The Details

About Us

The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) is made up of the Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, working together for peace and justice.

Our Mission
Christians are called to act justly and to work for God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. What does this mean today, and how can we make a difference?

As the Joint Public Issues Team, we work to:

• equip Christians to act and pray on issues of injustice,
• resource churches to reflect and campaign effectively,
• help our Churches to speak out with a distinctively Christian voice on injustice.

Our Priorities
With an overwhelming amount of injustice faced in Great Britain and throughout the world, we aim to respond as best we can, but we focus our efforts around Six Hopes for Society. In 2020-2021, we have adopted five priorities for our work.

Why we do what we do is important to us. As four Christian denominations working together, we have a wealth of tradition and thinking to draw upon, and we reflect on these in many of our blogs.

How we are governed
The Joint Public Issues Team is governed by a Strategy and Policy Group made up of senior staff members from each of our four denominations. This group meets regularly to oversee the work of the team and to structure our priorities and future work.

The role contributes to the work of the Joint Public Issues Team in fulfilling its objectives of helping the four Churches (Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed Church and Church of Scotland) live out the gospel of Christ in church and society. This is done through promoting equality and justice, by influencing those in power and by energising and affirming local congregations. The role also offers the opportunity to work for a Member of Parliament, carrying out duties for the MPs office and providing the opportunity for an immersive experience in political life.

The placement is designed to

• Provide the candidate with an opportunity to gain varied experience of working in a political sphere
• Enable the candidate to intentionally consider and enact the importance of the connection of faith and politics
• Develop the candidates skills and experiences for future employment
• Offer an opportunity for extensive personal, professional and spiritual development as well as career and vocational development
• Support the Joint Public Issues Team in its parliamentary and engagement work

Both roles advertised are shared between the House of Commons and The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT)

Please note that you are currently applying for the role working with the CONSERVATIVE MP. If you wish to apply for the role with LABOUR MP you will need to apply separately. You may apply for both should you wish.

A. House of Commons role

This would be for a minimum of two days per week and will involve working closely with an MP and their staff. This role would include working closely with the MP, supporting constituency work, conducting and presenting relevant research, contributing to speeches or briefing documents, and

supporting or attending All Party Groups.  There may also be a level of administrative support for the MP.

B. The Joint Public Issues Team role

The Joint Public Issues Team works on behalf of the Baptist, Methodist, and United Reformed Churches and the Church of Scotland on issues of justice and peace.  This aspect of the internship would be for at least two days a week, and offers opportunities to develop skills in research, campaigning and communication, which will enable you to work on a range of issues as part of a dynamic team.  The interns are also responsible for producing the monthly Faith in Politics podcast.

The activities, functions and areas of accountability for the job – both roles together.

1. Working with the Team Leader and fellow Team members of the Joint Public Issues Team to agree priorities and the means by which they will be met, in order to deliver JPIT’s workplan.
2. Contributing to the work of the JPIT by carrying out a range of activities including but not limited to: research and policy development; social media and other communications; production of podcasts, blogs and resources for churches; writing for a range of audiences; public affairs and parliamentary engagement on behalf of the churches; and some administration where necessary
3. Work with the MP and staff to provide support as requested. This may be in the form of: research; writing briefings; attending meetings and events; taking notes; maintaining diaries; correspondence; supporting the development of various parliamentary groups; and related administration.

Development opportunities
This post offers a good career prospect for anyone seeking an entry into policy, public affairs or campaigning work. The Intern will gain the following skills, experience and opportunities:

• Insight into working in a busy office environment, and experience of using office and IT systems
• Learning about the policy areas worked on by the Joint Public Issues Team
• Learning about the Houses of Parliament and working for the office of an MP
• An opportunity to use and develop oral and written communication skills
• Experience of hosting and producing a podcast
• Experience of team and project working
• Playing key role in specific projects, including project managing the production of resources
• Experience of managing a busy and varied workload, including time management skills

Support in personal learning and development, including access to in-house induction, training and learning resources

* It is considered an Occupational Requirement for this role that the postholder should be a practicing Christian.

Method of Assessment:  A – Application Form;            I – Interview;            W – Written exercise;                P – Presentation;  G – Group exercise;         Q – Proof of qualification (certificates or transcripts)

(We reserve the right to assess any other aspects of the role in a format not previously described)