Programmes Coordinator

Latin Link is looking for a dynamic person to work alongside our Head of Programmes to run our Stride and Stay programmes.

You will be highly personable, able to interact well with individuals and groups of all ages. You will have a passion for communicating God’s mission. You will have the ability to identify potential, gifts and abilities (including leadership) and have a strong desire to encourage everyone to use these to serve God. You will have a heart for discipleship and be comfortable praying with people and talking through difficult issues, including sensitivities surrounding mental health. You will be decisive and confident to stand by your decisions.

You will be able to lead with a clear vision and will have experience of thinking strategically and being proactive. You will be a dynamic person with an ability to think critically and to identify ways of strengthening all aspects of the programmes by improving the processes and resources.

Within this demanding role you will have a high capacity to cope with a wide range of tasks at the same time. You will be well organised, with good time management skills. As a competent administrator you will be able to prioritise, organise and, where appropriate, delegate relevant aspects of your own work. You will be able to demonstrate good use of initiative with a willingness to be flexible and have confidence to turn your hand to new things. You will be able to stay calm under pressure and to react quickly and decisively if a problem or crisis should arise.

You will have excellent communication skills as you will need to correspond and relate to a broad range of people at a variety of levels including senior leaders of the Latin Link community and churches in Europe and Latin America.

This position has a genuine occupational requirement for the post holder to be a Christian. The person appointed should be comfortable working in an interdenominational Christian organisation and in agreement with Latin Link’s Statement of Faith and Mission Statement.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively implement Latin Link’s vision and recruitment strategy for Stride and Stay
• Manage the selection process for Stride and Stay applicants, matching candidates’ gifts and experience with suitable placements
• In conjunction with the Head of Programmes coordinate and deliver effective orientation events for newly accepted Stride and Stay members and also debriefing events on their return
• Liaise with Short Term Coordinators and/or Country Team Leaders in Latin America regarding opportunities for Stride placements
• Regularly review and evaluate the focus, content and effectiveness of the programmes
• Work alongside the Head of Programmes to provide member care for Stride and Stay members, including in emergencies outside office hours
• Take responsibility for the overall management of Stride and Stay administration, including coordinating visa applications
• Work with the Head of Programmes and Finance Manager to ensure the accurate monitoring and managing of members’ finances
• Produce a yearly budget, regular progress reports, and set contribution targets for Stride in consultation with the Head of Programmes
• Liaise with sending churches and work cross-departmentally to develop communication channels with new churches and other mission agencies
• Promote and publicise Stride and Stay, including speaking at churches and Christian events, managing the Stride and Stay sections of the website and contributing to social media channels
• Be willing to support other activities within the Programmes department as required

WORK SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential 

• Passionate commitment to world mission with the ability to demonstrate some understanding of issues relating to cross cultural living
• An approachable, friendly and outgoing nature with excellent interpersonal skills Leadership qualities demonstrating the ability to give direction to others and to think strategically
• Experience of Christian mission
• IT literate, confident in MS Office, especially Excel, and in learning new IT systems and developing competence independently
• High level organisational skills, with the ability to effectively prioritise to meet deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good numeracy skills with the willingness and ability to learn basic accountancy skills

Desirable

• Experience of living or working in another country (ideally in Latin America)
• Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese
• Experience of pastoral and member care for missionaries
• Experience of organising events
• Experience of recruitment and interviewing
• Experience of preparing and delivering presentations and ability in public speaking
• Theological training
• Experience working for a charity or mission agency
• Experience of setting and managing plans and budgets
• Familiarity with and enthusiasm for the work of Latin Link

ACCOUNTABILITY

The Programmes Coordinator will report to the Head of Programmes. Latin Link seeks to ensure that all staff have opportunities for development and the learning of new skills relevant to their work.

TIME COMMITMENT AND FLEXIBILITY

This is a full time role of 35 hours per week. We are open to the possibility of flexible working arrangements, including a hybrid between working in the office and working from home to help the right person achieve a good work/life balance. The Programmes Coordinator is required to be in the office on a regular basis, to work outside of conventional office hours when needed, including some weekends, and to travel to other parts of the country when required.

SALARY

This salary for this role is £27,000 per annum.

NEXT STEPS

If you are interested in this role, we would encourage you to apply without delay as we reserve the right to interview and appoint before the closing date, so early applications are strongly encouraged. The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on Sunday 4th February. Interviews will be held on Thursday 8th February and will be carried out by a small panel. There will also be some competence tasks to complete. If you can’t make this date and would still like to be considered, please let us know as soon as possible.

Please complete the Latin Link application form and the equal opportunities form. These can be found on our website along with the job advert, at www.latinlink.org.uk/job-pc/

Please send the completed application papers to us at [email protected]. In the application form we ask for details of three referees (including email addresses) and any offer will be subject to satisfactory references being taken up.

If you would like to have an in informal conversation about the role before expressing your interest, please contact Kathie Davis-Bater, Head of Central Services and HR, on 0118 957 7120 or Simone Lockyer, Head of Programmes on 07851 711668.