Head of community services jobs in romford, essex

KEY DETAILS

DISCLAIMER: THERE IS AN OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR THIS POST HOLDER TO BE A CHRISTIAN. See section below for more information. 

Job title: Operations Manager 

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Flexible schedule across at least 4 days, core hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm) with occasional need to work out of hours.

Salary: £32,400 to £36,000 depending on experience

Contract: 12 months with potential/possibility of extension

Reports to: Church Leadership Team (Ministers and Trustees)

Location: Westbourne Grove Church, London W11 (Please note that the nature of the role means that hybrid working is not an option)

Closing date and how to apply:

8.30am on Friday 18th July 2025.

FOR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, HOW TO APPLY AND COVER LETTER INFO, SEE DOCUMENT ATTACHED. 

Other essential information: You must have the right to work in the UK and/or a visa that allows you to work in the UK for the duration of this contract. The Trustees are willing to consider sponsoring a visa for this role.

ABOUT THE CHURCH

We welcome everyone to join with us in discovering Jesus and sharing God’s love, especially by caring for those in need.

Located in a multicultural and socioeconomically diverse neighbourhood, the church actively promotes inclusion, stands against racism and discrimination, and is an equal opportunity employer. 

OUR ETHOS – GUIDING VALUES AND IDEALS

We believe that God is loving, good and just, and chooses to reveal himself to us! He made humans in his image, so we’re designed to live in relationship with him and with each other in community. The world is currently not as God wants, and his plan is to renew the whole of creation. He invites and calls us to the privilege of working with him on this mission.

With this in mind, we want to reflect God’s love and character in our values and actions.

OUR VALUES

• We value growing in relationship with God in a wide variety of ways - welcoming questions and doubts as vital parts of learning and growing. We long for people to know Jesus and follow Him.
• We build relationships on love, compassion, and mutual respect.
• We treat everyone with kindness and dignity, caring especially for those in need, and seeking justice and reconciliation.
• We seek to reflect God’s generosity, integrity and honesty in business.
• We share our beautiful building with the local community and offer a place of belonging, hope, and participation.
• We believe leadership is servant-hearted, and all are encouraged to take part.
• We seek to express encouragement, forgiveness, and lasting hope.

OUR WORK AND MISSION

Our church activities flow out of our community's passions and interests, aiming to embody God's character in all we do.

OPERATIONS MANAGER - ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Operations Manager is a key support for the church’s leadership and heads the staff team providing management over key operational and missional areas of the church’s activities.

This leadership role supports the ethos and ministries of the church and its mission to be a church for the community - discovering Jesus, sharing God’s love, and caring for those in need.

A vital aim for our church’s work in the local community is that our staff relationships, our Venue ministry, our Christian hospitality and how we use and share our building should all reflect God’s character - showing compassion, generosity, and kindness.

The role has a lot of different components, so we’re looking for someone who sees all aspects of this job as an expression of the church’s mission to proclaim the Good News and will facilitate and serve the congregation, the staff and the volunteer teams as they creatively explore ways to express our Christian ethos through the life and ministries of the church. This therefore requires that they are someone who has a mature Christian faith.

They will need to be a “servant“ leader who is mentally agile, energetic, able to schedule and prioritise, a good delegator, a team player, a quick learner and capable of taking initiatives, with a healthy understanding of self-care - we’re not looking for a “hero”, but someone who can work sustainability.

Leadership:

• Work closely with the church leadership team to support the trustees, staff and congregation in the development of church vision, ethos, mission and ministries.
• Create a positive, Christian work environment, and cultivate supportive team working relationships and working practices that align with the church’s mission.
• Lead the staff team, providing effective leadership, management, administration, recruitment, and staff development. Facilitate the team as they represent the church’s values in the day-to-day open house ministries of the church.
• The Operations Manager must be able to represent the church and the church’s Christian ethos in the absence of the Minister.

