Engagement Manager

About Medair UK

Medair is a Christian humanitarian organisation that responds to conflict, disease, and disaster so that the world’s most vulnerable and hard-to reach people can live with dignity and hope. Medair UK is an affiliate of the Swiss-based humanitarian organisation, Medair International.

About the Role

We’re seeking a dynamic and experienced Christian to drive forward our engagement and partnership with Churches across the UK. It’s an exciting opportunity for someone to shape strategy, initiate new activities and be a public voice to this growing network in the UK. You will be a senior and integral part of this growing Christian charity. Through your actions you will inspire churches and Christian audiences to give, pray and even go, working with Medair in our Country Teams. You will enable support for the life-saving work Medair delivers to some of the world’s most vulnerable people by leading our relationships with Churches across the UK.

About You

You will be a positive and solution focused relational leader, with a proven track record of building fruitful partnerships with local churches and national networks. You will be an experienced public speaker, able to effectively communicate with Christian audiences leading people towards taking action. You’ll have a confident Biblical understanding of what underpins Medair’s mission. You’ll be able to lead and inspire volunteers to share Medair in their own networks, multiplying the impact of what you’re able to achieve alone.

Key Activity Areas

External Engagement & Relationship Building

• Lead on our external engagement with churches across the UK, growing the number of churches engaging in the mission of Medair through giving, prayer and awareness raising.
• Develop strategies for raising awareness, creating connections and establishing relationships with an increasing number of new churches with a bias towards those with a younger congregation.
• Collaborate with the Medair UK Director, Trustees and Senior Leadership across Medair in the relationships they hold and can grow.
• Steward relationships with caseload of Churches through effective communication, timely reports and creative touchpoints so that depth of relationship is established with churches that have donated, prayed and engaged with the mission of Medair.
• Work towards an agreed income target each year of churches that are giving towards emergency appeals and contributing unrestricted funds towards our work.
• Deliver Medair’s presence at Christian events including the oversight of volunteers, speakers and staff to maximize our presence at these opportunities.
• Cultivate regular speaking opportunities for yourself and the wider team to deliver in churches, prayer networks and regional gatherings introducing people to the mission of Medair and equipping people to pray for those in crises.

Resource Development & Volunteer Management

• Strengthen Medair UK’s engagement with churches by developing profile raising resources and ensuring all fundraising appeals are designed and delivered to maximise church take-up.
• Oversee the delivery of our monthly prayer email, and ad-hoc prayer resources, as well as working collaboratively with colleagues in Medair UK and the wider group to commission resources that will engage Christian audiences.
• With the support of the Engagement Support Officer co-ordinate all requests for speakers in churches ensuring that a staff member or alumni, is available and well briefed ahead of time.
• Oversee the management the Medair UK alumni network – developing events, online and in-person, personal touchpoints and communications that will encourage this warm audience to keep enthused about Medair and growing our awareness in there networks.

Church Management

• Manage the related tasks of the Engagement Support Officer whose role is split with 60% on Trusts and Foundations, and 40% on Churches and Alumni. This is matrix-management as the Engagement Support Officer is line managed by the Grants Manager.
• Oversee the receipting and acknowledgement of all financial support from churches, using creative ways to thank and steward churches and supporters who generously donate.
• Maintain an up-to-date and accurate record of church relationships on our CRM (salesforce), monitoring engagement events, income targets, key contacts and audience growth.

Internal Liaison

• Liaise with Medair’s Heads of Country Programmes, Country Directors and Communications Officers in order to gather information and data for the purposes of applying and reporting to funders.
• Foster dynamic and mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues across Medair International and the Affiliate Offices, readily sharing engagement products, resources and generously collaborating when there are international opportunities.

Tasks common to all staff

• Act as an ambassador for Medair UK at all times when liaising externally and internally.
• Ensure consistent implementation of Medair brand across all relevant activities. Record information as necessary and comply at all times with requirements for handling personal / sensitive data.
• Contribute to the annual planning and budgeting cycle, providing appropriate input from your area of responsibility. Adhere to the Medair values and mission at all times.

Languages

• Excellent English (spoken and written).

Qualifications - DESIRABLE

• Relevant degree or equivalent, or work experience related to the charity sector preferably in an international relief/development organisation.

Experience / Competencies – ESSENTIAL

• Inspired by and in full agreement with Medair’s Christian values and ethos
• Experience in church leadership and decision making, either paid or voluntary
• A proven track record in the management of external relationships, establishing new fruitful relationships with either churches, organisations or individuals.
• Experience in creating partnerships that of mutual benefit including the negotiation, delivery and cycle of continuous improvement for both parties
• High levels of interpersonal skills with the ability to network online and in-person, and influence people for change.
• A confident public speaker, ideally within a church context, and able to connect with a wide variety of different audiences from a broad range of church traditions.
• The ability to lead and grow volunteer engagement, creating opportunities for people to play a meaningful role in growing Medair across the UK in a voluntary capacity.
• A keen understanding of the UK Church landscape, with personal experience and relationships within one or more church network.
• Understanding and experience using fundraising database(s), ideally Salesforce
• Excellent writing skills and highly proficient in Microsoft office, including Excel, Word and Powerpoint
• Able to work to tight deadlines and handle a wide and varied workload and work on own initiative
• Capable planner with attention to detail for data quality, accuracy and consistency
• Strong team player and able to work well with colleagues across the world
• Willing to contribute to the spiritual life of the team including prayer meetings
• Willingness to be flexible in terms of hours, with the expectation of working evenings and weekends at church services with travel across the UK. With the ability to balance these hours through TOIL (time off in lieu).

Experience / Competencies – DESIRABLE

• Personal experience of church leadership, and being on the staff of a church
• Experience in charity sector
• Experience in relief / development work
• Understanding of Humanitarian Issues
• Salary: Between £40,000 to £44,000 per annum
• Closing Date: Tuesday 21st January 2025, 10am
• Interviews: Interviews will likely be scheduled for either Wednesday 29th or Thursday 30th January
• Workplace: Medair UK office is based in Kennington, London. It is a hybrid role with the expectation or travel across the UK for external opportunities.
• Contract Details: Full-Time, Permanent. We are open to candidates looking for a part-time role, so please do apply or contact Ruth for an informal discussion.
• Benefits: 8% Employer Pension contribution, Employee Assistance Programme, 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), enhanced Statutory Sick / Maternity / Paternity Pay.

How to apply

To apply: Send a CV and cover letter of no more than two sides of A4 detailing how you meet the person profile to Ruth Daly: ruth.daly@medair.org

Only those eligible to work in the UK can apply.

We cannot guarantee to notify you if you have not been successful in reaching interview stage.

NOTE: In order to maintain the organisation’s Christian ethos, there is a genuine occupational requirement for the holder of this Medair UK leadership position to be a committed Christian.