, demographic and / or clergy/laity.
• To oversee the delivery of social action projects across the Liverpool Diocese area where appropriate, including Places of Welcome and Linking Lives UK, promoting these to parishes were appropriate 
• To work with Together Liverpool and the Diocese of Liverpool to monitor and report on social action projects as part of the Network of Kindness across the Diocese of Liverpool area.
• To enable diverse faith communities working together to foster mutual coordination and understanding, working together in particular on areas of social justice such as asylum, addiction recovery and basic human rights.
• To work across the Diocese of Liverpool area to strengthen community leadership by providing appropriate social action training, including for faith leaders who are building their own communities.    
• To support Together Liverpool in developing its thinking around best-practice and asset-based methodology, including peer-led and self-reliance approaches.
• To work alongside the Diocese of Liverpool to support social action within Deanery Mission Plans as appropriate.
• To represent the wider work of Together Liverpool at appropriate local, regional and national levels.

General responsibilities

• To work as part of a wider Together Liverpool team, promoting social action by contributing to other work programmes, events, networks and communications as appropriate.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues as part of Together Liverpool
• To assist in the general efficient operation of Together Liverpool 
• To maintain confidentiality at all times in respect of Together Liverpool matters and to prevent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information.
• To promote the ethos and values of Together Liverpool and the Diocese of Liverpool by supporting the policies and procedures.

Job Outcomes

• Increase number, range, impact and quality of faith-based social action projects within the Diocese of Liverpool area.
• Increase community leadership from the faith sector.
• Increasing faith-based conversations; allowing people to explore their own identity, purpose and behaviours.
• Increasing personal wellbeing through participation in community / socially minded activities.
• Building inter and intra-faith partnerships delivering greater impact.

The duties and responsibilities in this job description are not exhaustive or restrictive; changes and other duties relevant to this post may be added. This job description may be reviewed in the future.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful applicant must have access to their own transport and a clean driving license, as travel to other locations is essential.

This role will include weekend and evening appointments so the successful candidate must be prepared to be flexible with their working hours.

Essential requirements

• Good general level of education, to GCSE level or equivalent including maths and English to Level 2
• Experience of leading social action projects, as a volunteer or in a paid capacity, with deliverable outcomes
• Experience of project planning
• Experience of asset based community development
• Experience of devising and delivering training
• Experience of monitoring and reporting on social action projects
• Using the Internet and Microsoft Office to a very competent level
• Using Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp and other virtual meeting platforms at a very competent level
• Ability to negotiate and maintain strong working relationships with church and para-church organisations
• Good understanding of the challenges around the building of inter and intra-faith partnerships
• Good understanding of current social justice issues and a Christian approach to transformation
• Knowledge of the wider VCFSE (Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise) sector and the challenges it is facing
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to engage with people effectively at all levels
• Good time management
• Have an ability to handle a range of diverse tasks and prioritise according to demands
• Pays close attention to detail
• Ability to deal with personal information maintaining strict confidentiality
• Demonstrates a friendly, sensitive, co-operative and diplomatic manner
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Works well within a team environment
• To have an understanding of, and be in sympathy with the Church of England
• Ability to work flexibly according to the demands of the role including evening and weekend work
• Access to own vehicle and a clean drivers licence, as travel to other locations is essential

Desirable requirements

• Relevant A level qualifications
• Relevant professional qualifications
• Experience of different churches and how they operate, and particularly in areas of multiple deprivation, ideally in Merseyside
• Experience of vision setting for a social action project or delivery model
• Experience leading a team of volunteers
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of the structures, faith, worship and mission of the Church of England and good knowledge of the Bigger Church Bigger Difference agenda of the Diocese of Liverpool
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of the structures, values and aims of Church Urban Fund (CUF) and Together Liverpool

About us

Together Liverpool aims to equip churches, communities and charities to bring hope, resources and support to their neighbours, so they can make a bigger difference in their communities.

We were formed in 2013 as a Joint Venture between the Diocese of Liverpool and the Together Network. We work across the whole of the Diocese of Liverpool – including Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton, Warrington, Wigan, West Lancashire and Liverpool.

Through our work we aim to:

• Encourage and support more social action through creating a network of kindness
• Work in partnerships to tackle and prevent the root causes of poverty
• Connect and promote social action activities which generate community and social inclusion