Building Management:

• Support and develop initiatives that enable every aspect of the building's use, welcome and presentation to be missional.
• Provide effective management, administration, organisation, maintenance, and development of the WGC church buildings and equipment.
• Coordinate with the Estate Manager to develop long-term maintenance plans for the common parts areas of the building.
• Provide the Trustees with regular building management reports.

Compliance and Legal Administration:

Provide effective management, administration, organisation, and compliance with UK laws, for:

• The maintenance of a safe and healthy working environment.
• Safeguarding, equality and inclusion.
• HR matters including safe recruitment, induction, training and employee development.
• GDPR
• Matters relating to Westbourne Grove CIO charity’s Trust Deeds, Constitution and Church Rules, and leasehold responsibilities.
• Requirements as a registered charity (CIO) including timely submission of reports to the Charity Commission.
• Develop and implement policies, risk assessments and safe working procedures and keep them regularly updated and reviewed. Ensure policies and safe working practices are adhered to.
• Provide adequate information, training and supervision to ensure employees and volunteers are competent to do their work.
• Lead in communications with the freeholder, the management company, the estate manager, and church tenants. Oversee any necessary legal input for decision-making and work closely with the WGC Trustees, and external organisations on decisions relating to the common parts of the building.
• Keep administrative records. Provide reports for the Trustees.

Administrative Services and Support:

• Provide administrative support for the Ministers. Develop and maintain administrative, organisational, communications systems and record keeping procedures for the church’s general administration. Maintain membership and constitutional records.
• Administrate the church's IT infrastructure, broadband, phone systems, and utilities accounts and ensure they meet the operational needs of the building and its ministries.
• Assist the Venue Manager to develop and maintain suitable and effective systems, strategy, pricing, communications, contract management, staffing and customer relations.
• Develop the church’s visibility and profile in the community using the church’s website, social media, ArtSpace, and missional displays and exhibitions, ensuring these align with the church’s ethos and mission.

Financial Oversight:

• Oversee provision of financial management information to Leadership team and Trustees, including budgeting, salaries, financial reports, end-of-year statements. Support them in developing financial strategies and policies.
• Oversee the accurate functioning of church financial systems, controls and procedures. Monitor and administrate reserves and investments.
• Ensure WGC's financial practices comply with UK charity regulations. Assist with the filing of the accounts and annual report to the Charity Commission.

Provide financial oversight, management, and support for:

• Venue ministry finances, pricing and strategy
• Finance Administration - ensure all financial records, payroll, pension administration, invoices, and reports are accurate and timely. Authorise payments.
• Manage the buildings budget including liaising with the Estate Manager regarding common parts expenditure.
• Financial interactions with lease and licence holders including new leases, rent reviews, break clauses and lease renewals, insurance contributions.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Personal Skills and Characteristics:

• A practising Evangelical Christian - Pastoral skills: able to mentor, and support in prayer.
• Leadership and team building: Ability to lead with a servant heart, to encourage, enable and enthuse team members. Emotionally intelligent and resilient. Skilled at delegating. Has the wisdom and confidence needed to handle conflict. Reliable and consistent, creating a stable and secure environment.
• Problem solving: Strong management and administration skills. Strong organisational, strategic, analytical, and problem-solving abilities. Able to think clearly, creatively and collaboratively.
• Attention to detail
• Time-management
• Sound judgement and decision making across many fields of work. Awareness of when wider consultation or authorisation is required.
• Excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills with a wide range of people.
• Flexible and Confident: Works well under stress, supports others when working under pressure. Good at multitasking and responding to the unexpected. Comfortable to work alone and as part of a team. Can-do attitude and open to input from others. Keen to develop existing skills and learn new ones.
• People skills: builds relationships with colleagues. Develops a culture that demonstrates the Biblical “one-another’s” and celebrates life together. Earns trust, able to maintain confidentiality. Speaks truthfully and kindly, takes responsibility, and apologises for their mistakes. Gives and receives constructive feedback lovingly, honestly and humbly. Invests in the development of others. Sensitive to cultural differences and behaves respectfully and appropriately in a multicultural team.
• Committed to excellence to serve Jesus, WGC and those we reach out to. Seeing projects through to completion.
• Self-motivated: pro-active in developing new initiatives and inspiring others. A desire for personal development and willingness to learn and grow.

