Works closely with:

Internal: the general secretary, the programme director for Unity, Mission and Ecumenical Formation, the director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, programme staff and designated staff in Fundraising, Planning and Reporting and Finance.

External: member Churches, councils, ecumenical and interreligious bodies, significant organizations representing other religions.

Objectives:

Strengthening WCC’s convening role for bilateral and multi-lateral dialogue with partners of other faiths at international level towards transformative empowerment, dialogue, and collaboration i.e., toward inter-religious solidarity.

Facilitating reflection and action among WCC member churches on interreligious dialogue and cooperation with other religions especially Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism in a context-sensitive, theologically grounded, practice-oriented, intellectually accountable, and (self) critical way.

Contributing to the conceptual horizon of interpreting the meaning of oikoumene today by creating and maintaining trust as a prerequisite to, and ongoing need for, inter-religious solidarity in a world that is ambivalent about the role of religion in society.

Forging inter-religious partnerships in all areas of work of the WCC.

Specific responsibilities:

1. Implement effectively, in close cooperation with the other members of the programme team, the project(s) related to the area of work in order to reach the expected results.
2. Be responsible for the budgeting, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the spending levels in the programme, in cooperation with the programme director and designated finance managers.
3. Establish and maintain regular contacts with specialists in the areas of work in the Churches, councils, ecumenical organizations and universities and engage them in planning and implementing the project(s) and activities.
4. Participate in ecumenical reflection on issues of interreligious solidarity, religious plurality and Christian self-understanding and witness of Churches in a multi-religious world.
5. Establish, maintain and develop regular contact and relationships with member church networks, relevant ecumenical partners, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, international NGOs, local interfaith groups, representatives of other religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism in particular), and with international interreligious bodies.
6. Initiate new programmatic initiatives related to interreligious solidarity, interreligious theologies of liberation, spirituality and theology of religions.
7. Foster concrete initiatives that enable the WCC’s main interreligious partners to cooperate with the WCC in interreligious reflection and action.
8. Assist churches, according to their needs in the area of inter-religious relations and promote inter-religious cooperation. Work closely with the WCC reference group on interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
9. Monitor, analyse and interpret developments in various religious communities and their impact on inter-religious relations and cooperation.
10. Work transversally with other programmatic areas of the WCC and contribute to the integration of projects and programmes of the WCC from the perspective of the primary area of responsibility.
11. Contribute to develop, maintain, nurture and deepen WCC’s relational work with a designated number of WCC member churches, ecumenical partners such as the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and other relevant partners.
12. Be part of an editorial team responsible for the production of Current Dialogue – The WCC’s journal for interreligious dialogue.

Qualifications and Special Requirements:

1. Post Graduate (minimum Master’s degree, preferably Doctorate) in theology, missiology or interreligious studies. Proven experience or expertise in interreligious dialogue and cooperation between Christianity and at least one other major religious tradition (i.e., Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism).
2. Working knowledge of interreligious networks and experience of close collaborative work with Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish partner organizations.
3. In-depth knowledge of theological issues related to interreligious dialogue and its impact on the life of the Churches.
4. Five years of professional engagement in an ecumenical and multicultural environment.
5. A strong track record of academic publishing, evidenced by books and articles commensurate with the experience of the applicant. Knowledge of journal production and its complexities.
6. Five years of experience in project management, including fundraising, result-oriented planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of projects.
7. Good command of written and spoken English. Knowledge of other languages (Arabic, Hebrew, French, German, and Spanish) is an asset.
8. Experience in working sensitively in multi-cultural and ecumenical settings.

Deadline for applications: 

17 December 2023 

Apply for this position by clicking this link:

https://wcccoe.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0v1gn

About human resources at the WCC:

The WCC is an equal opportunity employer. The sole criteria for recruitment, training and career opportunities are qualification, skills, experience and performance to all its staff members.

The WCC ’s annual review and financial report 2022 can be consulted at:

WCC Annual reviews and Financial reports | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)