Director for Faith and Public Life

The Faith and Public Life Department is responsible for the national-level engagement of the Church of England with public policy, ethics and political life, relations with other churches and faith communities and theological support for the Church's concerns. The team is formally responsible to the Archbishops' Council (i.e. to the national Church as an institution) and also gives direct support to the ministries of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and to those of the 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords.

It is a broad remit, which reflects the breadth of the Church's mission and relationships across the whole country; and the way the Department operates needs to reflect the breadth of the Church also. The Department manages a number of projects which enhance the Church of England's ability to drive social change - current projects include: a Social Impact Investment programme, the support of disabled people in the church; and helping support dioceses and parishes to develop land for housing. The sub-teams who lead on the above work are supported by a dedicated administration and support team.

As the Director, your role will be to ensure that the team's work serves the Church's mission, and to give strategic leadership to a diverse team of highly skilled and experienced staff, liaising closely with the Church's governance structures (e.g. the Archbishops' Council and relevant committees, the Archbishops and other bishops) and other departments of the National Church Institutions. The Department has come together from different backgrounds over the last four years, you will continue the work of building the team carrying on the work of the late Dr Richard Sudworth, who sadly died in December 2025.

You will not be expected to be an expert in every aspect of the Department's work but will bring depth and wisdom to back up the expertise of your staff team. A good grounding in public and/or political theology and understanding of civil society would be a helpful background to supporting the most fast-moving areas of the team's work. You will have scope to take the lead in aspects of the work within FPL's remit, especially where you bring specific experience and expertise.

You will be a full member of the Archbishops' Council's Senior Management Group (SMG) and the Archbishop of Canterbury's Senior Advisory Group. You will report to the Secretary General and will line manage the lead staff of the various FPL sub teams.

You will play a part in reflecting upon and shaping wider policy across the Church, introducing learning and perspectives from the FPL team and ensuring that the FPL team has an appropriate understanding of the wider Church context of its work.

The FPL team is based in Lambeth Palace, but team members may be required to work at times at Church House, Westminster and other locations. The Director could be based at Lambeth Palace, or at Bishopthorpe Palace near York. You will be required to attend meetings in various parts of the country, such as the General Synod (in London and York), the House and College of Bishops and the Archbishops' Council which meet at a variety of locations, and to be visible in dioceses from time to time. The Director will need to work mostly alongside the team and those it supports, though a degree of home working and remote working is possible. The emphasis is on flexibility and working collaboratively with others.