Church and projects officer jobs in durham, county durham

This role will play a leadership role in delivering our ambitious policy influencing programme, helping to shape and implement influencing plans to bring about the changes needed to reduce, prevent and eventually end the need for food banks in the UK.  It will provide management and oversight to some of our strategic projects.

Role responsibilities

· Developing and implementing Trussell’s influencing strategy

Working with teams across the organisation to ensure key groups, including our community of food banks, corporate partners, churches and church-related organisations have a clear role in our policy influencing approach.

· Planning and delivering impactful public affairs activity

Ensuring systems are in place to help plan, monitor and evaluate public affairs activity and maximise opportunities to engage with key audiences, including Parliamentarians, advisers, and UK Government Ministers; and support close working with colleagues in all UK nations and regions.  Managing the development and delivery of public affairs activity to support high profile influencing campaigns.

· Building and managing strong relationships with key external stakeholders

Developing relationships, partnerships and networks to help raise the profile, credibility and influence of Trussell and our policy positions, particularly in the UK Parliament.  Representing Trussell and promoting the organisation’s policy position to key audiences, including in meetings and events with Parliamentarians.

· Developing public affairs support to the food bank community

Working closely with a small team of Network Policy and Research Officers and the Organising and Local Mobilisation team to support our community of food banks to build and maintain strong relationships with their local MPs.  Ensuring public affairs activity is well aligned to campaign strategies involving the food bank network.

· Embedding participatory approaches across our public affairs and wider influencing activity

Supporting further development of a participatory approach to policy influencing to ensure it is rooted in the lived experience of individuals affected by poverty.  This includes ensuring an ethical approach in line with our values.

· Providing advice and line management

Have line management responsibility for individuals within the team, providing pastoral and development guidance along with task management on key projects.  This includes regular 1:1s, objective setting and collaborative monitoring, and support with development needs.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

· Track record of successfully influencing politicians and key decision-makers to achieve strategic goals at different levels of government.

· Track record of delivering strategic public affairs activity based on robust evidence, from development to evaluation.

· Can explain components of effective policy influencing, including knowledge of the machinery and structure of government (UK, devolved, local) and experience of informing campaigns activity to mobilise support for policy change.

· Demonstrates a good understanding of policies that affect UK poverty and hunger.  Can explain policy motivations of main political parties and can advise on how to influence them most effectively.

· Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly in demonstrating enthusiasm and experience when communicating complex topics to non-specialist audiences.

· Experience of line managing, including dealing with performance issues and supporting team development.

Behaviours and competencies:

· Works collaboratively, managing challenges in a constructive manner

· Balances competing priorities and work to tight deadlines

· Demonstrates a dedication to the values of Trussell

· Demonstrates empathy for people from disadvantages, marginalised or socially excluded backgrounds

· Role models inclusive behaviour, values and leadership

Job Profile

CAFOD’s mission in the Catholic community of England and Wales is to inspire and equip Catholics to actively engage in the Church’s efforts to overcome poverty and injustice. Our regional teams focus on recruiting and supporting a dedicated group of volunteers within parish and school communities, empowering them to educate, engage, and inspire others to act in solidarity for the common good. Regional teams also collaborate with clergy and other representatives across the Catholic community to ensure CAFOD’s volunteer programme is aligned with faith life.

The primary purpose of this role is to provide administrative and communications support to the Community Participation Coordinators across England and Wales, with a focus on the West & Wales region as the first point of contact. This includes coordinating administrative tasks performed by office volunteers and identifying opportunities for process improvements. The role also involves volunteer recruitment administration, overseeing and training Office Volunteers, and ensuring effective database management.

This role can be based anywhere in the UK including our head office in London, working from home, from one of CAFOD’s Volunteer Centres, or a combination of both. The role requires occasional travel to London and other areas within the East & West side of the country. Travel expenses will be reimbursed, and time off in lieu will be granted for travel beyond normal working hours.

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week) and reports to the Volunteer Support and Development Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities Overview
The post holder will play a key role in driving smooth, efficient operations across CAFOD’s West & Wales region. As the go-to person for admin excellence and volunteer support, you’ll work closely with your line manager and colleagues in the East to streamline processes, improve systems, and keep everything running like clockwork.

You’ll lead on volunteer recruitment and engagement—welcoming new volunteers, managing onboarding, and ensuring everyone feels valued, equipped, and inspired to support CAFOD’s work. Your people skills and attention to detail will shine as you manage applications, data entry, and training coordination.

Communications will be at the heart of your role. You’ll create engaging e-bulletins and social media content that keeps our community informed and motivated, while ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and aligned with CAFOD’s wider goals.

You’ll be the guardian of accurate data, working with office volunteers to maintain up-to-date records that support smarter outreach and efficient workflows. Your collaborative spirit will help strengthen connections across teams, share best practices, and contribute to creative new approaches for engaging communities.

