Overview

The Church of England Parliamentary team serves the Bishops in the House of Lords, and the National Church Institutions (NCIs) by providing advice and resource, maintaining links with MPs, Peers and staff, and helping all engage better with the Parliamentary process. The team comprises those working for individual Lords Spiritual and for the NCIs and is based within the wider Faith and Public Life Team (FPL) of the Archbishops’ Council, which is concerned with the Church’s engagement with society and with issues of public concern.

The work of the Bishops of Bristol, Chelmsford and Manchester in the House of Lords is guided by their policy interests and some nationally held responsibilities. The Bishop of Chelmsford is the Lead Bishop for Housing. All have a shared concern for issues of economic, environmental and social justice at home and overseas. In addition between them the Bishops have specific areas of focus covering policing, modern day slavery, housing, immigration and asylum, safeguarding and church buildings.

This post may be of particular interest to someone who has experience or an interest in one or more of these areas of policy.

Post Introduction

As Parliamentary and Policy Researcher, you will support the Bishops of Bristol, Chelmsford and Manchester in their duties as Members of the House of Lords, and such other work as the Bishops and Head of Parliamentary Affairs may require from time to time.

You will divide your working time equally between the Bishops of Bristol, Chelmsford and Manchester. Flexibility in the working pattern will be required, depending on the respective requirements of each Bishop, their duty weeks and other commitments in the House of Lords, as well as Parliamentary sitting and recess dates.

Your varied role will include research and information gathering, drafting speeches for debates in the Chamber, questions, and material for publication, managing meetings, appointments and other events on behalf of the Bishops. Your priorities and tasks will be set by the Bishops, and the Head of Parliamentary Affairs will guide and oversee your parliamentary work on the Bishop's behalf. The balance between parliamentary tasks and those that relate to the Bishops' diocesan roles is likely to vary depending on the parliamentary cycle.

You will be based with the Parliamentary Team, which works from both Lambeth Palace and Church House, Westminster (the national offices of the Church of England). Some flexibility, including home working is possible, although there is an expectation that you will be available to attend Westminster as and when required.

Your normal working week will be 35 hours per week and you should be available to start as soon as possible.

This post is offered on a fixed term contract initially for 12 months, with the potential for renewal subject to review, for an additional year.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 24^th May, 2023 at Church House, Westminster, London.

Role Responsibility

The Role

• Supporting the Bishops of Bristol, Chelmsford and Manchester in their work in the House of Lords.
• Drafting, advising on and researching materials for Parliamentary speeches and interventions. Monitoring and keeping the Bishops informed about relevant Parliamentary developments and timetables.
• Liaising with MPs, Peers and their staff, Parliamentary officials and others in and outside the NCIs on behalf of the Bishops.
• Drafting articles for publication and press about the Bishops’ work, in close collaboration with diocesan and Church House Communications Officers.
• Providing research resource for the Bishops in his/her diocesan and non-Parliamentary work, as and when required and depending on the Parliamentary cycle. This may involve researching and drafting talks, articles and lectures.
• Assisting with disseminating the Church’s Parliamentary responses to specific issues or bills, as agreed with the Head of Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Head of Parliamentary Affairs. Supporting the Head and Deputy Head of Parliamentary Affairs in their wider responsibilities and standing in for them as and when required.
• Working with others in the Parliamentary Team to ensure that the Bishops are kept abreast of the wider activities of the Lords Spiritual and the Parliamentary Team.

The Ideal Candidate

The Requirements

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Excellent communication skills, verbally and in writing. Proven ability in drafting speeches, briefing papers or press releases, bulletins or other accessible modes of communication.
• Excellent organisational skills, including time management, diary management etc.
• Research skills, with the ability to gather information quickly and accurately and to produce content in forms suitable for both brief speeches and full-length addresses.
• Ability to discern the impact of policies, legislation etc. on the Church of England, other churches, and other faith communities.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Knowledge of Parliamentary processes, current affairs and the making of Government policy.
• A grasp of the key issues facing the Church of England in its public role today
• Some experience of organising events (receptions, seminars, meetings etc).

Personal Attributes:

• Enthusiasm, energy and imagination.
• Discretion and judgement in handling confidential or sensitive material.
• A flexible, open and collaborative working style.
• A willingness to work with and learn from senior colleagues, and people of differing political and theological persuasions.

Circumstances:

•  Willingness and ability to work some unsocial hours when required.

Desirable

Skills/Aptitudes:

• The ability to perform well as part of a team.
• Excellent ICT skills.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Knowledge of current trends in the relevant policy areas of the Bishops.
• Some knowledge or experience of parliamentary processes, political parties, think tanks, lobby groups etc.
• Some knowledge of the structures of the Church of England.
• Ability to manage own work programme with minimal direct management, deliver outcomes to deadlines and to work under pressure.
• Proven ability in presenting complex data in manageable and informative ways.

Education:

• Degree, A Level (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, such as politics, theology etc.

About Us

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.  

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions by visiting Careers | The Church of England

NCI values

• We strive for excellence 
• We collaborate 
• We act with integrity 
• We show compassion 
• We respect others 

We welcome everyone and we accept and value people for who they are and what they contribute, treating others in the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. We actively listen to and include others, encouraging and enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in discussions and decisions. When we disagree, we aim to disagree well with respect and kindness.  

We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people. 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. If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org.

• As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.  
• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.