Learning and Development Officer (Aligned to Wales Synod Cymru and West Midlands)
Welsh speaking
Salary: £43,287.00 per annum
Location: Home based but within commutable distance to Wales Synod Cymru District and West Midlands District.
Hours: 35 hours per week
This role is part of the Connexional Team Learning Network, supporting, encouraging, and equipping the Church to live out ‘Our Calling’ through worship, mission, evangelism and discipleship. The Learning Network primarily works with lay and ordained leaders, helping them equip others.
This post contributes to Connexional-wide learning and development initiatives, and is specifically aligned with the Wales Synod Cymru District as the Welsh speaking Learning and Development Officer (LDO) and the new West Midlands District following the merger of the current Birmingham District and the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District on 1st September 2025. Wales Synod Cymru is a bilingual District of 16 circuits, including the Welsh language Cymru Circuit which covers the whole of Wales, and the West Midlands District has 20 circuits across Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Both districts are diverse in terms of population groupings and serve communities in rural, market towns, suburbs and city centre settings.
The Ideal Candidate for This Role
The person best suited for this Learning & Development Officer role will be:
A Passionate and Committed Christian:
- Deeply engaged in their faith and motivated to help churches grow in discipleship, worship, mission and evangelism.
- A member of a church in good standing with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (or an equivalent organisation).
- Committed to the values of inclusivity, justice, evangelism, and church growth.
A Skilled Educator and Facilitator
- Experienced in learning and development, with transferable skills to a church setting.
- Confident in designing, delivering and evaluating training, both and online and onsite.
- Able to engage adult learners effectively, making theological concepts accessible, and equipping people for vocations within the life of the church.
- A strong theological thinker, able to guide and develop conversations to enable A Methodist Way of Life.
A Strong Communicator and Relationship-Builder
- Able to connect with and inspire people across the church to enable them to serve in their varied communities.
- Skilled in facilitating discussions on vision, mission and growth planning.
- Comfortable using digital tools and online platforms for training and communication.
- Adept at working across cultural and theological contexts, bringing sensitivity and adaptability.
- Proactive in identifying learning and development needs and responding with creative, tailored solutions.
- A fluent Welsh speaker with strong oral and written communication skills in both Welsh and English
A Collaborative Leader
- Capable of working with diverse teams, including ordained and lay church leaders.
- Skilled in planning, organising, and evaluating learning and development initiatives.
- Proactive in identifying training needs and responding with creative, tailored solutions.
- Open to collaborating across Methodist districts and the wider church network.
A Flexible and Self-Motivated Professional
- Comfortable with travel and occasional evening/weekend work.
- Based in the either Wales or the West Midlands, with the ability to travel across both districts as required.
- Organised and self-driven, able to manage multiple projects and responsibilities.
- Creative and adaptable in responding to the changing needs of churches and communities
Our Culture, Values and Benefits
Thank you for considering joining our inclusive and welcoming team that strives for excellence and values employee wellbeing.
We value and support all those who join our team through a positive work-life balance augmented by generous annual leave (plus an extra 3 days over Christmas/New Year), annualised hours and a Wellbeing Adviser service. We offer a generous occupational pension scheme, where the Methodist Church will pay double the employee contribution up to a maximum of 16% employer contribution.
The Methodist Church is an inclusive and supportive employer. We are actively committed to encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. We welcome applications from people of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups. We also welcome applications from people living with disabilities. Please note that this is a post which includes Welsh language work for which the ability to speak and write in Welsh to a high standard is essential.
The successful applicant will be required to live either within or close to either District and will be expected to travel extensively across both Districts and beyond for work purposes.
Please note previous applicants need not apply.
Closing date: 2 February 2026 @ 9am
Interviews to take place on:
Tuesday 10th February 2026: First stage telephone interviews, conducted in Welsh, between 1 and 4pm.
Thursday 19th February 2026: Second stage interviews conducted in English and Welsh in Shrewsbury.
The rest of the recruitment process will be conducted in English.
N.B. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.
Thank you!
ABOUT US
Women at the Well is a support service for women based in the King’s Cross area of central London. We provide practical support and advocacy to women facing a wide range of disadvantages, and we have a specialism in working with women whose lives have been affected by prostitution and/or sexual exploitation. We are trauma informed, holistic and woman-centred. We deliver our mission through three interconnected services:
1. A women only drop-in service
2. An advocacy service
3. An outreach service
We take referrals from many external partners and while we have a hub-centre in Kings Cross we are a pan-London service. Read more about our work in our impact report.
Women at the Well has supported thousands of women over more than twenty years work in London. We see the complex ways in which women’s inequality, racism, disability and poor health, educational disadvantage, trauma in childhood, migration and the hostile immigration environment can all lead to significant social and economic disadvantages and harm. In our work we meet women who have experienced repeated and extensive abuse, and who are often homeless, living with addictions and/or mental health issues, and in poverty. We see how these women are at high risk of a range of sexually exploitative behaviours including prostitution. As well as providing tailored support, we aim to speak up for the rights of women to live lives free from abuse.
JOB PURPOSE:
The Head of Fundraising & Partnerships will lead the development and delivery of Women at The Well’s fundraising strategy, ensuring we build the sustainable and diverse income base needed to continue supporting women facing extraordinary disadvantage, exploitation and harm. As a senior, hands-on fundraiser, the postholder will take responsibility for income generation across trusts and foundations, individual philanthropy, corporate partnerships and community fundraising, while building the systems, relationships and communications that underpin long-term growth.
Working closely with the CEO—an experienced trusts fundraiser—the postholder will identify opportunities, cultivate relationships, steward supporters, craft compelling cases for support, and drive forward multi-stream fundraising with clarity and purpose. They will coordinate the CEO’s involvement in major fundraising opportunities and act as a strategic partner, ensuring the organisation’s leadership has what they need to secure transformational funding.
This role sits at the heart of a small, values-driven team committed to trauma-informed, women-centred work. The postholder must bring emotional resilience, sound judgement and a deep respect for the dignity and lived experiences of the women who use our service. Regular presence in our King’s Cross centre is important for relationship-building and grounding fundraising work in the mission, though we offer flexibility in working patterns for the right candidate.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.