Digital Labs Manager
Please Note: The application deadline for this post has now passed.
Post Introduction
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A DIGITAL LABS MANAGER
About the Department/Role
The Church of England’s Digital Team was created in 2016 to develop the Church’s approach to the web, social media and wider technological innovation. The team works to support teams across the Church in line with its wider vision and strategy, while identifying digital opportunities to engage new audiences with messages of the Church. Based in the Communications Team, it also works closely with Church House Publishing on national campaigns, such as Christmas and Easter. The team has developed a strong social media presence, transformed national websites and pioneered the use of technology such as voice and apps to help people grow in their faith.
The Church of England’s Digital Team was created in 2016 to develop the Church’s approach to the web, social media and wider technological innovation. The team works to support teams across the Church in line with its wider vision and strategy, while identifying digital opportunities to engage new audiences with messages of the Church. Based in the Communications Team, it also works closely with Church House Publishing on national campaigns, such as Christmas and Easter. The team has developed a strong social media presence, transformed national websites and pioneered the use of technology such as voice and apps to help people grow in their faith.
What you'll be doing
As Digital Labs Manager, you’ll use your experience of strategic development to increase the reach and impact of the Digital Labs programme, which equips church leaders and volunteers with digital skills, ensuring it helps churches to develop in line with the Church’s Vision and Strategy: to become younger and more diverse, make missionary disciples and support a ‘mixed ecology’. Through relationship-building and networking you will introduce Digital Labs to a wider audience including local churches, diocesan colleagues and those studying at theological educational institutions. You will lead on the Digital Labs content strategy, developing educational content that meets the need of churches and individuals across a spectrum of digital confidence, alongside overseeing the work of the Digital Labs Officer who delivers the core Digital Labs webinars and is responsible for core content such as blogs and email newsletters.
As Digital Labs Manager, you’ll use your experience of strategic development to increase the reach and impact of the Digital Labs programme, which equips church leaders and volunteers with digital skills, ensuring it helps churches to develop in line with the Church’s Vision and Strategy: to become younger and more diverse, make missionary disciples and support a ‘mixed ecology’. Through relationship-building and networking you will introduce Digital Labs to a wider audience including local churches, diocesan colleagues and those studying at theological educational institutions. You will lead on the Digital Labs content strategy, developing educational content that meets the need of churches and individuals across a spectrum of digital confidence, alongside overseeing the work of the Digital Labs Officer who delivers the core Digital Labs webinars and is responsible for core content such as blogs and email newsletters.
Main Responsibilities
- Quality delivery and continuous development of the national digital skills training programme, ensuring the content remains engaging and relevant and that it equips the local church to use digital platforms for evangelism and discipleship.
- Create, maintain and deliver in-person and online training for ordinands and roll this out to ensure that more ordinands progressing to curacy receive training in key digital tools for churches, including how to use AChurchNearYou.com.
- Provide in-person and online digital workshops and advice for diocesan staff with responsibility for digital communications.
- Develop the multi-channel communications.
- Oversee the Digital Labs webpages, blog and newsletter, supporting the Digital Labs Officer who manages these day to day.
- Produce content blogs and guides, including commissioning short training videos for people to access digital skills on-demand.
- Work with the Senior Digital Communications Manager ensuring effective training for editors to use AChurchNearYou.com and ensuring effective resources to help churches participate in national campaigns.
- Advocate and champion the use of the Resources from the Church of England YouTube channel across the NCIs.
- Build relationships actively networking to ensure a diverse range of engaging contributors are heard and involved Digital Labs activities, from across our dioceses and the breadth of Church of England traditions and beyond.
- Work with the Communications team to contribute to safeguarding training for NCIs and diocesan colleagues where this covers safeguarding in relation to social media.
- Gather horizon-scanning insights and feedback from engagement with churches and dioceses to feed back to the Digital team, informing strategy and future work.
Key role requirements
- This is fixed-term 12 month maternity contract.
- Hybrid working with 2 days in the London office
About You
The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.
Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification.
What we offer
Your Salary
- A salary of £48,5572 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.
Your Benefits
- 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro-rated if working part-time).
- We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case-by-case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
- We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.
- Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
- Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus-one guest.
- Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
- Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.
ABOUT NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS
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.
Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.
