The Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education is seeking to appoint two Christian Distinctiveness Advisers to complement their current team of advisers, working across the Diocese. We wish to appoint a highly motivated, talented and effective educational professional. The successful candidate will contribute positively to our dynamic team, promoting educational excellence, which is consistent with the faith and practices of the Church of England, in our family of 206 church schools and academies. The Christian Distinctiveness Team supports school leaders, and parishes to maintain and develop the distinctive Christian character of diocesan schools and academies and of Multi Academy Trusts, which include Church of England schools. The advisers also offer guidance for schools in preparation for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). The successful candidate will also be required to collaborate with a range of teams within the Diocese to support the commitment to discipleship, evangelism, and vocation in line with our Seeking the Kingdom strategy. Two posts – to total 1.5 FTE (i.e. 1 Full time / 0.5 FTE or 2 part time) Full time is 35 hours per week Required for September 2026 (or sooner if available) Salary: £48,500 (annual cost of living increase applied in January) Pension: 11.5% employer contribution ( up to 3% matched to employee contribution) to Defined Contribution pension scheme. Life Assurance: 3 x annual salary payable for death in service, subject to pension enrolment in the Church Workers Pension Fund Annual leave: 25 days per year, plus Christmas shut down, plus bank holidays Probationary period: 3 months The post is home based, with regular travel throughout the diocese. Mileage is paid at the HMRC rate of 45p/mile. We operate a generous TOIL system for work outside of contracted hours. Duties of the role include: Working with an allocated range of diverse Church of England Schools and Academy Trusts in the diocese to provide advice and support to school leaders, including through coaching, mentoring and challenge, to deliver highly effective and distinctive education; Make a significant contribution to the pastoral support of leaders including headteachers, principals and chairs of governors; Assess and evaluate, alongside senior Church school leaders, the effectiveness of the school and contribute to the establishment of the appropriate school development and improvement plans, responding where appropriate to Ofsted and SIAMS inspectors; Work to highlight potential areas of outstanding practice or concern in Church schools in regards to key SIAMS areas; Contribute to the Service Agreement for Church schools including income generation and the delivery of bespoke services; Contribute to recruitment processes for the appointment of Church school leaders; Where appropriate, to liaise with Local Authority Officers, School Improvement Partners and Church of England national officers. To sit on relevant Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (SACREs); Contribute to the Diocesan Board of Education strategy and to have delegated responsibility for one or more areas of the work of the Team; Contribute to the Seeking the Kingdom strategy of the Diocese to transform communities and church life. Attend regional and national conferences and training events as directed by the Director of Education; To lead on aspects of the teams’ work as designated by the Director of Education. This job description provides a guide to the duties and responsibilities of the post and is not an exhaustive list. The post holder may be asked to undertake any relevant duties and responsibilities appropriate and commensurate to the post. There is an occupational requirement for the post-holder to be a practicing Christian in accordance with the Equality Act 2010: Part 1, Schedule 9. This is a home-based position with frequent travel. Time and mileage are paid from home (within the diocese) at diocesan rates as per our expenses policy (currently 45p/mile), including to our office in The Close, Lichfield. You are provided with IT equipment along with working from home equipment if required. For an informal discussion about the position, please contact Mark Davis, Director of Education mark.davis@lichfield.anglican.org