Job Description
This post offers an exciting opportunity to support the Acting Bishop of London in their mission and ministry as Diocesan Bishop and Area Bishop to the Two Cities, as well as their national responsibilities.
Overview of the Diocese
The Diocese of London is the group of Church of England organisations located in London north of the River Thames and covers eighteen London Boroughs. It is made up of parishes, schools, chaplaincies, missional communities and other organisations, which are united by their common Christian faith.
The Diocese is overseen by the Bishop of London, assisted by Area Bishops, Archdeacons and senior staff, and administrated by the staff of the London Diocesan Fund (LDF).
The Cathedral is St Paul’s.
Bishop's Office Staff Team
The Bishop’s Office staff team comprises the Bishop’s Chaplain, the Bishop’s Adviser, the Executive Assistant, the Diary and Hospitality Manager, and the Correspondence and Administrative Assistant.
Location
The team is based in the delightful surroundings of The Old Deanery in the City of London close to St Paul’s Cathedral. The Old Deanery contains the offices of the Bishop of London and the Archdeacons of London, Charing Cross and Hackney and the staff work together to ensure a warm and generous welcome to all visitors.
There will be some flexibility to work remotely but because of the nature of the role please expect to work from The Old Deanery for the majority of the time.
This is an interim role for a period of 12 months.
Responsibilities
To manage and delegate the work of the Bishop’s office including:
* Keeping an overview of all that happens in The Old Deanery.
* Review and develop procedures within the Office and across The Old Deanery to maintain and improve efficiency.
* Delegating to, and supervising, the work of the office staff team as required by the Bishop.
* Maintaining good working relationships with those who work in the Diocesan Offices, the Cathedral, the Area Offices and key external stakeholders.
* Having oversight of communications coming into and going out of the Bishop’s Office and, in liaison with the team, ensuring appropriate action is taken to progress these communications.
* Handling a wide range of telephone enquiries with confidence, warmth and diplomacy.
* Ensuring first class secretarial support for the Bishop and drafting letters, documents and presentations for the Bishop as required.
* Managing the Bishop of London’s inbox, triaging, forwarding and responding as appropriate in consultation with the Bishop of London and team.
* Work with the Bishop’s Diary Manager to ensure that the Bishop’s diary focuses on and complements the Bishop’s priorities for the Diocese and beyond.
* Ensuring a comprehensive filing system is in place that enables ready access to correspondence, information concerning people, organisations and groups, ensuring that all files are maintained in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
* Ensuring that regular office meetings of the Bishop’s personal staff take place and, on behalf of the Bishop, overseeing staff leave and time off in lieu.
Managing the appointment process for clergy and lay ministers in the Two Cities Area
* Having oversight of appointment schedules, liaising with the Archdeacons and the Archdeaconry Administrator and Diary Manager.
* Taking responsibility for all pre appointment requirements and maintaining a system of tracking to ensure timely completion of processes.
* Drafting and issuing appointment paperwork e.g. statement of particulars, agreements, notifications and ordering licensing papers.
* Having oversight of Permission to Officiate (PTO) application and renewal processes.
* Managing the PTO process for overseas clergy.
* Supervising the appointment process for new deacons and curates, working closely with the Area Director of Ministry.
* Being a DBS checker for Clergy and Ordinands in the Two Cities Area.
Two Cities Area General
* Overseeing the management of the clergy personal files.
* Having responsibility, on behalf of the bishop, for the compliance of DBS renewal and safeguarding training for Two Cities Area clergy and licensed lay ministers – working closely with the Archdeaconry Administrator.
To manage the financial matters of the Bishop’s Office including:
* Managing the Bishop’s budget and working costs.
* Maintaining the Bishopric Expenses Account, paying invoices and preparing quarterly returns for the Church Commissioners.
* Managing the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund Account in liaison with the bishop. Managing receipts and payments and record keeping.
General
* Liaising with the staff of The Old Deanery to ensure a warm and generous welcome to all who visit.
* Working closely with the Diary and Hospitality Manager to support the bishop’s ministry of hospitality.
* Working co-operatively in what is a small team, where people willingly share tasks and cover for one another.
Above all, the Executive Assistant is required to be a calm, reassuring presence who is proactive, well organised and has the flexibility to undertake any other duties that are commensurate with the role in order to support the bishop in their ministry.
Qualifications
Personal effectiveness
* able to initiate and maintain good and effective administrative procedures
* an instinct and commitment to work collaboratively
* able to manage people
* able to prioritise effectivelyable to be appropriately protective of the Bishop
* pays close attention to detail while keeping the big picture in mind
* has a robust attitude towards criticism from the public, is able to stay calm under pressure and to diffuse the occasional difficult phone call
* has a strong sympathy with the Christian faith and the Church of England, and an ability to share in the ethos of the Bishop’s Office and household
* have the personal resilience needed to be able to cope with the sometimes challenging issues which are dealt within a bishop’s office
* have an understanding of the importance of safeguarding.
Communication
* establishes and maintains excellent working relationships with colleagues
* excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills, dealing with people from all walks of life with courtesy and, where necessary, firmness
* demonstrates a warm, polite, helpful manner
* communicates effectively with people at all levels, both inside and outside the Church
* understands the importance of maintaining confidentiality without being secretive
* able to be a critical friend to the Bishop
* able to admit mistakes and to learn from them.
Technical
* demonstrates excellent presentation, layout and accuracy in text production
* demonstrates ability to draft or adapt standard letters as appropriate
* demonstrates competence in managing accounts and a budget effectively
* has an aptitude for developing and reviewing office systems in response to availability of new technology.
Administration & Supervision
* demonstrates good standard of numeracy
* demonstrates excellent standards of literacy, grammar and spelling
* works flexibly
* meets deadlines
* demonstrates aptitude for supervising junior members of staff effectively and is committed to their development
* displays good judgement in knowing when and to whom to delegate.
Knowledge
* educated to ‘A’ level or above or equivalent
* proficient use of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook and Explorer
* proven ability to use databases
* proven ability to manage a budget efficiently
* proven ability to manage a varied workload efficiently.
About Us
The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.
We Include. You Belong.
Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.
Living out our values in all that we do,
* Strive for Excellence
* Show Compassion
* Respect others
* Collaborate
* Act with Integrity
We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.
Use of AI in your application
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