Inclusive Leadership Senior Officer job in Holy See (Vatican City State)

Position description

Job position: Inclusive Leadership Senior Officer
Job title and functional level: Senior Officer – Level 9
Department: Confederation Development
Line Manager: Director of Confederation Development
Work Place: CI General Secretariat – Palazzo San Callisto

Caritas Internationalis is a global confederation of 162 Catholic organisations working in more than 200 countries and territories. As an expression of the Church’s mission, we serve the poor, vulnerable and excluded, regardless of race or religion, working together for a just world. Guided by the values and principles of Catholic Social Teaching and inspired by the Gospel, we work with people facing poverty, exclusion, conflict and the effects of climate change. It’s not only about reacting when crises happen. We stay, we listen and we act, helping communities through urgent needs and as they rebuild their futures.

Caritas promotes integral human development and integral ecology by serving, accompanying, defending and listening to people living in poverty, whilst together caring for our common home. We respond to emergencies and natural, humanmade and complex humanitarian crises, providing essential and social services, and health care. We speak out against the causes of poverty and injustice, and work together, as brothers and sisters, advocating and campaigning for a just world built on love, peace, and solidarity. Our work is informed by reflecting on the 'signs of the times' through a 'see, judge and act' methodology. We strive to bring about a long-term, positive impact on the lives of those we serve. This requires us to be both effective in our work, and good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

Our times are challenging and complex. Whilst it could be argued that recent decades have seen progress in health and living standards for many people in the world, this has happened at the cost of growing inequality in wealth and power, social fragmentation and environmental degradation, underpinned by an unjust economic system.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Inclusive leadership

To coordinate and oversee a Confederation-wide strategy on inclusive leadership, based on the following pillars: people (the person at the center, with particular focus on women and youth), policies, enhancing organisational inclusion culture that facilitates participation;
To promote and oversee cross-cutting and inter-department initiatives on inclusiveness and particularly on women’s and youth participation and leadership;
To promote and oversee Confederation’s initiatives at local, regional and global levels to increase leadership opportunities for women and youth from grassroots to governance, in coordination with the Confederation’s relevant structures;
To enhance collaboration with the relevant Holy See Dicasteries, other international organisations, universities and institutes of higher education on initiatives and resources related to inclusiveness, particularly the promotion of women and youth in leadership and decision making;
To develop policies and Confederation’s official documents enhancing inclusive leadership, in line with Caritas’ values, principles and mission, increase visibility of the Confederation’s work in this area, addressing challenges, demonstrating results and celebrating them ;
To support and enhance the Confederation’s work on Leadership Standards (e.g. Leadership Charter dissemination and application within the framework of the position’s mandate, development and facilitation of training modules/sessions for leaders, etc.);
To facilitate dialogue with internal and external key stakholders on the topic;
To contribute to training, workshops and incorporation of the principle of inclusion in assessment tools, and specifically women’s and youth promotion, enhancing peer to peer support and institutional development and capacity strengthening of Caritas Member organisations and Regions.

Women’s Participation, Leadership and Empowerment

To contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the Caritas Confederation by coordinating the overall work on enhancing women’s participation, leadership and empowerment;
To develop/revise and implement the Confederation’s strategy to promote women’s participation and leadership at all levels, as part of the implementation of the CI Strategic Framework;
To support and facilitate the work of the Confederation’s working structures related to women (e.g. task forces, working groups, etc.)
To sensitize Confederation’s stakeholders on women’s participation, leadership and empowerment, by promoting institutional initiatives and increasing visibility of the topic;
To develop and promote workshops, training modules, sensitization and formation initiatives on strengthening ledership skills and enhance leadership pathways;
To promote, support and develop policies and internal mechanism that enhance women’s participation and leadership and learning pathways
To facilitate the development and strengthening of women’s regional focal points/groups, animate the newtwork and work with them in order to identify priority needs and best practices;
To gather, process and analyse data on women’s participation at all levels of the Confederation (national, regional, global) in order to identify strengths and gaps, measure progress, produce relevant documents, research and reports. Report data to the governance level of the Confederation;
To organise and participate in key meetings/events on women’s participation and leadership related issues.

