UUA Staff Chaplain at Unitarian Universalist Assoc of Congregations.

Updated: October 1, 2025

Title: UUA Staff Chaplain

Staff Group: Administration

Reports To: Vice President of Programs and Ministries

Location: Open*

Job Category: Contract

Hours/Week: Up to 15-20 hours per month

* Location is open in the continental United States. You should have easy access to a major airport due to the travel requirements of this position.

Purpose

To provide spiritual and emotional support for UUA Staff in one-on-one and group contexts.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Serves as the on-call Chaplain for UUA staff, providing basic virtual one-on-one pastoral care as requested.
   1. Creates occasional events for group spiritual care, nourishment, and grounding that are open to all UUA staff or particular groups (by role, staff group, identity, etc.)
   2. Creates and leads 2-3 UUA staff chapel services, or gatherings for prayer/reflection, each year.
   3. When requested by the General Assembly & Conference Services team, assists in the training of the General Assembly Chaplain Team, and works with the team to clarify expectations for that team and staff chaplains. 
   4. Creates gathering spaces, meditation opportunities, vigils, circles, or other supportive community formats as needed for UUA staff in response to traumatic events in the world or within the UUA.
   5. Provides in-person support for occasional in-person UUA events, to be negotiated with supervisor.
   6. Provides ongoing or one-time support, when requested and as time allows, to committees or teams led by UUA staff.
   7. Performs other duties as requested by supervisor, the Executive Vice President, or the President.

Qualifications

This is a one-year contract position with an estimated $1,250 retainer fee each month. Note that qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, and/or formal or informal training. Note that qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, and/or formal or informal training.

• Master of Divinity or equivalent and completion of one or more units of Clinical Pastoral Education from an ACPE (Association of Clinical Pastoral Education) accredited center; Board Certification with BCCI (Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc.) is preferred.
• Deep understanding of current system theories in trauma-informed socio-emotional systems, especially related to the culture of Unitarian Universalism
• Ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister in active fellowship (preliminary or full) is preferred
• 3+ years of spiritual/pastoral ministerial experience is required
• Maintaining a grounded presence and high level of confidentiality under potentially stressful circumstances.
• Must be able to work independently and be highly self-motivated
• Flexibility to respond to requests for care within 24 hours; occasional ability to provide same-day care in urgent cases
• Fluency with Zoom and/or Teams technologies, as these will be the main platforms for provision of care
• Ability to travel to staff occasional in-person UUA events is preferred
• Understanding of issues around anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism 
• Work or lived experience with BIPOC communities is of particular value 
• Eagerness to work in an organization in which the dismantling of white supremacy is a high priority

How to Apply

People with disabilities, people of color, indigenous people, Hispanic/Latinx, and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply. The UUA is committed to developing a diverse and talented staff team. If you are excited about this role, but are unsure whether you meet 100% of the requirements, we encourage you to inquire and/or apply. Please submit your resume and cover letter via our applicant portal (ADP WorkforceNow) on uua.org/jobs. If you have any questions, please reach out to careers@uua.org.

About the UUA

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive religious denomination headquartered in Boston’s waterfront Fort Point Innovation District. Our faith community of more than 1,000 self-governing congregations brings to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance, and social justice. Our normal workweek is 35 hours, we pay 80% contribution towards health insurance premiums, 10% towards retirement (after one year), and have generous paid time-off policies. We are a great place to work, and we value diversity. The UUA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all. As part of this commitment, the UUA will ensure that applicants and staff with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Department of Human Resources at careers@uua.org. For more information on the UUA, visit us online at UUA.org and uuworld.org.

Support for the Mission and Values of the Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive and historic religious denomination. All UUA staff members are expected to perform their job duties in accordance with the UUA’s values, principles, and mission. Unitarian Universalism puts love at the center of our commitments, which embrace the Shared Values of justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, pluralism and generosity. The following points drawn from these Shared Values are of particular importance for the UUA’s work environment and staff culture:

• Pluralism and generosity: We affirm the need for a human-centered workplace that allows our diverse staff to flourish. We also understand that our wider culture and society oppresses and denies human dignity, and we seek to counter the effects of that oppression in our hiring and workplace culture so that each person feels whole and valued.
• Justice and equity: We speak openly and publicly of our support for social and political issues, including LGBTQ equity, racial justice, climate justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice.
• Interdependence and transformation: We recognize that the liberation of all people is interwoven, and we work to counter patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, environmental exploitation, and other interrelated systems of marginalization.