Financial Sustainability Project Manager
Birmingham (Hybrid)
Up to £45000.00 per annum + 12% employer contribution pension
Contract (Fixed term contract for 3 years)
Job description
Church of England Birmingham (CofEB) is on a journey of growing churches at the heart of every community.
This means growing financially as well as in number of disciples, depth of discipleship and impact in the community. The impact of the Covid pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has been a significant reduction in income for many CofE Dioceses and Birmingham has been one of the hardest hit because of our underlying demographics. The reduction in income with a relatively fixed cost base has resulted in annual deficits in our finances.
We have benefitted from short-term support from the National CofE during the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, but continuing to operate with annual deficits is not sustainable. To address this we have begun to develop a financial sustainability strategy.
As one of our major sources of income is from giving by our parishes (known as 'Common Fund') a key element of the strategy needs to be a deeper understanding and encouragement of appropriate levels of Common Fund giving. This will require an appreciation for the theological and discipleship principles which underpin the Christian understanding of generosity and giving.
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are looking for a Project Manager to work, under the direction of the Director of Finance, with us across two phases: development and delivery. The work needs to be done in collaboration across the whole breadth of CofEB including clergy, staff, parish teams and national teams, so the ability to build strong relationships at all levels is vital.
Main duties and responsibilities
Development stage:
- Building on the work to date, develop a financial sustainability strategy around giving which will form part of a major long-term strategic bid to the national CofE for funding to support the delivery of our vision and strategy.
- Create the project plan and resource requirements (including people resources) for delivery.
- Develop an approach to engage parishes and oversight areas.
- Working with the Project Management Office (PMO) ensure plans for financial sustainability are integrated into our overall strategic plan.
Delivery stage (assuming the funding bid is successful):
- Deliver the project in line with the project plan and budget.
- Working with HR, recruit the team to deliver the project and provide line management as appropriate based on the new structure.
- Be involved in hands on delivery with parishes to see giving and generosity flow.
- Track progress of the project and all key indicators. Supplying reports to funders, feeding into our governance structures and creating any needed change requests.
- Create a stakeholder management plan and ensure good relationships and engagement with all stakeholders.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Technical
- Highly numerate and logical with an understanding of financial principles and how these apply to a medium-sized complex charity.
- Project Management experience with good knowledge and experience in using project tools. The ability to apply those PM skills across complex and sometimes ill-defined structures.
- Good degree of IT literacy.
- Experience in successfully line-managing a team.
- The ability to communicate well in written media and presenting in person, particularly with a view to influencing stakeholders.
- An understanding of, or ideally experience of working with volunteers, or those outside of a line management hierarchy.
- An understanding of generosity and giving as a key part of Christian discipleship, and how these are informed by theology across different traditions and scripture.
Knowledge
- An understanding of the structure, organisation and culture of the Church of England would be helpful.
- Understanding of how parish finances work and the Common Fund system would be helpful.
- An appreciation of theology and discipleship as they apply to generosity and giving.
Personal
- Strong influencing skills are vital.
- Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present credibly to clergy and laity in parishes.
- Ability to deal with difficult situations with tact and diplomacy to achieve desired outcome.
- Innovative and creative approach to problem solving
- Adaptability and willingness to consider a range of options and possibilities when working with others.
- The ability to plan, self-organise and prioritise effectively within complex structures in order to achieve objectives.
- Able to work flexibly including evenings and weekends.
- The role holder will need to travel to parishes across the breadth of the diocese which includes city, suburban, market-town and rural contexts, and therefore the ability to drive and access to a car would be beneficial
As the post holder will be required to develop discipleship-based generosity activities and training for ordained and lay leaders based on Biblical generosity, they must be a practising Christian.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The post-holder will be initially employed by the Diocesan Board of Finance for a fixed term of three years.
Salary and Pension: Salary of £45,000 plus membership of the Church Worker's Pension Scheme with 12% employer contribution
Hours: Full-time 35 hours (5 days) per week. Some weekend/evening work may be required, for which the equivalent time may be taken back from standard working hours. We are happy to consider requests for flexible working, and please do mention in your application if you would be interested in looking at alternative working hours.
Holidays: 5 weeks per year plus Bank Holidays and 3 Discretionary Days between Christmas and New Year
Employer: Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance
Responsible To: Finance Director
CLOSING DATE: Monday 30th September 2024
INTERVIEWS: Monday 21st October 2024
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where all can be themselves and bring their unique identity to their ministry and/or work.
We welcome applications from any individuals who feel that they meet the person specification for any post, in particular from those who are currently under-represented in our staff teams such as those from Global Majority Heritage or UK Minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with visible or invisible disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQI+.
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All postholders are expected to share this commitment
Posted by
Refreshed on: 10 September 2024
Closing date: 24 September 2024 at 10:54
Job ref: cofe/TP/42666/7524
Tags: Christian