JOB DESCRIPTION Title Reporting to Staff responsibility Location International Advocacy Support Officer (IBAC) International Programme Manager None Swindon Summary of role: This is an exciting new post at Bible Society. The post holder will: Help deliver on the aims and objectives of the International Bible Advocacy Centre (IBAC) as they relate to our International Programme Strategy Offer administrative support to the team Populate and maintain the Bible Advocacy Project Catalogue Help manage our portfolio of Bible Advocacy projects worldwide Build good cross-departmental relationships Main responsibilities: Work as a member of the IBAC team at Bible Society to deliver on the aims and objectives of our International Programme Strategy Populate and maintain the Bible Advocacy Project Catalogue which makes available and circulates best-practices, existing and new Bible Advocacy projects to the United Bible Societies (UBS) Fellowship Work closely with the International Programme Manager, the Senior Bible Advocate and the International Advocacy Officer in providing administrative support for the day-to-day running of IBAC Take the lead on managing or co-ordinating Bible Advocacy projects where appropriate as directed by the Senior Bible Advocate Support the Senior Bible Advocate and the International Advocacy Officer in the planning and delivery of the annual Global Advocacy Exchange Programme Build good cross-departmental relationships especially with Contact Centre (who organise travel), Finance Team (who monitor project spend) and UBS Page 1 of 5
departments working with IBAC staff Take the lead on managing Bible Society s relationship with up to two Key Funded Bible Societies Co-ordinate and provide administrative support for overseas visitors who are coming to the UK for the purpose of meeting members of the IBAC team and learning about Bible Advocacy Support the International Programme team on cross-departmental projects as necessary and at events, briefings and consultations with external audiences as required Carry out ad hoc duties which may be required to ensure Bible Society maintains its effectiveness Participate fully in the corporate life of Bible Society, by attending All Staff Meetings, attending departmental meetings and attending occasional services Qualification, experience, ability and skills: Essential: Track record of administrative support Able to demonstrate a mature Christian faith which operates comfortably in inter-confessional contexts A commitment to setting compelling standards of best practice, while aspiring to reflect the character, attitude and example of Jesus A strong ability to communicate, and build enduring relationships across departments and with other organisations on behalf of Bible Society, including excellent oral and written communication skills A self-starter, able to operate effectively both within a team and when taking on increased responsibilities Hands-on experience of managing multiple tasks and projects, ensuring that the relevant people are involved and that deadlines are met Excellent Microsoft office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Desirable : Experience of working within the charitable sector Experience of website management Language skills in French, Mandarin or Spanish are beneficial Page 2 of 5
Bible Society: we hire for character As well as recruiting for talent, experience and expertise Bible Society is also very interested in the character of its staff and would want to know how you demonstrate the following:- Character for teamwork You will demonstrate good interpersonal skills, personal loyalty to colleagues, and a collaborative style of solving problems through a shared sense of common mission and purpose Character for followership You will recognise that the Trustees look to the Group Chief Executive as the leader of Bible Society and you will be constructively supportive in enabling this structure to operate effectively Vision, values and spirituality At the heart of Bible Society is an emerging spirituality based on a generous orthodoxy that centres on Christ and is expressed though our four core values of integrity, intelligence, interaction and inspiration. Appendix 1- Definitions of Terms BFBS British & Foreign Bible Society, the official name of Bible Society. This name is used more often internationally in order to distinguish us from the other 145 national Bible Societies. Bible Advocacy In the context of IBAC, Bible Advocacy can be defined as a range of activities which shift public perceptions towards a positive view of the Bible. In the secular Western world, that might entail identifying and then seeking to minimise barriers that the disaffected culture and the people have to engaging with the Bible. In contexts where Christianity is a minority faith, the focus of Bible Advocacy might be on distributing the Bible and creating a desire for non-christians to engage with it as a credible source of values and viable answers about life and divine authority. Key Funded Bible Society (KFBS) The KFBS Programme is a core element of the BFBS International Programme Strategy. Through it, BFBS works with 19 national Bible Societies to co-ordinate a series of grants and capacity-building interventions over a multi-year period which are intended to bring about a paradigm shift in the mission activity and capacity of the member Bible Society. International Programme Strategy More recently, the strategy paper of the International Programme at BFBS also highlighted the urgent task of making the Bible relevant to individual lives and communities suffering the strain of globalisation and secularisation, which accounts for the decrease of the global Church s confidence in the Bible. This task is an integral and preferential element of the Life cycle of the Bible, a concept which underlines BFBS holistic approach to offering the Bible to the world. The Life cycle is what BFBS does in the four spaces private, family, social and global so that hearts, minds and imaginations are captivated. We believe these spaces and how we are seeking to see the Bible speak in each of them, overcome geographic and cultural boundaries, as they are globally relevant. Page 3 of 5
United Bible Societies (UBS) UBS is the worldwide Fellowship of national Bible Societies, working in collaboration with one another to deliver on our shared Bible ministry. UBS has a core team with whom IBAC and the rest of the International Programme team at BFBS is closely integrated. Appendix 2 IBAC Why IBAC? For almost 15 years, the British & Foreign Bible Society has been immersed in learning how to do public theology, a set of activities whereby we seek the circulation and use of Scripture into every part of our culture, including politics, education, media and the arts. We have thus developed initiatives which are relevant and speak into each of these four cultural contexts. It is out of this experience that we drew in establishing IBAC as a Centre of Excellence in Bible Advocacy. Within the UBS Fellowship, BFBS is highly respected in this area of Bible ministry and well-placed to offer expertise focussed on Bible Advocacy. In committing to this work, we hope to raise the profile, volume and quality of Bible Advocacy as it increasingly takes a central place in the work of national Bible Societies around the world. What is IBAC? IBAC has as its main role the gathering and sharing of Bible Advocacy standards, best practices and research throughout the UBS Fellowship and is modelled around a Centre of Excellence. The emphasis on excellence is not about governance and authority, but about striving beyond exercising minimal effort, which can lead to mediocre outcomes, and towards exceeding expectations. As a Centre of Excellence in Bible Advocacy, IBAC seeks to fulfil four main functions (goals outputs): Page 4 of 5
Access to expertise and commission and develop innovative projects Research & development Who is IBAC for? Project Repository Bible Advocacy Catalogue Cultivate a community of shared interest Digital Presence A Forum for Bible Advocacy champions The Academy IBAC is focused on three target audiences: Members - Bible Advocacy experts, practitioners and regular members of Bible Societies who are interested in developing Bible Advocacy projects in their context The Church - the ecclesiastical communities in our given context, as both implementers and beneficiaries The Culture - cultural communities in our given context, as the mission ground In supporting these audiences, IBAC seeks to equip practitioners with the tools of effective Bible Advocacy, inspire confidence in the Bible amongst the Church, and promote the credibility of the Scriptures in different cultural contexts. How does IBAC sit in the International Program Team? New team structure In order to deliver this new vision, a new structure is needed for the International Programme Team. This has included the creation of new roles. The IBAC team is comprised of: Senior Bible Advocate - IBAC International Bible Advocacy Officer International Advocacy Support Officer The Director of External Relations will also give some time to the team s work. As part of the International Programme team, IBAC overlaps significantly with the team s work. The remainder of the team is therefore: International Programme Manager Key Funded Bible Society Specialist Digital Bible & Translation Adviser Albanian Old Testament Translator Bible Society Stonehill Green Westlea Swindon SN5 7DG T:+44(0)1793418100 F:+44(0)1793418118 biblesociety.org.uk Page 5 of 5