Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of Programmes at the Diocese of Rochester:
My colleagues at Rochester, our partners at Green Park and I are all looking forward to engaging with you in this important appointment process at an exciting and opportune moment to join the team.
As a diocese, we have worked ever more closely together through the last 3 years of pandemic, Vacancy in See, and vision and strategy development. Our vision of Change, Serve and Grow provides a platform to invest in our present for the future. Our Diocesan Synod has just unanimously adopted our 10-year strategy known as Called Together. Our challenge, in which you would join us, is the delivery of our first integrated cross-function strategy in many years. We have just submitted a significant funding bid to support its delivery alongside using our own resources (decision due early March). Our adoption of Total Return, together with partnership with funders, provides us with the opportunity invest in Change, Serve and Grow.
We are looking for a collaborative and perceptive senior colleague who is passionate about our purpose and mission and has the drive and skills to lead and engage across the organisation. You will implement the programme to deliver our strategic objectives and fulfil our vision.
Working collaboratively, to and with the Diocesan Secretary, you will lead on the development and delivery of interlinked short, medium, and longer-term plans. Doing this will need you to be both insightful and thoughtful. Alongside this, the Finance Director will lead the development of the 10-year financial plan for Change, Serve and Grow. As a member of the Operations Management Group, you will have a vital role in delivering support and change to parishes across the diocese.
We have a great team from Property to Mission and Ministry Development, Communications, HR, Safeguarding, Children and Young People, Community Engagement and Projects, amongst a number, with a desire to continue with the development of our transparent and supportive working relationships with parishes. Your role in this will be important. You will be joining an enthusiastic and experienced team who will support the work you will lead. We need our new Head of Programmes to have an eye to the detail evidenced through data, and then work collaboratively and intuitively to agree and implement change. We are not looking for someone who has all the answers, but someone who can help find them.
As Head of Programmes, there are opportunities to build on relationships with Parishes to enable them in their delivery of ministry and mission. The Projects Team that you will lead will grow with additional members to be recruited off the back of our latest bid. Building out our delivery of the vision and strategy is both urgent and important, but needs to be done in a way which builds team members, not exhausts them. The work of the Projects Team runs hand in hand with the work of all the diocesan teams, and a collaborative approach is critical. The team works closely with those teams and with parishes direct.
The details on our website will give you more information about the work of the Diocese of Rochester, our vision for the future and who we are. If you have the experience and the commitment to help take us forward, we would love to hear from you.
Matthew Girt
Diocesan Secretary