Pa To Archdeacons Of Kingston And Office Manager

PA toArchdeacons of Kingston and Office Manager

Diocese of Southwark

Trinity House (Borough High Street)/Hybrid with one day from home, changing to Wimbledon in summer/autumn 2024

Salary £35,000-£36,000

Permanent

Full time, 35 hours per week with flexible working

Excellent benefits including 26 days annual leave, plus 2 local and 8 national bank holidays, increasing to 31 days after 2 years' service, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, pension, Employee Assistance Programme

Are you an experienced PA or Senior Administrator with excellent communication and interpersonal skills looking for a unique opportunity to grow and develop your career?

Do you thrive supporting people in a fast-paced environment, working as part of a close-knit team?

Charity People are delighted to be partnering with the Diocese of Southwark, a rich vibrant mix of churches, schools, chaplaincies and communities across South London and East Surrey, to bring on board a PA to the Archdeacons of Kingston and Office Manager.

The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, created in 1905 from part of the ancient Diocese of Rochester. The Diocese covers South London and East Surrey, is one of the largest Dioceses in the Church of England and the most diverse, and is divided into three episcopal areas: Croydon, Kingston, and Woolwich. It has the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and has the centre of the Church of England in the diocese, Lambeth Palace. Today the Diocese ministers to nearly three million people over an area of 317 square miles through its 293 parishes and 105 church schools, educating more 37,000 young people. The churches offer welcome, care and dignity to their parishes, supporting those in education, hospitals and prisons, and pioneering communities seeking to reach out and serve in new ways.

This role will provide project management, administrative and secretarial support to the Archdeacons of Wandsworth and Lambeth. The Kingston Episcopal Area works as a team and the Archdeacons' PA will be required to work with other members of the team, particularly the PA to the Bishop of Kingston. The role will also ensure the maintenance and smooth running of the Area Office.

Key responsibilities

• PA: As the first point of contact, you will provide discreet, efficient communication, sensitively and in a timely manner, for the Archdeacons, managing emails and handling inquiries by phone, email, and post. You will be the key contact for Churchwardens and Parish Administrators, facilitating peer-to-peer communication through forums. You will manage diaries, plan appointments, and make travel arrangements.
• Administration and Events: You will organise and oversee administrative processes and organise and coordinate events such as training sessions and one-off events. You will oversee clergy reviews, administer, and track clergy appointments, handling paperwork and references.
• Communication: You will be the key contact for Churchwardens and Parish Administrators, facilitating peer-to-peer communication through forums, monitor and track annual Church inspections, and handle routine correspondence, draft replies, and act as a secretary for meetings convened by the Archdeacons/Bishop.
• Office Management: You will manage the office building, liaising with landlords and contractors, and ensure the office equipment is well-maintained.
• Line management: You will line manage the Data Use and Office Process Administration Manager, providing supervision and support.

The successful candidate will be well organised, used to managing conflicting demands, and able to prioritise time and resources effectively, often with tight deadlines. You will have experience of planning and managing projects, the ability to work with initiative, and a flexible approach. You will have experience working in a team environment and know how to fulfil an office management role effectively. You will have excellent communication skills, including written skills, a friendly, engaging, and professional telephone manner, and people skills. You will have a close eye for detail with experience in notetaking, and the ability to record minutes. You will be competent in MS Office packages and be able to use social media, databases, and IT. You will be able to maintain strict confidence and discretion. The ideal candidate will understand the Church of England, but this is not essential.

The role is full time and is based at the Diocese Head Office, Trinity House (SE1 1HW), off Borough High Street. In 6-9 months, the new office for the Kingston Episcopal Area will open in the Kingston area, likely Wimbledon. The role is 4 days per week in the office with flexibility to work from home one day a week and with flexible working hours between 7am-7pm. There will be some requirement for out of hours work. The appointment is subject to satisfactory references. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a passionate and dedicated team. If you are excited by this and have the relevant skills and experience to apply, we would be delighted to hear from you.

How to apply:

The application process is CV and Supporting Statement. In the first instance, please send your up-to-date CV to Jen or contact Jen for an informal confidential chat about the role and for further details about next steps. The closing date is 12 noon on Wednesday 21 February. Interviews will take place in person at Trinity House at the end of February, dates to be confirmed.

Charity People actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. We match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the charities we work with.