Spear jobs

The Spear Centre Manager will work as part of the River Church staff team to oversee the delivery of Spear—an employability programme equipping and empowering unemployed 16-24 year-olds to overcome barriers to employment and turn their lives around by moving into sustainable work or further education.

The important stuff 

Salary: Up to £27,222 pro rata

Hours: Part-Time, 4 days; 9.30am-5.30pm with some out-of-hours work needed for events such as our Spear Celebrations

Location: River Church Ipswich – we are an office-based organisation, situated with direct and fast links to London

Closing date: We are interviewing on a rolling basis and might close the application early if we find the right candidate

Application pack: Download our application pack for more information

We welcome applications from those who are already part of a local church.

Key Responsibilities

Oversight of the Spear Programme

Spear Foundation is a 4-week initial phase, consisting of 2 group sessions plus a 1:1 with each trainee per week, in which we coach young people around skills and mindsets to support them in returning to work or education, and equip them with the skills to stay there. ​

• Prepare and coach group and 1-1 sessions with the Spear Assistant Coach.
• Oversee all aspects of the programme coordination and delivery.
• Ensure the programme is delivered in line with agreed targets, and report to Resurgo and the church on enrolment, retention and completion of Spear Trainees, as well as their ongoing progress.

Partnership liaison and relationship management

• Build and implement a strategy for developing and maintaining relationships with local referral partners to build the profile of the Spear programme within Ipswich and ensure the young people who would benefit from the programme are able to access it.
• Steward relationships with young people after initial point of contact, to encourage enrolment and ensure a full cohort is enrolled for each programme.

Line management and training

• Manage the Spear Assistant Coach, using a coaching approach to invest in their growth and development.
• Work with and be managed by River Church staff locally, and by a Church Partnerships Manager from Resurgo on a national level, to ensure the flourishing of the Spear centre, its team and young people, and to ensure the fulfilment of our shared mission in Ipswich.
• Work with and report to Resurgo teams on KPIs, and use outcomes data to maximise the effectiveness of the programme.

Supporting River Church’s mission and ministry

• Establish strong relationships with key people at the church to ensure the engagement of church members and to build a network of supporters for the Spear programme, though it is not a requirement of the role for the successful candidate to join River Church as their worshipping community if they are already part of another local church
• Work with the Head of Operations and the Fundraising Assistant to prepare grant funding applications for Spear Ipswich, and provide timely grant reporting.
• Keep the River Church congregation updated on the Spear programme to ensure it is a seamless part of the church’s missional work.

Personal qualities we're looking for:

• An active Christian, able to personally represent the values and beliefs of Resurgo and River Church, and a commitment to grow and learn spiritually and as a Christian leader.
• Passion for social justice and for working as part of the church to transform communities, especially supporting young people in employment or education.
• A dynamic and engaging individual with an enthusiasm for and experience of group and 1-1 coaching and training.
• A creative, ambitious and self-motivated individual with the ability to prioritise workload, exercise initiative and work well under pressure.
• A strong leader with experience of line managing and developing others in a high support, high challenge style.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a confidence developing internal and external relationships, high emotional intelligence, and a sense of fun!

Want to play your part in transforming society?

You’re in the right place.

The Spear Assistant Coach will work as part of the River Church staff team, alongside the Centre Manager to deliver the Spear Programme, equipping and empowering 16-24 year olds to overcome barriers to employment and turn their lives around by moving into sustainable work or further education.

The important stuff 

Salary: up tp £25,000 pro-rata

Hours: Part-Time, 3 days; 9.30am – 5.30pm with occasional evening working required (for events such as termly Spear Celebration evenings)

Location: River Church Ipswich – we are an office-based organisation

Closing date: We are interviewing on a rolling basis and might close the application early if we find the right candidate

Application pack: Download our application pack for more information

We welcome applications from those who are already part of a local church.

Key Responsibilities 

Spear Programme

• Lead group sessions of up to 10 young people, using coaching skills to transform their mindsets, and to maximise their potential in stepping into the world of work.
• Prepare and deliver coaching sessions on a weekly basis and find creative ways of developing ongoing relationships with Spear trainees. This includes running application workshops with past trainees as well as maintaining records and reporting on statistics. 

Relationship Management

• Build and manage relationships with a variety of stakeholders, including referrers, local businesses, and other organisations.
• You will support with job fairs, mock interview days and welcoming external visitors to the centre.

Church Community

• The Assistant Coach is directly employed by River Church, though it is not a requirement of the role for the successful candidate to join River Church as their worshipping community if they are already part of another local church
• Help to raise the profile of the Spear programme within River Church and build a network of supporters and volunteers from the congregation.

This role will suit you if you are:

• An active Christian, able to personally represent the values and beliefs of Resurgo and River Church, Ipswich.
• Passion for social justice and for working as part of the church to transform communities, especially supporting young people in employment or education.
• Confident communication and interpersonal skills, both over telephone and face to face; particularly a confidence in group facilitation.
• A commitment to grow and learn as a Christian leader, and a desire to learn and understand coaching techniques.
• An ambitious and self-motivated individual with the ability to prioritise workload, exercise initiative and work well under pressure.
• High emotional intelligence, a sense of humour and fun!

A couple of things to note:

• This role requires occasional evening work, for our termly Spear Celebrations (where we celebrate our trainees as they complete the initial six weeks of the programme).
• In the event of a job offer, a DBS check will be requested.

We are delighted to be working with Resurgo Trust, a Christian Charity, who are partnering with River Church to deliver the award-winning Spear programme in Ipswich. One of 17 UK centres, Spear Ipswich work with 16-24 years old who face barriers to employment equipping them with the skills and mindset to find work and thrive. 

They are now looking for a Centre Manager who can oversee all aspects of the programme coordination and delivery, to ensure it is delivered in line with agreed targets, reporting to Resurgo and the church, whilst providing effective leadership to the Assistant Coaches.

All Spear coaches work face-to-face with young people, having the privilege to invest in their lives, but receive regular training as a group, so you’d be joining a network of many likeminded coaches eager to see young people’s lives radically impacted. You’ll work with and be supported by the River Church locally, and by a Church Partnerships Manager from Resurgo, to ensure the flourishing of the Spear centre, its team and young people, and to ensure the fulfilment of their shared mission in Ipswich.

You will be able to demonstrate

• Your passion for social justice and for working as part of the church to transform communities, especially supporting young people in employment or education.
• An enthusiasm for and experience of group and 1-1 coaching and training.
• Creativity, ambition and self-motivation, with the ability to prioritise workload, exercise initiative and work well under pressure.
• Strong leadership with experience of line managing and developing others in a highly support style.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a confidence developing internal and external relationships, high emotional intelligence, and a sense of fun!

You will be an active Christian, able to personally represent the values and beliefs of Resurgo and River Church, and a commitment to grow and learn spiritually and as a Christian leader. As you would be employed by River Church, with prayer and worship embedded into daily working practices, there is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for applicants to be practicing Christians.

For more information, please contact Louise Portnall, Recruitment Consultant, Charisma Charity Recruitment. Your application should be submitted through the Charisma website and include your CV and supporting statement.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion*, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or other category protected by law.

*In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, Part 1, Schedule 9, it is a genuine occupational requirement that the post holder is a practicing Christian. 

Closing date: 23rd May 2025

Applications are being reviewed on receipt and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.  Please apply without delay to avoid disappointment.