PREFERRED WORK EXPERIENCE

Candidates should be able to demonstrate either experience in the following areas of responsibility and/or the skills needed to carry out these responsibilities.

Preferred leadership experience – preferably in a church or other Christian organisation:

• The ability to contribute to the management decision making process.
• Understanding of the church and charitable sector.
• Leading and managing projects of a diverse and complex nature in a team-oriented workplace and of delivering operational excellence in challenging environments.
• Leading and creating effective teams and of working co-operatively and collaboratively with others. Experience in delegating effectively.

Other preferred areas of experience, skill and understanding:

• Operations and building management.
• Administrative and operational support,
• Human Resources, including employment laws, practices, and administration.
• Charity compliance, legal compliance with leases, tenancy agreements and customer contracts.
• General church administration, organisation and communications.
• UK Health and Safety regulations and compliance including writing and implementing policies, risk assessments and procedures.
• Safeguarding administration and understanding of training requirements at a team leadership level.
• Oversight of finances and managing budgets. Understanding of financial management systems - able to interpret and define financial reports.
• Venue management.
• Technical experience required for effective team working, including email, online meeting forums, and shared calendars and drives. Proficient in the use of Office 365 suite including Word and Excel.
• Experience in the use of websites and social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to promote public awareness. Experience in the use of Square Space, Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, to produce website and social media content, and for graphic design of posters, church displays and exhibition materials.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in the work environment.
• Holds a UK driving licence.

This job description outlines the key areas of responsibility for the Operations Manager role but is not exhaustive. It may evolve based on the church's changing needs and the skills and interests of the appointed candidate. Regular reviews will take place to ensure the role remains aligned with the church’s vision and mission.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Westbourne Grove Church is a Christian Charity committed to equal opportunities
and is an ‘equal opportunities’ employer within the parameters of its ethos and values. We make employment decisions by matching the church’s needs with the skills and experience of candidates.

We want all staff members, despite their differences, to know that they are welcomed, respected and included at WGC, able to do their jobs free of discrimination.

As a Christian community we operate according to the principles of our faith and therefore reserve the right to recruit Christians with an understanding of Christian values and support for the church ethos where there is an Occupational Requirement to do so.

Occupational Requirement:
In accordance with schedule 9 of the 2010 Equality Act, the church considers that there is currently an occupational requirement for the holder of Operations Manager role to be:

A mature practising Evangelical Christian: with a personal faith in Jesus Christ, of godly character, committed to personal growth, a worshipper with a passion for God’s Kingdom; a person of prayer, with good knowledge of and respect for the Bible as God’s inspired word; able to apply biblical principles to working life and showing evidence of calling to the role.

They need to:

Be an active member of Westbourne Grove Church.

Understand, be in agreement with, and be happy to promote the ethos, vision and practices of Westbourne Grove Church.

Be willing to accept and abide by the WGC Ethos Statement and Statements of Faith and to work in accordance with the WGC Constitution and Rules.

This Occupational Requirement is in place to:
Provide pastoral and prayer support, missional direction and Christian leadership to the staff team.

Protect our strong Christian ethos and values and to ensure that these are demonstrated in the work and practices of the staff team.

Ensure: that the requirements of the Church Constitution and Rules are followed in all the church practices; that our charitable objective of advancing the Christian faith is understood and carried out by the staff team.

Ensure that the church building is used to its full missional potential so that the local community and visitors encounter something of the life and presence of God.

