Job overview
To be part of a multi-faith team at a time of major development and change in the Trust across four of the seven main sites offering varied challenges and opportunities. You will be part of developing and providing religious, spiritual and pastoral care in imaginative and creative ways for patients, relatives and staff. There will be opportunities to contribute to new spiritual care initiatives across the whole Trust.
To be a generic chaplain for the Trust and to represent their own faith/ denomination/belief where necessary and undertake such duties as directed by the Head of Chaplaincy and Deputy Head of Chaplaincy as needs demand. Working on site and being part of a 24/7 on-call provision across all sites including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Main duties of the job
Authorised, licenced or ordained person / minister / priest or pastoral carer in good standing with their authorising / licencing / ordaining or belief / faith / religious authority or equivalent community organisation. Christian applicants will be a member of one of the churches affiliated and registered with Churches Together in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
1. To be registered with/accredited to a recognised UK national chaplaincy organisation or be prepared to work to the standards of such a body.
2. Be able to provide a reference from accrediting/authorising body plus a further reference detailing your experience of supporting people who have needed pastoral care.
3. Be able to demonstrate your interest, experience and understanding of working within a health care or a similar setting with transferable skills.
4. Be able to demonstrate your extensive pastoral experience of supporting people in emotional and spiritual distress or who are suffering from illness or trauma. Also to be able to demonstrate your own emotional and spiritual coping techniques when providing such support.
5. Be able to demonstrate your ability to support, accept and care for people of all faiths, beliefs and none.
6. Demonstrate your ability to work as part of a Chaplaincy team consisting of both staff and volunteers and also with wider multidisciplinary teams within the Trust in addition to being able to work alone especially when on-call.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
7. Discern emotional and spiritual needs
8. Arrange appropriate response with available resources
9. Provide continuing support and strength
10. To be a spiritual, pastoral and ethical religious resource
11. To assist when necessary and appropriate with funerals, emergency marriages, civil partnerships, baptisms and blessings
12. When on-call to be the Chaplain contacted when a major incident is declared
13. When on-call to have responsibility for responding appropriately to all calls relating to spiritual and religious care
Person specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
14. Authorised, licenced or ordained person / minister / priest or pastoral carer in good standing with their authorising / licencing / ordaining or belief / faith / religious authority or equivalent community organisation. Christian applicants will be a member of one of the churches affiliated and registered with Churches Together in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. .
15. Academic qualifications leading to ordination, licencing or authorisation in belief, spiritual and or religious care or qualifications in healthcare, or theology/religious studies.
16. To have had extensive pastoral experience of caring for those requiring hospitalisation or with acute health needs or have appropriately transferable skills and experience..
17. To have extensive experience of visiting / working in a healthcare setting or have appropriately transferable skills and experience.
18. To be able to demonstrate appreciable empathy and support for people regardless of religion or belief.
19. To be able to demonstrate substantive knowledge of spiritual care and how this is applied in diverse belief, faith and cultural traditions.
20. To be registered / accredited to a recognised UK national Chaplaincy organisation providing standards and guidance for professional Chaplains or be prepared to work to the competencies and professional standards of such an organisation.
21. Substantial education in healthcare, or theology/religious studies
Desirable criteria
22. Registered with UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy.
23. Counselling qualification.
24. Qualification or substantive training and experience in adult education or pastoral supervision.
25. To have had experience of ministering to the dying along with their family and friends.
26. To be able to demonstrate knowledge of NHS guidance and directives on delivering belief, religious and spiritual care within the NHS.
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Essential criteria
27. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
28. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications