Listed today
Project Officer
Now is an exciting time to join Mercy Ships UK.
With a growing supporter base, a talented staff
team and ambitious targets to reach over the
next five years, we are looking for a talented
Project Officer to join our team.
Mercy Ships is a faith-based charity, bringing safe
surgery to people in Africa who have limited access
to healthcare and little or no money to pay for it. For
over 40 years, Mercy Ships has visited more than 55
developing nations. We are passionate to serve those
in need and to leave a lasting impact for the future by
working alongside governments, supporting health
systems and delivering training within the countries we
visit. Our volunteer crew represent our organisation
onboard our two ships through excellence and
diligence. Sixteen Mercy Ships offices around the world
collaborate on fundraising, recruitment and public
relations.
Mercy Ships UK
The UK currently raises circa £9 million a year to
support Mercy Ships’ operations, benefiting from a
diverse base of committed funders and partners.
As well as providing financial resources for surgeries,
healthcare, education and local partnerships, the UK
identifies over 400 professional volunteers
with medical, maritime and many other skills to
crew the world’s largest charitable hospital ships
‘Africa Mercy’ and ‘Global Mercy’, – bringing immediate
relief to thousands of individuals and leaving a
sustainable legacy of hope and healing
in every nation we visit.
Values
Mercy Ships was founded by Don and Deyon Stephens
in 1978, committed Christians with a vision to follow the
model of Jesus, who inspires action and guides us to
imitate God’s heart for those marginalised by poverty
and disease. Mercy Ships is a diverse community
made of people from all walks of life, practically
demonstrating love, integrity and excellence to make a
lasting impact. While not all of our staff are practising
Christians, they all align with and respect the Christian
values that underpin Mercy Ships’ work.
Approximately 90% of the population in sub-Saharan
Africa lacks access to safe and affordable surgical care.
On average, there are only 1.8 beds per 1,000 people,
and nearly 40% of healthcare settings lack hygiene
infrastructure. The need for Mercy Ships is clear – we
strive to provide safe and equitable healthcare for those
who need it most.
Shelley Pigott,
Executive Director, Mercy Ships UK
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Our Mission
Mercy Ships follows the 2,000 year-old model
of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the
world’s forgotten poor.
Our Vision
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform
individuals and partner with nations.
Our Values
Following the model of Jesus, we seek to:
Love God
Love and serve others
Be people of integrity
Strive for excellence in all we say and do
M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
Impact
Since 1978, Mercy Ships has brought hope and healing
to more than 2.88 million people through free,
life-changing healthcare and training. Our volunteer
professionals have performed over 122,000 surgical
procedures and provided more than 556,900 dental
procedures to those in desperate need. Alongside
this, we have trained more than 55,500 local
professionals in their area of expertise, equipping
them to go on and impact over 252,000 others within
their own communities.
Our commitment extends beyond the hospital
ship—we have completed over 1,110 community
development projects, including the reconstruction
of schools, clinics, orphanages, water wells, and
agricultural programmes. These initiatives ensure
sustainable transformation by strengthening local
infrastructure and skills for the future.
Today, we have proudly served across more than
55 of the world’s poorest nations, with two
remarkable hospital ships:
The Global Mercy: the world’s largest civilian
hospital ship, featuring 6 state-of-the-art operating
theatres, 199 patient beds, the capacity for 640 crew,
and a gross tonnage of 37,856.
The Africa Mercy: with 5 fully equipped operating
theatres, 85 patient beds, space for 470 crew, and a
gross tonnage of 16,572.
Together, these ships represent a unique and powerful
force for good, bringing hope, healing, and lasting
change to those who need it most.
Our work
Mariama’s story
Mariama is a lively and healthy baby, but a severe facial
cleft strained her joyful smile. This facial cleft affected
7-month-old Mariama’s lip and nose, making it difficult
for her to eat and causing her parents to worry about
their child’s future.
Since paediatric services capable of treating baby
Mariama’s condition were not available near the family,
local doctors directed her father to Senegal’s capital city
in hopes of finding help.