Youth Inclusion, Leadership and Empowerment

To develop, revise and oversee the long-term strategy on youth inclusion, leadership and empowerment, according to the CI Strategic Framework and the indications of the governing bodies;
To promote and oversee the global, long-term strategic work on youth inclusion, leadership and empowerment, by working closely with CI Youth Officer;
To ensure that youth inclusion and empowerment is addressed as a cross-cutting topic and integrated in a transversal way across Confederation’s activities;
To ensure that work on youth is developed based on the key pillars of: policy development; capacity strengthening, targeted training and leadership pathways; mobilisation of the network of youth professional and volunteers;
To support and coordinate with the Youth Officer in liaising with youth representatives in the various CI governing and strategic bodies, fostering effective engagement on strategic and institutional matters;
To lead the biennial onboarding and knowledge transfer process for the incoming Youth Officer, ensuring they are continuously empowered with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to successfully lead the youth workstreams under their responsibility.

Coordination

To make sure that activities and initiatives related to the work areas above are in line with the operational plan and budget;
To oversee the work of the Youth Officer, providing strategic support, ensuring the effective delivery of youth related priorities and integration in the departmental planning and activities, alignment with the CI Strategic Framework, and the continuity of youth engagement and representation throughout role transitions;
To contribute to the overall work of the Confederation Development Department and to the growth of the team.

Qualifications

University degree(s) in a subject related to humanitarian, development, international relations, social sciences, faith-based contexts, and/or other relevant field(s);
At least 7 years of professional experience, including an active role in strategy development, facilitation, coordination, and/or programme management;
Working proficiency in written and oral English; knowledge of French, Spanish and/or Italian is a strong asset;
Knowledge and experience in inclusiveness, equality, leadership promotion;
Experience in implementation/coordination of women’s and youth programmes is a strong asset;
Knowledge of the Church and Caritas structures is an asset;
Interest in and knowledge of development and humanitarian issues;
Interest in and knowledge of organisational development and capacity strengthening processes, developing training modules and facilitating training sessions;
Knowledge of research methods, data analysis and reporting;
Strong understanding of global trends and systems that impact and inform Caritas Internationalis’ mission;
Ability to coordinate and oversee a global cross-cutting programme and develop a sense of ownership of it by all members;
Strong analytical, monitoring, evaluation and reporting skills;
Capacity to work in a diverse team and a multicultural environment with a spirit of respect and service;
Understanding of an “accompanying attitude” and ability to promote it with Member Organisations;
Capacity and willingness to be flexible and to work well under pressure;
Capacity and willingness to work with discretion regarding matters of high confidentiality or importance;
Ability to communicate clearly and to a high standard (oral and written);
Ability to meet assigned deadlines and be results-oriented;
Adaptability, flexibility and availability to travel in different countries, even with short-term notice;
Demonstrated ability to supervise and support staff, fostering a collaborative and empowering environment that enables individuals to work to the best of their ability.
Proficient computer skills and experience working with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.), and other digital communications platforms (e.g. Zoom);
Demonstrable empathy and respect for the faith and values of the Catholic Church;
Understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Application instructions

Please send the CV, the cover letter (English language) and the Job Application by 4th September 2026 (12:00 Rome time) to the attention of Dr. Yari Bergamasco, Human Resources & Legal Affairs Manager, to [email protected]

Please, note that the interviews for this position will be held by 10 October 2026.
Details will be communicated to shortlisted candidates later.

Important information for non-EU candidates:
Employment is subject to obtaining the necessary entry visa and all required authorizations from the competent authorities, including authorization for health insurance coverage. Please note that this process may take a considerable amount of time and could result in a delayed start date. Should the required visa and/or authorizations not be granted, Caritas Internationalis will be unable to proceed with the appointment.

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