Bishops’ Communications Manager (Maternity Cover)

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.

The National Church Institutions (NCIs) are national administrative bodies that work together to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England. Their activities are hugely varied, ranging from management of a multi-billion-pound investment fund, to a grant-giving charity, a housing service for retired clergy and the administration of three multi-employer pension schemes.

• Developing and delivering proactive communication campaigns seeking widespread and positive media coverage of stories concerning the church in Leicester and Leicestershire, the leadership of the Bishops, and the daily witness of both laity and clergy.
• Coordinating the media response to major events and crises, enabling the Bishops to speak prophetically and pastorally into such situations.
• Enabling good internal communication within the diocese such that the Bishops’ vision and strategy for mission and ministry are well understood and owned.
• Coordinating the work of Communications Officers and ensuring that other staff understand their role in communication and stakeholder engagement.

The role

• Deal with enquiries from local, regional, national and international media.
• Manage and respond to day-to-day news diary and stories, proactively taking a lead and identifying good news stories or potential issues which may lead to negative coverage.
• Develop a reactive “Lines to Take” database to ensure accurate and up to date responses are given to journalists.
• Provide and/or arrange an ‘out of hours’ on-call press and media service when necessary and communicating arrangements for this.
• Provide advice and support for parishes in handling media enquiries.
• Work with the Communications Officers and other staff to develop communications strategies to support the work of other diocesan teams (including Finance, Generous Giving, Safeguarding and Church Buildings)
• Work with the Communications Officers and other staff to develop and deliver proactive communication campaigns, with a seasonal cycle.
• Arrange and manage interviews and other media events such as podcasts, recordings, and photo shoots.
• Oversee the production of Diomail, the weekly Diocesan e-newsletter, articles for the Diocese’s website, and regular vlogs
• Produce and schedule daily social media posts and monitor the diocese’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and X)
• Manage changes to the website
• Be a member of the Diocesan Safeguarding Oversight Group and attend meetings of the Case Management and Review Group and Core Groups set up to respond to serious safeguarding situations.
• Attend Bishop’s Leadership Team, Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod meetings as agreed with the Bishops.
• Other duties as agreed with the Bishops.

Ideal candidate

Essential 

• Good understanding of ministry in the Church of England, especially in the area of the church’s role in the public square.
• Good experience in a relevant communication, journalistic or public relations role.
• Experience of crisis management.
• Experience of forward news planning.
• Degree level qualification in theology and/or social policy.
• Qualification in media, journalism, or public relations.
• Knowledge of, and in sympathy with the Church of England’s vision and values
• Able to articulate a theological understanding of the kingdom of God and a holistic approach to Christian mission.
• Able to relate well to and influence senior leaders in various fields.
• Proactive approach, with ability to spot news stories prior to publication.
• Ability to work under pressure, to changing and simultaneous deadlines.
• Ability to differentiate important from urgent.
• Adept and fully conversant with using and understanding social media.
• Excellent communication skills including written, oral, negotiating, influencing and presentation skills.
• Ability to navigate effectively complex organizational structures in delivering work objectives.
• Ability to relate well to people of all backgrounds.
• Ability to represent the Church of England with confidence.
• Excellent IT skills, including social media scheduling, Canva and video-editing
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

Desirable

• Experience of working with people of different faiths.
• Post-graduate qualification
• Experience of working with people of different faiths.

Clergy already in the Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme (CEFPS) will have the option of either remaining in this scheme or joining the Church Administrators Pension Fund (CAPF) scheme.

There is no contracting – out certificate under the Pension Schemes Act 1993 in force for this employment in relation to the CAPF and CEFPS. Both CAPF and CEFPS members are contracted-in to the State Second Pension.

The Church Commissioners have an income protection insurance arrangement. To be eligible for cover under this policy an employee must be a member of the CAPF DC section. Please note that insurance cover is not necessarily automatic and that underwriting may be required by the schemes in some instances. Cover will be subject to any terms and conditions laid down by the insurance company.