This is an exciting opportunity to manage the office of the Bishop of Barking.
As Senior Executive Assistant and Office Manager (Barking Episcopal Area) you will manage the office of the Bishop of Barking, providing and overseeing excellent PA support to the Bishop.
Working collaboratively with the team, you will ensure efficient working practices by dealing proactively with correspondence, enquiries and the management of the Bishop’s diary, ensuring that the Bishop is well informed and well prepared for meetings.
You will be responsible for the Secretarial Staff in the Barking Area Office.
Your hours of work will be 35 hours per week.
You will be based at Barking Lodge, Verulam Avenue, Walthamstow, although flexible or hybrid working options possible. Barking Lodge is also the residence of the Bishop and her family and it will be important to relate to the Bishop’s family and guests in a friendly and helpful way.
Closing date for applications: Friday 17 May 2024.
Initial interviews will be held via teams on Tuesday 28 May 2024, with second stage interviews being held in person on Tuesday 4 June 2024 at Barking Lodge (Tube - Walthamstow Central/Bus routes 158 or 58/Parking available on-site).
The Role
Overseeing and managing the office
* Maintaining secretarial and administrative support
* Assigning and delegating tasks to staff as appropriate
* Ensuring that clear procedures and policies are in place
* Reviewing procedures and processes on an ongoing basis and seeking an opportunity for improvements
* Ensuring all contact with the Bishop’s Office is dealt with in a timely manner and all correspondence displays the correct tone
* Managing all incoming/outgoing post, including checking all outgoing mail and ensuring that all incoming post is scanned, saved to the server, and distributed daily
* Ensuring that clergy databases and records are kept up to date
Performing full line management of staff
* Managing staff performance, including carrying out annual staff appraisals and one-to- one regular review meetings
* Delivering feedback relating to performance from the Bishop and other members of the Diocese
* Monitoring and reviewing staff absence and timekeeping
* Handling employee relations and issues and escalating to HR as and when appropriate
Managing the Bishop’s diary
* Being the first point of contact for appointments and meetings requests
* Organising appointments and practical arrangements for visits and meetings
* Liaising with the Bishop (where necessary)
* Assisting the Bishop with preparation for meetings/engagements by reviewing any documents needed, providing key instructions, preparing briefings, etc
* Planning and organising the Bishop’s travel arrangements in the UK and abroad, as required
* Summarising appointments/meetings and adding key documents
Dealing with the Bishop’s correspondence, including email account
* Tracking acknowledgements and ensuring required actions are completed
* Being responsible for any queries/contact that comes into the office that is solely related to the Bishop
Overseeing hospitality functions
* Delegating the organisation of hospitality
* Providing support and arrangements where necessary.
Overseeing the Bishop’s and the Office’s Accounts and Expenses
* Managing the budget and dealing with all day to day financial matters including drawing cheques for signature
* Managing the day to day running of the Official Expenses Account held by the Bishop in her corporate capacity
* Making payments from the accounts and the keeping of records as required
* Administering the Bishop’s Official Expenses Account, and drawing up quarterly returns
* To undertake duties relating to national roles in and relating to the work of the Church of England, including the collation of all papers and making the logistical arrangements for the Bishop’s work relating to the College of Bishops, National Estate Churches Network and any other national and regional meetings and bodies to which the Bishop belongs
Ensuring compliance
* Ensuring the Bishop’s Office complies with all aspects of the DPA 2018 and GDPR 2016
* Maintaining and updating relevant databases and keeping all records in accordance with the GDPR requirements
* Overseeing and undertaking the administration of vacancies, including the processing of all necessary safeguarding and UK Border requirements, DBS, etc and act as Lead recruiter for DBS checks (with the Bishop as data controller)
* Supporting the Area Staff Meeting and the Core Team Meeting by preparing and circulating agendas, producing Minutes, and making any other arrangements for those meetings
* Liaising with the Diocesan Registry staff/function and diocesan HR in the preparation of licensing documentation
Developing and maintaining relationships
* Taking an active part as a member of the Bishop’s Office Team (and the wider team across the diocese), sharing in the flexibility and mutual cover of this team as required
* Promoting collaboration and working closely and helpfully with colleagues across the Barking team and the Diocese of Chelmsford
Liturgical
* Working with the Bishop’s Liturgical Adviser and others to administer the arrangements for the Bishop attending services and engagements, including:
o Leading and collaborating with the wider Bishops’ Office Team to arrange the annual pattern of episcopal visits
o To ensure the request of information re services and engagements prior to the event (referring liturgical enquiries to the Bishop and/or her designated appointee and forwarding draft service sheets for her information/comment)
o To support, with others and when required, the Bishop’s Liturgical Adviser in the preparation of service sheets/invitation letters/responses for diocesan services as required. Undertaking the administration for the confirmation services, Ordination services and other special services, in liaison with the Bishop’s designated appointee, and where appropriate the Cathedral and the Diocesan Director of Ordinands
o To ensure the team produce annual statistics of confirmation services and other services as needed.
About You
The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups.
The Requirements
Essential
Skills/Aptitudes:
* Outstanding administrative and secretarial skills
* IT proficiency, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel
* Ability to organise own workload, to set priorities, and to work to deadlines
* Ability to handle confidential information and to act with discretion
* Attention to detail
* A team player, able to work creatively and flexibly with colleagues in a small office environment Ability to show initiative and creativity and to work without direct supervision
Knowledge/Experience:
* Previous administrative or secretarial experience
* Supervising experience
* Basic experience in bookkeeping
Education:
* Education to GCSE and/or A level or equivalent
* Good use of the English language both oral and written, including grammar, spelling and punctuation
Personal Attributes:
* A calm and pleasant manner in dealing with enquiries and requests
* Friendly with a diplomatic manner
* A flexible approach to work
* Be proactive and confident
* A team player, able to work creatively and flexibly with colleagues in a small office environment
* Sympathetic to the mission and ministry of the Church of England
* Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people belonging to institutions, organisations, and other groups including and beyond the Church of England
* Able to adjust working style to the Bishop’s preferences and requirements
The Diocese of Chelmsford is the Church of England in Essex and East London.
Led by the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, we are one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in the Church of England consisting of more than 500 churches and worshipping communities and 138 church schools.
To find out more please visit