If you require reasonable adjustments in order to carry out the role or attend an interview at WGC due to a disability, caring responsibilities, or any other reason, please let us know when you apply. Thank you.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND HOW TO APPLY

The role is full time (37.5 hours / week - flexible schedule across at least 4 days, core hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm) with occasional need to work out of hours.
Please note that the nature of the role means that hybrid working is not an option.

Salary £32,400 to £36,000 depending on the competencies and experience of the successful candidate. The package also includes 28 days’ leave + Bank Holidays, and a workplace pension (with 4% employer contribution) following the successful completion of probation.

In line with our safer recruitment policy, the successful candidate will have to undertake a DBS check and all those invited to interview will be required to complete a declaration of suitability and provide references. References will be taken up prior to appointment.

Please note that you must have the right to work in the UK and/or a visa that allows you to work in the UK for the duration of this contract. The Trustees are willing to consider sponsoring a visa for this role.

Please send your CV and a cover letter – each no more than 2 x A4 pages please - to Charlotte Thackery, Operations Manager (email found on doc attached) 8,30am on Friday 18th July 2025.

Your cover letter should include:

1. Why you would like to work at WGC generally and this role specifically;

2. Why you think your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this role;

3. Describe how your Christian faith informs your life and actions

4. When you could start the job if you were to be offered it.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to record a 1-minute video of themselves addressing a particular prompt. The highest performing candidates will be called for an interview with members of the WGC team.

Whilst we appreciate the time and effort that has gone into your application we can only correspond with short-listed candidates. If you have not heard from us by 04 August 2025 then your application was unsuccessful. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system serves our planet and its people. We set ambitious standards for how financial institutions, through their investment decisions, can protect our planet and its people and campaign for this approach to become the norm. We convene shareholders to collectively push companies to tackle the climate crisis, protect nature, improve workers’ rights and shape healthier societies. In the UK and EU, we advocate for financial regulation that has society’s best interests at its core.

What you’ll do

ShareAction’s Financial Sector Research team works towards holding financial institutions accountable for their impact on globally important challenges such as tackling climate change, upholding human rights and reversing biodiversity loss.

Asset managers, insurance companies and banks hold a huge amount of influence over the world’s largest companies through their investment and underwriting activities. Our reports rank many of the world’s largest financial institutions on their approach to environmental and social issues, pushing for and facilitating change in the financial sector.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Lead the delivery of our 2026 benchmark of some of the world’s largest insurance companies (following our 2024 report), using your project management and research skills to ensure timely delivery of a high-quality publication and support the development of junior researchers in the team.
• Coordinate with civil society allies, executing the survey in collaboration with external partners for the first time, as well as continuing to work synergistically with other leading global NGOs.
• Present our work externally and engage with financial institutions, regulators, and industry bodies to provide detailed recommendations for improvement, supporting parallel workstreams on our benchmarks of asset managers and European banks.

Leading a small team of dedicated researchers within the Financial Sector Research team, you will support the Head of the team to ensure delivery of the insurance sector benchmark, one of ShareAction’s key reports ranking financial institutions. This involves organising the team to collect information from institutions and databases, analyse quantitative and qualitative data, produce engaging graphics to communicate results and translate this analysis into actionable steps for financial institutions to take. You would collaborate with teams across ShareAction and strengthen connections with other NGOs and external experts to ensure the rigour of this research.

This is a very exciting time to be joining the team. ShareAction is currently reviewing our strategy for work on the insurance sector, and this role therefore presents an opportunity to help shape the dialogue on how the benchmarks connect with engagement and campaigning expertise in ShareAction to achieve maximum impact.

We are looking for a person with excellent project management and communication skills, experience of research and a passion to make a difference within the financial sector at a challenging and critical time.

This will be a 6-month fixed-term position to cover the leave for an existing role.

