Church Buildings Support Officer - Buildings for Mission

The Diocese of Gloucester supports nearly 400 places of worship, of which more than 90% are listed buildings. We are seeking to appoint a Church Buildings Support Officer to work alongside our DAC Care of Churches Team and our Closed Churches and Church Buildings Strategic Projects Officer, to help us secure a sustainable future for these ancient and treasured places. This full-time post is funded by the Church Commissioners with a diocesan contribution. It will provide crucial frontline support for our church buildings over the next 2 years

This is an exciting time to join the diocesan team. As our deaneries emerge from a strategic planning process, this new post will play a key role in helping them to make their buildings fit for the future. In this role, you will help our deaneries and parishes to think boldly and creatively about their church buildings as they shape them for mission and missionary for the 21st century.

As our Church Buildings Support Officer, you will work closely with our worshipping communities, encouraging and supporting them to undertake effective maintenance and minor repairs to their buildings. You will help some of them to organise major repair and capital building projects on priority buildings, which will include church buildings on the Heritage at Risk Register. Advising and leading on project management, fundraising and strategies for engaging the wider community, you will help our churches to identify and explore complimentary non-worship uses for their buildings, helping them to become vibrant and viable centres of mission and community life. Working collaboratively with other diocesan staff and advisors, you will help our churches to become sustainable, which includes becoming net zero carbon.

This vacancy will suit somebody with demonstrable project management, community development or fundraising experience with a keen interest in the conservation and management of historic church buildings. You will need to be a self-starter, able to balance a busy workload, have a keen interest in church buildings and their value within local communities.

A driving licence and access to a car will be essential for this post as some of our locations are very rural with no public transport links. You may occasionally be required to work on the weekend or in the evening.