Deputy Director (Services)
The Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK is recruiting an exciting new experienced leadership role.
The Deputy Director is an exciting new senior leadership post at the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK, a Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and those who have been forcibly displaced.
JRS UK has expanded the services it provides over the last few years and now seeks an experienced manager with a deep commitment to the organisation’s mission and values to work closely alongside the Director leading strategy and improving the quality of the support we provide to refugees. The Deputy Director and will manage service projects providing support for people made destitute by the asylum system, including an immigration legal advice service, as well as the outreach support we provide for those held in immigration detention at the Heathrow immigration removal centres. They will also deputise for the Director in her absence.
The Deputy Director will be responsible for helping to integrate the support we offer to refugees in a seamless way, giving particular attention to JRS’ mission of accompaniment and to creating spaces of hospitality, community, friendship and participation for refugees. JRS’ distinctive ethos of accompaniment radically alters the beneficiary–service provider relationship and affects all that we do: we place a high value on coming to know refugees as people with gifts and personalities, not only defined by their situation in immigration law.
This diverse role requires substantial experience of managing people and of similar community-type projects with high levels of beneficiary participation, supporting individuals with complex needs in areas of rapidly changing public policy. Experience of developing strategy alongside others, operationalising ideas through project planning and leading change is essential. The role requires judgment, vision and horizon perspective, alongside maturity, resilience, empathy and the ability to inspire confidence and leadership in others. Experience of supporting staff to respond to high levels of trauma would also be helpful.
JRS’ distinctive person-centred mission arising from its Jesuit identity extends also to the way we seek to support and develop staff and volunteers. The post holder will be expected to set high standards around the quality of support provided to refugees and accuracy and timeliness of internal reporting for donors and governance, while encouraging an atmosphere of safety to reflect on practice, experiment with new initiatives and learn from success and error. An enabling, participatory leadership style is expected.
The post holder will encourage proactive collaborative working between front-line staff and staff responsible for fundraising as well as those engaging in advocacy, outreach and communications. Ability to identify important themes arising from service-focused work for external audiences is needed. Some public speaking at events on behalf of the organisation will be expected. Prior experience of working in a small faith-based organisation would be helpful and sympathy for the motivation of those whose life is grounded in faith is essential.
JRS UK is based in the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in Wapping, East London. It currently has 19 full and part-time staff and around 100 volunteers, drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds and nationalities, generations and beliefs, including refugees, young graduates and vowed members of religious congregations; this diversity of perspectives and experience is a source of particular strength for our mission. We work collaboratively with JRS offices around the world, Jesuit works in the UK and many others in the Church and secular refugee sector.
Duration: Permanent contract
Location: JRS UK office, Hurtado Jesuit Centre, Wapping, London
Salary: £44-50K pa; full time
Pension: Additional 10% of salary of employer’s contribution
Deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 29 November.
Interviews will likely be held in London on Wednesday 11th December.
To apply, please send a cover letter and CV to the Director, Sarah Teather, sarah.teather@jrs.net. The cover letter should outline why the candidate is applying for the role and how their experience and skills meet the job description and person specification.
For more information about the post, please contact the Director by email. CVs without cover letters will not be considered. No agencies please.