This is a role for a proactive, organised, and people-focused individual who’s excited to innovate, solve problems, and make a tangible impact in a supportive, values-led organisation.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Understanding our context

1. Understanding Catholic identity: sympathetic knowledge of the life, culture and structure of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and an ability to work effectively within it and especially an understanding of parish community life.
2. Understanding CAFOD: ability to express what motivates people to volunteer for, and support, CAFOD and the main activities in which Catholic community primarily participate. Being informed about, supportive of, and actively promoting our anti-racism work.

Working together

1. Managing ourselves: strong interpersonal skills including an ability to develop personal relationships quickly and to convince others.  Ability to be self-motivated and able to work in isolation linking with different people in a variety of contexts; confident with articulating support required for you to work well.
2. Working with others: builds positive and fruitful partnerships, particularly with volunteers; works effectively as part of a team which may work at a distance to ensure sharing of good practice and shared workload; being willing and able to help other team members and be helped to achieve delivery of shared objectives.
3. Communicating: ability to identify how best to communicate instructions and processes clearly and how this helps achieve the objectives CAFOD seeks to deliver and how to share knowledge and information across teams.

Making change happen

1. Managing resources: confident with processing data for planning, monitoring and reporting:  proven time-management, data-management and organisational skills/experience of delegating tasks clearly and making improvements to processes.
2. Achieving results: ability and willingness to focus on achieving efficiencies, especially in support of regional plans for community participation and income growth.
3. Managing our performance: ability and willingness to work to targets and achieve results.

Job-Specific Competencies

Administrative Process Improvement:

Proven ability to assess, streamline, and document administrative processes. Strong organisational skills are required to manage a variety of tasks and ensure efficient delegation to volunteers. Ability to identify inefficiencies and propose practical solutions to enhance office operations.

Volunteer Recruitment & Engagement:

Expertise in recruiting, onboarding, and maintaining volunteer engagement. You will build strong relationships with volunteers, ensuring their experience is positive and aligned with CAFOD’s mission. Experience in using volunteer management systems and managing volunteer data is essential.

Communication & Content Creation: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience in producing engaging content for e-bulletins, newsletters, and other media resources. Ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, ensuring clarity and consistency in CAFOD’s communications.

Data Management & Accuracy:

Attention to detail is crucial for maintaining accurate records. Experience with databases, data segmentation, and ensuring data integrity is essential. A strong understanding of data protection standards, including GDPR, will be necessary.

Collaboration & Team Communication:

Effective communicator with internal teams, ensuring smooth communication and alignment across various regions. Ability to foster positive working relationships and collaborate across teams, both virtually and in person. Proficiency with communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom is required.

Training & Support:

Experience in delivering training to volunteers and staff, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge. Ability to provide ongoing support to regional office volunteers, helping them succeed and contribute effectively to the team.

Adaptability & Problem-solving:

Flexible and resourceful, able to adapt to changing priorities. You will be expected to identify challenges and propose solutions to keep operations running smoothly.

Commitment to CAFOD’s Mission & Values:

A deep understanding of CAFOD’s mission and Catholic social teaching, with the ability to align volunteer engagement and administrative activities with the organization’s goals of addressing poverty and injustice.

Use of Digital Tools & Systems:

Competence in using databases, Microsoft Office Suite, and collaboration tools. Ability to train volunteers in these systems to ensure smooth operations across teams.

Project Management & Accountability:

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring tasks are completed within deadlines and to a high standard. You will be responsible for delivering results aligned with CAFOD’s objectives.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Looking to make a real difference to young care experienced people? We’re now recruiting two Housing Support Officers to be part of our Hummingbird Homes project, a unique new model helping young people transition from care to independent living.

At Handcrafted we work with a range of vulnerable people including care leavers. Their stories and experiences have helped us to recognise that there is a gap in provision from 16+, where transitioning into independent living is either an overly support intensive time or very isolating. We have created a new model of support for those transitioning from care to independent living, bridging a critical gap in services.

Your impact:

As Housing Support Officer you will

1) Provide relationship-based support to create a nurturing, supportive environment for young people. We want to empower them while guiding them through an overwhelming time.

2) Be part of a small, close-knit community of homes where young people can live near each other, independently and close-by to support workers.

3) Be at the heart of the mission and build strong relationships with young people. Create an open space for growth, learning, and development.

Big Green Heart is looking for a trainer to help expand our practitioner base. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with teaching experience to use their professional skills in the charity sector in the vitally important area of mental health. Accredited practitioners may charge for their own practice, working with individuals or in partnership with schools, churches, and community projects. They will practice under license from Big Green Heart. 

The role of the trainer is to teach and train practitioners in the methodology of Big Green Heart and to bring individuals through to accreditation. This will be done regionally and online.

It is hoped that the trainer will continue to oversee the developing work of the practitioners in a mentoring role, either individually or in groups, whether in person or online. This will be an evolving role developed in partnership with the Founder/CEO. 

