Social Justice Officer

Overview

To promote, encourage and support social justice and climate justice action across the Diocese of Sheffield, the Social Justice Officer will be a senior practitioner who will play a key role in encouraging and equipping people to step out in faith beyond our church walls. The work will be shaped by the Church of England’s Five Marks of Mission and will involve listening carefully to local, regional, national and international needs, building partnerships with relevant organisations, and enabling creative, responsive initiatives that meet gaps in social justice provision.

Key Focus Areas

• Promoting the case for why Christians should be involved in this sort of action
• Highlighting good practice
• Feeding into borough and regional networks, to address the social justice challenges our parishes are encountering in communities

Yearly Plan

• Year 1 – Listening, parish audits, mapping of social justice activity, assessing local priority issues/areas of interest. Identify a maximum of 3 areas to focus on as a diocese and recommend these to the Bishop’s Council after review by any suitable sub‑groups, e.g. the Board of Faith and Justice.
• Year 2 – Develop connections into local and regional networks where priority issues/areas of interest align with what you have found in Year 1. Provide resources and communications to encourage, inspire and support social justice in our parishes.
• Year 3 – Continue to focus on the 3 priority areas and review change and learning since the start of the work.

Responsibilities

• Data Collection
  • Creating and documenting an understanding of the term Social Justice and what it means in this context for this season.
  • Compiling a mapping audit using existing information and gathering relevant data to present a current picture of social justice good practice across the diocese and understand local needs.
  • Using the data audit and other relevant data to report on work that contributes to all five Marks of Mission, especially marks 3 to 5.
  • Using data to support decision–making and to influence MPs, public sector organisations, etc., and to speak into civic spaces alongside other voluntary, community and faith organisations.
• Networking & Connecting
  • Being the go‑to person in the diocese for contact on different social justice issues to ensure action happens.
  • Supporting Bishop’s Advisors and other volunteers on matters of social justice.
  • Connecting with key organisations – voluntary community groups, faith groups, public sector groups, and other partners/networks – to help link people working to address similar local needs and to find common connections regarding global concerns.
  • Connecting the dots to link different groups with similar needs, including other denominations/faiths, and facilitating resource‑sharing.
  • Advocacy and shared campaigns with partners – political, civic, charity, faith and national church – on joint issues.
  • Connecting with other diocesan initiatives, e.g. Lights for Christ and growing lay leaders, ensuring social justice and action are linked to discipleship and leadership development.
  • Liaising and working closely with relevant diocesan project leads, including the Net Zero Programme Manager and the Racial Justice Officer.
• Engaging & Reporting
  • Creating a bank of resources that are instinctive and easy to access (developing content to be passed to the Communications Team to be curated), such as guidance on beginning community engagement and audits.
  • Working with other colleagues to develop communications on the gospel imperative and how the Marks of Mission interlink.
  • Identifying a maximum of 3 key areas (one to be a global/world issue) for diocesan‑wide focus and promoting through teamwork and partnership networks, including understanding challenges/barriers to engagement by theme.
  • Helping parishes engage with food banks, homelessness and refugees.
  • Establishing an efficient reporting structure so that boards and governance bodies within the diocesan structure are appropriately engaged and informed (e.g. the Board of Faith and Justice and Bishop’s Council).
• Other Duties
  • Supporting the ethos, aims and objectives of the Sheffield Diocesan Board of Finance.
  • Keeping up to date with developments in the area of work.
  • Collaborating with the Net Zero Project Manager and Environment team where there is overlap with social justice issues and in line with identified priorities.
  • Supporting communication and publicity, via the Communications Team, for social justice initiatives, including social media, local newsletters and noticeboards.
  • Participating in performance management and appraisal/personal development reviews.
  • Engaging in training and continuous professional development activities.
  • Being able to work outside normal office hours, including occasional weekend work, subject to time off in lieu.
  • Complying with all standards, policies and procedures set by the diocese, including safeguarding, health and safety, GDPR, confidentiality and equal opportunities.
  • Attending team meetings and regular one‑to‑one meetings with the line manager.
  • Operating as an autonomous and lone practitioner, ensuring adherence to the Diocese of Sheffield’s systems for lone workers.
  • Participating in an annual development review with the direct line manager.
  • Ensuring confidentiality and data protection processes are in place and adhered to at all times.

Requirements

• Committed Christian faith – this is an occupational requirement under the Equality Act for the postholder.
• Strong understanding of the Church of England’s Five Marks of Mission and how to apply them in practical social justice work.
• Demonstrated ability to collect, analyse and report data effectively.
• Experience in building partnerships and networking within voluntary, community, faith and public sector contexts.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to produce accessible resources and engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Capacity to work independently, manage time efficiently and adapt to changing priorities.
• Knowledge of local, national and international social justice issues, including poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and racial justice.

Funding and Tenure

This role is funded by a grant from the National Church, currently up to the end of 2028, with the possibility of review and extension until 2031 if further funding is available.

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