Director, Identity & Mission

Build relationships and networks that enable faithful change, strengthen unity across the Church, and amplify its impact locally and globally.......

• Join a collaborative, values-led team making shaping the life of the Uniting Church

• Hybrid work environment with flexibility to be based across Australia

• Full‑time or 4‑day part‑time option available
  

About the Role

This role advances the Church’s identity and mission by fostering deep connection, shared understanding and a strong sense of collective purpose. You will build relationships and networks that enable faithful change, strengthen unity across the Church, and amplify its impact locally and globally. Through your leadership, the Church’s mission will be clearly expressed, confidently communicated and actively lived.

Key Responsibilities

• Actively support and enable the Assembly Strategy 2026-31.

• Lead narrative and meaning making, enabling shared understanding through listening, dialogue and discernment, and supporting the Church to navigate and embed important changes.

• Shape national communications, amplifying stories that reflect the Church’s identity and values, creating space for diverse voices and strengthening alignment through change.

• Walk alongside Congress, honouring covenant commitments and advancing partnership, justice and reconciliation.

• Engage with National Conferences to build connection, alignment and shared understanding, carrying key Assembly messages.

• Provide purposeful leadership across national and international ecumenical bodies, strengthening collaboration and shared theological witness.

• Position the Uniting Church within the global faith movement through active engagement, shared learning and contribution to global theological and missional priorities.

• Create visible, accessible pathways for young people to engage and lead.

• Shape and steward a healthy, values-led culture within the Assembly Secretariat, embedding practices and communications that build trust, clarity and connection.

• Lead the HR partnership to ensure people practices, advice and support align with Assembly values and strengthen culture and performance.

• Foster a positive, values-led, interdisciplinary team culture grounded in trust, collaboration and accountability.

• Coach and develop staff to strengthen capability, performance and wellbeing.

• Manage resources strategically, aligning them to priorities and maximising impact.

• Ensure compliance with financial policies and strong governance.

About You

You are an experienced leader with deep grounding in theology, missiology or the social sciences, and a strong commitment to the Uniting Church’s national and global relationships. You bring significant experience in strategic communications, change leadership and partnership‑building across diverse cultural and intercultural contexts.

You will bring:

• Qualifications in theology, missiology, social sciences or related field

• Minimum 5 years’ relevant experience (5-10 years’ preferred)

• Demonstrated commitment to, and experience within, the Uniting Church’s national and global ecumenical relationships

• Proven ability to build strong relationships and partnerships across diverse cultural contexts

• Experience in strategic communications, including change communications

• Demonstrated capability in leading and managing change management

• Proven leadership experience, including developing teams, building capability, fostering accountability and delivering results.

• Demonstrated experience working in and leading multi-disciplinary teams, integrating diverse expertise to achieve shared outcomes.

• A demonstrated commitment to culturally safe and respectful practice, including faithful engagement in intercultural contexts and honouring relationships between First and Second Peoples.

Why Join Us?

Joining the Assembly offers the chance to contribute to a national movement of faith, justice and reconciliation at a time of real significance for the Church and the wider community. You’ll work with committed, values‑driven colleagues, help shape the Church’s voice in Australia and globally, and build partnerships that strengthen our shared mission. This is a role where your leadership, creativity and conviction can influence meaningful change, support emerging leaders and help cultivate a healthy, hopeful and future‑focused culture across the Church.

About Uniting Church and the National Assembly

The Uniting Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in Australia. Across the country more than 1,500 congregations worship at a Uniting Church including many congregations that worship in languages other than English. Our churches can be found deep in the heart of our cities, rural towns and regional and extended regions of Australia. The Uniting Church is organised not by a hierarchy, but by groups of people, lay and ordained, meeting together, usually making decisions by consensus, in each area of the Church's life. Alongside this we have a network of community services across 1,600 sites nationwide.

The Assembly is the national council of the Church, led by the President of the Uniting Church, with a General Secretary as chief executive officer. It has three agency. Frontier Services supports our ministry in remote Australia, UnitingCare Australia supports advocacy work of the network of community service agencies of the Church and UnitingWorld which leads our relief and development work, particularly in Asia and the Pacific.

The Assembly leads the national work of the Uniting Church in areas of theology, public advocacy, international and ecumenical relationships, governance and regulations and promoting the mission of the Church. It also works closely with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress as part of our covenant relationship.

To apply, please submit your resume and a two‑page cover letter via the 'Apply to this Job' button below.

Applications close Friday 11 September 2026.