Key information

FT / PT: Part time

Salary: £30,000 - £35000/ year, pro rata depending on experience

Hours: Circa 16 hours per week; the hours will be flexible and may include evenings and weekends

Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata

Application Process: Applications should be made via the application form by midnight on 30 May 2025. Interviews will be held either the first or second week of June.

Application Deadline: 30 May 2025

Start Date: Negotiable

Location: Remote and flexible. Please note, the charity is based in North Yorkshire and some face-to-face meetings will be required at our office. Training will take place around the country. So far this year, we have hosted workshops all over the UK, from Sussex to the Isle of Skye. Travel will be required, as will the ability to train online. All travel expenses will be covered.

About you

• Have experience in teaching or training

• Have trauma-informed training

• Be happy to work one-on-one and in groups

• Be comfortable working online and in person

Over time, the trainer will be expected to develop a network from which new practitioners will be recruited.  Prior knowledge of Big Green Heart methodology is not expected.  Big Green Heart will provide your training, and there will be a probationary period for you and Big Green Heart to assess your suitability for communicating this vital practice of forgiving.

Information about Big Green Heart methodology can be found on our website.

Core Skills

• Strong Communication Skills on a One-to-One Basis and in Groups: Ability to build rapport, actively listen, and clearly articulate ideas and instructions to individuals and groups, fostering a positive and engaging learning environment.

• Empathy: Demonstrate understanding and sensitivity to the feelings and experiences of others, creating a safe and supportive space for learning and personal growth.

• Organisational Skills: Effectively manage time, resources, and workload, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines, ensuring efficient and well-structured training sessions.

• ICT Skills: Proficient in using computers, relevant software, and online tools to deliver and manage online training, communicate effectively, and maintain records.

• Commitment to the Mission and Values of Big Green Heart: Align with and actively promote Big Green Heart's mission of improving people's lives, demonstrating a genuine passion for the cause and upholding our values in all interactions.

• Adaptability: Able to adjust teaching style and methods to suit different learning environments (online and in-person) and individual needs.

• Tech Savvy: Proficient in using online learning platforms, video conferencing tools, and other relevant technology for online training.

• Facilitation: Skilled in managing group dynamics, encouraging participation, and creating a positive online and offline learning environment.

• Time Management: Ability to effectively manage workload, meet deadlines, and balance in-person and online training commitments.

Additional Skills 

• Platform Management: Experience with learning management systems (LMS) to track learner progress and manage online course content.

• Community Building: Able to foster community and connection among learners online and in person.

• Curriculum Development: Experience designing and developing training materials and adapting them for online delivery.

• Presentation Skills: Able to deliver engaging and informative presentations in both live and virtual settings.

• Active Listening: Attentive to participant needs and questions and able to respond effectively in online and in-person interactions.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Awareness and respect for diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs, especially in online environments where participants may come from different regions and cultures.

The trainer will report to the Founder/CEO and their Line Manager.  They will work with the operational team.

Though this practice is accessible for people of all faiths or none, there is an occupational requirement that the jobholder is a Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Safeguarding

Big Green Heart recognises the need to provide a safe and caring environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults. As part of our safeguarding policy, we will require any successful applicant to complete disclosure checks and obtain an enhanced DBS certificate. 

Though this practice is accessible for people of all faiths or none, there is an occupational requirement that the jobholder is a Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note that we can only consider applications from candidates with the legal right to work in the UK.

**An opportunity to work & stay at our Hummingbird Support House!**

We’re looking for a compassionate and experienced Key Support Worker to be part of Hummingbird Homes—a unique new model helping young people transition from care to independent living.

Background:

At Handcrafted, we work with a range of vulnerable people, including care leavers. Their stories and experiences have helped us to recognise that there is a gap in provision from 16+, where transitioning into independent living is either an overly support-intensive time or very isolating. We have created a new model of support for those transitioning from care to independent living, bridging a critical gap in services.

Our New Approach:

To set up the Hummingbird Community, we have purchased five houses that are all near each other. Four of these will be used as supported housing for children 16+ transitioning out of the care system, and one of them will serve as a dedicated "Support House". 

This house will have a central community space for the young people, and it's a home where you can stay nearby whilst working, on-call, or between shifts, for as long as you are employed by Handcrafted.

The communal area downstairs will be the base for spending time together and providing life skills training alongside the wider team.

You would have your own private space upstairs for when you stay at the Support House.

Your Impact:

The heart of Hummingbird Homes is to offer children in care a sense of normality and stability. We aim to create a gentler transition into adulthood and independent living by fostering an environment of belonging and community through regular social activities and a family-like atmosphere. 

As a Key Support Worker, your role would be central to this mission—forming meaningful relationships with young people and ensuring that each young person receives the guidance and support they need to take their next steps with confidence.