Good Relations Officer in Lisburn

Location: Inter Church Centre, 1 Talbot Street, BT1 2HB, Belfast with responsibilities throughout Ireland

Salary Scale: £31,811 p.a. for 37.5 hrs per week, 2 year post

Line Manager: General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches

Pension: 10% employer 7% employee

Leave: 25 days Annual leave plus 12 days statutory leave

Background

The Irish Council of Churches and the Irish Inter-Church Meeting work together under the title: Churches in Ireland - Connecting in Christ. They seek to develop opportunities for the churches in Ireland to work together, to provide a Christian voice in society, and so witness to their common belief in Jesus Christ. The Irish Council of Churches (ICC) currently has fourteen member churches. It is one of the longest serving established national ecumenical bodies in the world and has a strong track record of addressing issues of justice, peace and integration as well as facilitating collaboration on key contemporary priorities. The Irish Inter-Church Meeting (IICM) is the way in which the ICC churches and the Irish Episcopal Conference (Roman Catholic Church) collaborate.

Job Purpose

The Good Relations Officer will have lead responsibility for implementation of the strategy document The Unfinished Work of Peace, for leading ICC/IICM work on peacebuilding and reconciliation, and for developing ICC/IICM connections with local inter-church initiatives across Ireland.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading inter-church engagement on the identified areas of focus in the Unfinished Work of Peace Strategy Document, with particular attention paid to border counties.
• Developing an institutional understanding of reconciliation, holistically conceived to incorporate the various dimensions of societal life in Ireland facing fractures and conflict.
• Convening working groups as required and documenting these meetings as appropriate.
• Developing connections with new/migrant-led/other churches outside of the membership of ICC across the island.
• Building on relationships and key links in member churches and Republic of Ireland local ecumenical bodies.
• Connecting local and national inter-church engagement.
• Supporting new and emerging local/regional reconciliation initiatives between churches.
• Documenting and sharing examples of new/or successful models of inter-church engagement.
• Developing a work plan and providing quarterly progress reports on targets.
• Ensuring the programme remains within the allocated budget.
• Keeping appropriate records and developing a database of contacts.
• Preparing and submitting funding applications to funding bodies as appropriate.
• Contributing to the communications of the ICC/IICM.
• Contributing to the planning and organisation of ICC/IICM events.
• Deputising for the General Secretary as required.

General Responsibilities

• Act at all times in accordance with Irish Council of Churches policies and procedures, including health & safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, data protection, and complaints.
• Adhere to lone working policies and procedures, personal safety protocols during outreach and visits.
• Flexible working to include evenings and occasional weekends.
• Travel independently across the region as required.
• Attend and prepare for supervision, team meetings, training, and other forums as required.
• To attend training and continue their professional development.
• Keeping up to date with any new policy or legislative changes through research and training.

The key responsibilities above give a broad outline of the functions of the post. However, these duties must be approached in a flexible manner. The post holder will be expected to adapt to changing circumstances and undertake other duties appropriate to the grade of the post as allocated by your line manager. The outline of responsibilities may change from time to time.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• A third level qualification or 3 years appropriate relevant experience.
• Good knowledge of how churches relate in a national setting.
• An understanding of contemporary theological issues.
• Experience of strategic planning.
• Experience of facilitating meetings and working groups.
• Experience of networking with a wide range of people of different traditions and backgrounds.
• Experience of successful completion of funding applications and management of project funds.

Special Aptitudes

• Strong commitment to develop inter-church relations and ecumenism in Ireland.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivation, with excellent organisational skills.
• Good communications skills both written and oral.
• Proven commitment to inter-church engagement on issues of peace, reconciliation or community relations.

Special Requirements

• Evidence of personal Christian faith in practice and expression, normally demonstrated by active membership of a Christian congregation.
• A strong commitment to peace building and community development.
• A willingness to work with, and seek to build and maintain, the confidence of different Christian traditions.
• To have a full driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.
• To be prepared to be flexible with regard to working arrangements.
• To be prepared to travel and work irregular hours as necessitated by the job.

Desirable Criteria

• Social and political awareness.
• A theological qualification.
• Experience in financial planning and management.