Interim Ministry HR Policy Officer

The Interim Ministry Human Resources (HR) Policy Officer will join the vibrant Ministry Development Team as we work together to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England by supporting the development of the ministerial terms of service and wellbeing portfolio. The post holder will be line managed by the Interim Ministry HR Lead and work in collaboration with colleagues across the church especially in the MDT and HR teams.

The Ministry HR team are supported by the Advisory Group for Terms of service and Wellbeing of Ministers (AGTAWM). AGTAWM is chaired by the lead Bishop for ministerial terms of service and wellbeing, and is a subcommittee of the Ministry Development Board. The Ministry Development Team (MDT) is a team of 45 people which sits within the Archbishops’ Council. We are nationally responsible for ensuring that there is a pipeline of lay and ordained ministers together with their terms of service and the development of future and current senior leaders to meet the missional needs of the church. As such we have a key role to play in the delivery of our national Vision and Strategy in which we aspire to be a church which is Jesus Christ shaped and centred.

Our work requires us to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and partners including the 42 Church of England Dioceses, 20 Church of England Theological Colleges, the House and College of Bishops, the College of Cathedral Deans and the College of Archdeacons together with a range of universities and other external bodies. Our work is overseen by the Ministry Development Board, which is a subcommittee of the Archbishops’ Council and is chaired by a Diocesan Bishop.

Responsibilities

• Policy
  • Support the collaborative development and deployment of new and revision of existing ministerial HR policies and practice in collaboration with AGTAWM and other key stakeholders especially dioceses.
  • Undertake research and analysis in support of ministerial HR policy development.
  • Contribute to enabling ministerial HR policy and practice to be consistent with the ongoing development of wider legislative and HR developments inside the church and in wider society.
  • Support and on occasion lead ministerial HR projects as required and provide ministerial HR support to projects led by others, including for example the Bishops and Clergy Accountability project, and the ongoing Lay Conduct work.
• Governance
  • Support the work of the MDB, including reporting as required on Ministry HR work and seeking the Board’s support and formal approval where appropriate.
• Teamwork
  • Provide briefings to the Director for Ministry on request.
  • Play a proactive and positive role within the wider MDT and NCIs, including inhabiting the NCI values.
  • With the support of Ministry HR colleagues work collaboratively with colleagues across the MDT, NCIs and wider church, especially with diocesan HR colleagues.

Key Relationships outside of the MDT

• Inside the NCIs: The central HR, Legal and Data Services teams and the Pensions Board.
• Governance: AGTAWM.
• The Wider Church: Diocesan HR teams, Network of Diocesan Clergy Wellbeing Leads, Archdeacons.

Essential Qualifications

• Knowledge/Experience
  • A good track record in policy development and implementation.
  • An understanding of the breadth of the Church of England and a willingness to serve the whole church.
  • Willing to develop relevant Human Resources expertise.
• Skills & Abilities
  • A good communicator who is able to produce clear and concise written work and write and deliver presentations.
  • Ability to assimilate and analyse large volumes of sometimes complex and technical data to produce clear and concise advice and policies.
  • A generous team player who enjoys working with a wide range of diverse colleagues.
  • The ability to nurture healthy relationships and deep trust with a wide range of stakeholders including senior leaders.
  • The ability to work fruitfully in an inherently complex system.
  • The capability to hold a diverse portfolio of work and respond to changing priorities.
  • High levels of discretion and confidentiality.
• Qualifications & Training
  • A commitment to continued personal and professional development.

Desirable

• A working knowledge of the complexity of the Church of England.
• CIPD qualified (foundation or associate).
• Experience of policy development and implementation in the area of people and their terms and conditions.
• Experience of working well with large groups of senior leaders.
• Some understanding of the complexities of ecclesiastical and employment law, especially with regard to the nature of ‘office holder’ status.

About Us

The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder. We Include. You Belong. Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

Living out our values in all that we do, we:

• Strive for Excellence.
• Show Compassion.
• Respect others.
• Collaborate.
• Act with Integrity.

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values.

Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.

Use of AI in your application

We appreciate that you may want to use AI tools to help you with your application. We're happy for you to use AI to come up with ideas and help structure your thoughts, but you shouldn't use AI to fabricate information or write your whole application for you. One of our values is integrity, and although we want you to demonstrate your best self, we don’t want an AI-generated persona. If you simply copy and paste AI-generated content into your application, this will reduce your chances of success.