Purpose of the Role
The Diocese of Liverpool shares the Church of England's ambition to grow a Church that is younger and more diverse. The Youth and Children's Deanery Leadership Lead will provide strategic leadership, oversight and coordination for youth and children's ministry across the deanery.
This is a part-time leadership role whilst we reconfigure the leadership role. Its focus is on developing strategy, supporting and managing scholars, strengthening partnerships, maintaining high professional standards and ensuring that the deanery's youth and children's ministry contributes to the wider mission plan. The post holder will not be responsible for routine delivery of youth and children's activities, except where limited involvement is necessary for leadership, supervision or strategic development.
Key Responsibilities for this part-time role will be agreed within the following framework:
Strategic Leadership
- Lead the deanery's youth and children's ministry strategy, ensuring that it supports the wider mission plan and the Diocese of Liverpool's vision for a younger and more diverse Church.
- Develop clear priorities, objectives and measures of progress for youth and children's ministry across the deanery in conjunction with the diocesan plan.
- Identify opportunities for sustainable growth, including new and creative expressions of church for children, young people and families.
- Foster a leadership culture characterised by prayer, worship, accountability, collaboration and appropriate enjoyment.
- Champion the participation of children and young people in shaping ministry strategy and church life.
Team Leadership and Development
- Provide line management, leadership and support for scholarship students and any other deanery-wide youth and children's ministry staff.
- Support the professional, personal and spiritual development of scholarship students through regular supervision, objective-setting and review.
- Oversee the developmentand support volunteer leaders, encouraging good recruitment, induction, training, supervision and recognition.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities across the team and ensure that staff, clergy and volunteers are accountable for agreed outcomes.
- Promote effective teamwork between paid staff, volunteers, clergy, churches and diocesan colleagues.
Partnership and Influence
- Sustain effective relationships with clergy, church leaders, schools, community organisations and other relevant partners.
- Advise churches and leaders on developing safe, effective and contextually appropriate youth and children's ministry.
- Work across different church traditions and generations, encouraging collaboration, inclusion, diversityand shared learning.
- Work closely with the diocesan 0–18s team, contributing to diocesan priorities, training and leadership development.
- Represent youth and children's ministry at relevant deanery and diocesan meetings.
Governance and Quality Assurance
- Champion best practice and high professional standards in all work involving children and young people.
- Ensure that safeguarding, safer recruitment, health and safety, risk assessment and data protection requirements are understood and followed by the team.
- Maintain appropriate oversight of programmes and projects without taking primary responsibility for their routine delivery.
- Chair and lead relevant meetings, ensuring that decisions, responsibilities and actions are clearly recorded and followed through.
- Prepare concise reports on progress, impact, risks and priorities for the Rector and other relevant governance bodies.
Financial and Resource Management
- With the Church St Helens finance officer set and manage the youth and children's ministry budget within the context of the wider team budget.
- Monitor expenditure against agreed budgets and remain accountable for the appropriate use of funds.
- Support effective allocation of staff, volunteer and financial resources in line with agreed strategic priorities.
- Contribute to funding applications and sustainability planning where appropriate.
Personal and Spiritual Development
- Maintain and develop personal spiritual discipleship, including appropriate attention to prayer, worship and spiritual formation.
- Attend to personal emotional, physical and mental wellbeing, recognising the responsibilities associated with Christian leadership.
- Participate in supervision, continuing professional development and/or spiritual direction, as appropriate.
- Model integrity, accountability, self-awareness and healthy working practices for the wider team.
Scope of the Role
The role is specifically focused on leadership, management, strategy, partnership and oversight. The post holder will not normally be expected to:
- Run regular youth groups, children's groups or Sunday activities.
- Act as the principal organiser or operational lead for routine events.
- Provide ongoing one-to-one pastoral support or casework.
- Undertake regular school-based or community-based sessional work.
Any direct involvement with children and young people should be limited, proportionate to the contracted hours and clearly connected to strategic leadership, consultation, observation, quality assurance or team development.
Person Specification
Essential Requirements
Area
Requirement
Education and Formation
A JNC-recognised professional youth work qualification, relevant ministry qualification, or significant equivalent experience in youth and children's ministry leadership.
Leadership Experience
Experience of leading, managing or supervising paid staff, volunteers or ministry teams.
Church Experience
Substantial experience of youth and children's ministry within a church context.
Strategic Ability
Ability to develop and implement ministry strategy, establish priorities and evaluate progress and impact.
Communication
A clear and inspiring communicator who can work effectively with church leaders, senior colleagues, staff, volunteers, children and young people.
Relationship Building
Highly developed relational and networking skills, with the ability to build effective partnerships across diverse churches and organisations.
Church Traditions
Understanding of different church traditions and the ability to work ecumenically and across generations.
Management
Ability to set objectives, delegate responsibilities, support development and hold team members appropriately accountable.
Governance
Ability to chair meetings, prepare reports and ensure that decisions and actions are followed through.
Finance
Ability to set, monitor and manage a budget.
Safeguarding
Excellent knowledge of safeguarding, safer recruitment and health and safety requirements relating to children and young people.
Digital Skills
Strong IT and digital communication skills, including the appropriate professional use of social media.
Personal Qualities
Enthusiasm, personal and spiritual maturity, self-awareness, integrity and the ability to work well as part of a team.
Ethos
Sympathy with the aims and ethos of the Church of England and full support for the values of the Diocese of Liverpool and Liverpool Cathedral.
Availability
Ability to travel within the deanery and undertake occasional evening and weekend work.
Desirable Requirements
- A theology qualification at diploma or degree level.
- Experience of working with children and young people in education, statutory services, community organisations or para-church settings.
- Experience of leading across multiple churches, locations or organisational settings.
- Experience of change management, project leadership or developing new forms of church.
- Experience of monitoring outcomes, evaluating impact and reporting to senior leaders or governance groups.
- A driving licence and access to suitable transport.
Working Arrangements
The contracted hours will be between 10 and 17.5 hours per week, with the final number of hours agreed at appointment.
The post holder will be required to work on Tuesdays as a core working day to facilitate the scholars main training and team day for development, training and preparation and to enable attendance at key deanery meetings, supervision sessions and strategic planning activities. Any additional hours may be worked flexibly, subject to the needs of the role and with the prior agreement of the Team Rector.
Because this is a leadership position, working time should be arranged around strategic priorities, team supervision, partnership development and key meetings across the deanery and diocese.
Some evening and weekend work will be required. This should be planned in advance wherever possible and managed within the agreed contracted hours. The role does not carry an expectation of general availability outside contracted working time.
Additional Information
The appointment will be subject to:
- Satisfactory references.
- An appropriate enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
- Completion of the required Church of England safeguarding training.
- Evidence of the right to work in the United Kingdom.
- A six-month probationary period.
- Any occupational requirement lawfully applicable to the post.
Salary is £30000 per year Pro Rota
Interview date is 11th August
Work Location: In person