It was there that he heard about a hospital ship capable
of providing healing for his little girl.
Soon after, Mariama received an operation onboard
the Africa Mercy that repaired her cleft lip. After surgery,
Mariama and her family stayed at the HOPE Centre,
where her mother learned how to make nutritional baby
formula and learned about the importance of nutrition
for her child. Now, Mariama is home with her family,
happy and healthy!
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M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
History of
Mercy Ships
Founded in 1978 by Don and
Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships
has worked in more than 55
countries, providing services
valued at more than £1.3 billion.
By improving healthcare delivery in
every country visited, Mercy Ships
is working to eradicate the diseases
of poverty. Mercy Ships follows the
model of Jesus by “bringing hope
and healing to the forgotten poor”,
helping people of any faith or none.
Mercy Ships delivers a customised
five-year partnership model with
every country it is invited to support.
Relationships are built with the
national government and ministry
of health, so that the specific needs
of each country are met; we work to
strengthen the country’s healthcare
systems and drive policy change.
The aim is to tackle the root causes
of the problems rather than just the
consequences.
Mercy Ships UK (a key member of
the Mercy Ships global partnership)
was founded in 1996. We run the
two largest charity hospital ships in
the world: the Global Mercy and the
Africa Mercy.
Behaviours
We put beneficiaries first
Our performance impacts lives, so we
strive for the very best results.
We are open to challenge
We challenge current norms, ideate,
create and develop.
We expect the best
We consistently seek the best in
and for others.
Together in everything
We are a relationally-driven team.
Effective interaction
We communicate with clarity
and purpose.
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M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
Role Description
Main Workbase: 12 Meadway Court, Stevenage SG1 2EF
Hours of Work: Full-time (37.5 hrs per week)
Contract: Permanent with hybrid working minimum
of 2 days a week in the office.
Line Manager: Head of Brand and Communications
Salary: £35,000 per annum
Line Management Responsibility: None
Benefits:
25 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing + 1 day
with each year of service, up to 30 days annual leave
Up to 7% Employer pension contribution
Access to a personal Learning & Development budget
of £1,000 per year (pro rata), supporting professional
growth and skills development
Travel and training loans
Free parking onsite
Role Overview
The Project Officer is responsible for production
workflows, resourcing, and outputs. As well as creative
project management for internal client relationships and
briefs. This role supports a team of in-house and freelance
designers and copywriters, who plan, conceptualise, and
develop assets and materials for a broad range of internal
and external channels and resources, that deliver on our
Strategic plan.
Main Responsibilities
Creative Production Workflow
Works with the Creative Lead to plan, triage
and manage the output of high-quality creative
work that delivers and enhances the MSUK
brand; keeps projects on track, monitors and
manages project timelines, ensuring tasks are
completed on time and within budget.
Assesses resource availability and skills to
assign the right people to each project and task.
Works closely with the creatives, administering
the end-to-end internal creative processes for
content and asset production (including
graphic design, copy, photography, and video)
to delivery.
Administers the Creative Team project and
traffic management platforms (like Asana and
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Ziflow), the creative workflow, planning,
triaging, prioritising, scheduling of jobs, and
allocating both team and external resource.
Supports the Creative Lead with the on-
boarding of external agencies and freelancers,
partners and suppliers, which includes
contractor work schedules, budgets, and the
processing invoices.
Supports with the branding and purchasing
of merchandise for corporate
events and fundraising activities.
Internal Communications
Supports the Head of Brand and Communications
with internal communications, as well as day to
day communications with the various teams in the
organisation including the Global Brand Team to
deliver high quality and on-brand communications,
ensuring resources, guidance processes and training
are created and rolled out appropriately.
Schedules and leads meetings, ensuring
key actions are followed through, and acts as a key
liaison for projects with teams to promote effective
communication, collaboration and teamwork.
Coordinates the organisation’s Communications
Calendar and other communications shared
resources.
Manages the online Creative Resource Centre and
ensures that communication around the team’s
offer and processes are well understood and
regularly updated.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
Foster a culture of continual improvement and
collaboration within the team.