What you’ll bring to the team

Essential

• Demonstrated experience in project management, with excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Proven ability to manage competing demands and support junior staff members to deliver high-quality work and meet deadlines.
• Strong research experience in one or more of the following areas: economics, finance, sustainability, climate, biodiversity, labour rights, or public health.
• A good understanding of responsible investment and its implications for different types of financial institutions, as well as the current state of play, trends and challenges.
• Line management experience and the ability to motivate and develop a small, dedicated team of driven researchers.
• Proven ability to handle relationships with multiple external stakeholders.
• Any experience programming (ideally in Python) and interest in further developing this expertise.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Strong communication skills in written and spoken English.
• A passion for the work ShareAction does and for making change happen.

Desirable

• Experience working in or with the finance sector.
• Experience in conducting surveys and/or carrying out qualitative or quantitative research on financial institutions.
• Experience integrating innovative tools into research processes, particularly AI tools.
• Deep subject matter knowledge in climate change, biodiversity, human rights and/or public health.
• Experience of project management in a matrix management environment.
• Experience with Microsoft Office 365, particularly SharePoint.
• Experience with CRM systems, ideally Salesforce.
• Any experience programming (ideally in Python) and interest in further developing this expertise.

We welcome anyone who shares our passion for environmental and social justice through the transformation of the financial sector. Please feel free to apply even if you’re not sure you tick every box.

What we will do for you

We are a fast-paced organisation that has grown substantially over the past few years. We recognise that our people work hard to advocate for responsible investment and drive meaningful engagement with those who have the power to create a brighter future. Every day, they bring their expertise, passion and persistence to build a world where the financial system serves our people and planet. We want to ensure we provide the right environment for our colleagues to thrive, and we are committed to improving our employee offer where possible.

Currently, we are pleased to offer:

• A commitment to flexible working: over 60% of our employees have some sort of flexible working arrangement in place.
• Hybrid working: we are committed to supporting our staff to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and meets the requirements of their role.
• Internal promotion and development opportunities: we offer a range of ways to improve your skills and focus on what you love, including promotion, secondment, or sideways development opportunities. For some levels of roles, we also offer direct progression.
• The opportunity to help make a difference: we tackle some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. We offer opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience in a friendly, flexible and supportive working environment.
• A unionised work environment: our staff have the opportunity to join the union, and are supported by our recognised union, Unite. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay.
• Regular in-person meetings, including all-staff away days, retreats and directorate strategy days to create connected teams.
• 8% non-contributory pension, invested with NEST and their green funds.
• A healthcare plan with Bupa.
• An employee assistance programme: advice and support, lifestyle discounts and short-term counselling.
• Death in Service cover of 3x salary.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure at the end of the year, ensuring everyone gets time to switch off together.
• Enhanced family leave pay: up to 18 weeks paid at 90% for either parent.
• Enhanced sick pay starting at 5 weeks’ full pay from day 1.
• Season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.

ShareAction currently operates a hybrid working policy, with staff permitted to work either in our office or remotely. The Financial Sector Research team normally meets in the office once a week, with some flexibility possible.

ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities, and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!

For further information and to apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 9.00 am on Monday, 7 July 2025.
First-round interviews: w/c 14 July 2025 (online).
Second-round interviews: w/c 21 July 2025 (online). 

To be considered for this post, you must be legally eligible to work in the UK; unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

The Content Officer develops and produces sector-leading content creative output to deliver against Brand and cross-organisational objectives.

Overall objectives:

• Working with emerging content design principles to ensure all content starts with user needs.
• Providing production support in close collaboration with the Content Specialist and Production Officer, the Marketing and Communications Directorate, and cross-organisational teams.
• Writing, filming, and editing own creative content that aligns closely with strategic and business objectives and briefs to ensure the Content team continues to deliver best-in-class work.
• Providing creative expertise and skill sharing to teams across the organisation for smaller business as usual photography and video.
• Applying content design thinking to ensure content meets user needs and drives engagement.

What we can offer you:
In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:
We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. 

More about us:
At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Closing date: 9th July 2025
Interview date(s): 1st stage interviews (online) - w/c 21st July; 2nd stage interviews (in person) - w/c 28th July

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.