OUR CONTEXT
The Diocese of Newcastle is one of the most diverse dioceses in the Church of England, with a population that includes the diversity of inner-city Newcastle, ex-colliery and industrial communities of Blyth and Ashington, coastal villages, market towns and remote villages of inland Northumberland.
With 70 full time clergy, university and hospital chaplaincies, church schools and 236 churches we are well rooted in every context and keen to find ways to proclaim the gospel afresh in ways that make sense for a changing local context that has found mission and sustainability challenging in recent years.
With support from the national church we are beginning a process of developing a new missional vision and strategy and are committed to developing our capacity for growth, which will be anchored in a new ten year strategy, to be developed and launched as the result of the work of our capacity building programme (of which this role is one element) that will run from Autumn 2026 to Winter 2027.
THE ROLE
Working alongside our existing comms team, you will be based within the Transformation programme team, supporting the development of the discernment and design phase as we develop our Diocesan Vision & Strategy for missional growth, working as a team to develop local discernment, listening and learning by developing and delivering an integrated communications strategy that builds prayer and the engagement of stakeholders in all our contexts.
Working closely with the Transformation Programme lead, you will also be required to work collegially with our existing communications team and contribute to building strong working relationships across the wider Diocesan team and Diocese as we begin on the work of culture change and developing the confidence, resources and strategy to regrow in response to our shared missional vocation as the people of God in the North East of England.
PURPOSE
To support the engagement, discernment and mobilisation of all our stakeholders in the development of our emerging Diocesan vision and strategy by developing content and communications to support consultation and engagement in (in all their forms, including print, online, prayer and learning) in the key discipleship, vocational, organisational dimensions of the transformation agenda.