Diplomatically and collaboratively ensure deadlines
are met, even when priorities conflict.
Adapt and respond flexibly to changing organisational
needs, while maintaining a focus on outcomes.
Other Duties
Undertake other responsibilities as requested by
the line manager, Director of Communications and
Engagement or Executive Director, within the scope
and spirit of the role.
Actively follow Mercy Ships UK policies and maintain
confidentiality.
As duties and responsibilities change, the
job description will be reviewed and amended in
consultation with the post holder.
M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
Person Specification
Attribute
Essential
Desirable
Education/
qualification
Documented experience in the
field recognised qualification in
communications or project management,
or the equivalent experience.
Marketing, Brand Creative
qualification or membership.
Proven
experience
5+ years working in a creative/traffic
management environment.
Demonstrable experience of managing and
administering project/traffic management
software and tools for specialist creative
workflows.
Able to communicate clearly and ‘build
bridges’ with colleagues at all levels.
Understanding of creative and production
processes, particularly graphic design, copy
and multimedia production.
Experience in delivering high profile and
Experience of internal
communications and
processes in the charity sector,
particularly international
development.
Experience of analysing
client briefs and negotiating
deadlines.
Experience with Asana
Experience establishing
and embedding efficient
processes.
multi-channel creative assets.
Experience in a faith based
Experience of capacity and resource
organisation
planning.
Detailed knowledge of creative workflows,
scheduling, commissioning, budgeting, and
project management.
Knowledge of agency and freelance
procurement, across creative services in
particular.
Skills and
abilities
Good organisational and time management
skills with the ability to prioritise.
Excellent verbal and written communication
skills.
Able to prioritise internal demands while
retaining good relationships.
Attention to detail.
An ability to work to deadlines and targets.
Ability to organise workload and multitask.
Organised and able to set clear boundaries
around jobs.
Genuine interest in being collaborative.
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Person Specification
Attribute
Essential
Desirable
Personal
qualities
Open, kind and interested in the well-being
An awareness of and passion
of others.
A willingness to learn and an ambition for
excellence.
Able to actively support, promote and
encourage Mercy Ships’ mission and
values.
Tactful, friendly, and calm under pressure.
Confident, resilient, tenacious, self-
for international development
work in sub-Saharan Africa.
Resilience and the ability.
Marketing, Brand Creative
qualification or membership.
Seek and balance a range
of views and stakeholders,
influencing where required.
motivated, and collaborative.
Find innovative solutions, when
needed.
Highly organised and able to set clear
deadlines and multitask jobs.
Detail-oriented, analytical, able to
assimilate and apply insight for decision
making.
An eye for continual improvement, detail
and opportunity, whilst also able to
simplify complex information.
Collaborative and diplomatic, able
to ensure deadlines are met while
maintaining positive relationships.
Comfortable in a fast-paced, collaborative
environment, able to take the initiative and
ask the right questions.
06
Person Specification
Attribute
Essential
Desirable
Personal
qualities
Confident, calm and professional even
Transparent and able to be
when under pressure.
vulnerable .
Embraces feedback to aid continual
improvement.
Flexible, approachable and positive.
Strong interpersonal skills, understanding
the need for team, and valuing different
disciplines and backgrounds.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Committed to continuing professional
development.
Alignment to/respect of the Christian
values of Mercy Ships.
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M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
How to apply
to join us in transforming lives:
Please send a CV and cover letter detailing your
relevant experience and why you want to work for
Mercy Ships to:
Firas.ElDib@prospect-us.co.uk
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and
the vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.
Salary : £35,000 (D.O.E)
Don’t delay applying as we screen applications on
receipt and reserve the right to close early.
Equal opportunities
Mercy Ships UK is an equal opportunities employer.
We welcome applications from all individuals and
value diversity in our workforce.
DBS check
Candidates will be asked to declare any ‘unspent
convictions.’ Further information can be found here.
Eligible roles may require a Disclosure Barring Service
(DBS) check.
Hope.
Healing.
Transforming Lives.
Registered Charity No: 1053055. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC039743.
Company No: 3147724 (England and Wales)