• 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

The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly is recruiting for the role of Director, Identity & Mission – a leadership position that will significantly contribute to shaping the national life of the Church for years to come.

This position carries significant responsibility for advancing the Assembly's strategy and strengthening the Church's theological culture, public witness, missional identity and governance. This position will serve among a a leadership cohort committed to a Church that is faithful, united and active in God's mission across Australia and beyond.

The position is open to full-time or four-day part-time arrangements, with hybrid and flexible location options available across Australia (the Strategy & Governance role is based in Sydney). The Assembly is looking for an experienced, values-driven leader who bring relevant qualifications, a minimum of five years' experience, and a demonstrated commitment to culturally safe practice and the honouring of relationships between First and Second Peoples.

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.
• Walk alongside Congress, honouring covenant commitments and advancing partnership, justice and reconciliation.
• Work with National Conferences, listening and sharing to build connection, alignment, and carrying key Assembly messages.
• Lead strategic engagement with national and international ecumenical partners, fostering collaboration, mutual learning and shared theological witness.
• Advance the Uniting Church's voice and influence within the global Church, building partnerships and contributing to theological reflection, mission and advocacy on issues of shared concern.
• Shape national communications, amplifying stories that reflect the Church’s identity and values, creating space for diverse voices and strengthening alignment through change.
• Create visible, accessible pathways for young people to engage and lead.
• Champion a healthy, values-led culture across the Assembly Secretariat, embedding behaviours, practices and communications that bring the Assembly's values to life.
• 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.

Interested applicants should mail a 2 page letter and a CV to the General-Secretary at gensec@nat.uca.org.au.