Senior Church Buildings Officer

Senior Church Buildings Officer

We have an exciting opportunity to become part of a caring and hard-working team with a passion for conserving historic churches and ensuring their sustainability into the future.

Position:Senior Church Buildings Officer

Location: Kidlington, Oxford/hybrid

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week

Salary: £41,562.56 to £44,776.16 per annum (dependent on experience)

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: 08:00 on Friday 8th March 2024

Interview Date: Tuesday 19th March 2024, Oxford

The Role

In this role, you will support the Head of Church Buildings in providing a proactive, efficient, and highly effective care of churches system across the 815 churches of the diocese. Many of these churches are highly listed, and together with their churchyards and contents, provide a huge variety of challenges and opportunities.

You’ll be responsible for holding a portfolio of casework, whilst overseeing the work of a team of Church Buildings Officers and managing support staff. Additionally, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Diocesan Advisory Committee and its operations under the guidance of the Head of Church Buildings.

About You

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated conservation professional, who is a strong team player but able to take the initiative and to lead others. You will embrace the challenge that such a varied role brings, with an organised approach, the ability to navigate differing stake holder views, and to find pragmatic solutions under pressure.

With a strong understanding of conservation philosophy, legislation and techniques, and experience in providing advice to building users on the care, alteration and management of historic buildings, you will play a key role in this small and hard-working team of conservation professionals. Your ability to problem solve and mediate will ensure that you are able to support parishes in utilising their Church Buildings, and that the best possible outcome is achieved in a timely manner.

You will be flexible in your working style, with confident communication skills, and excellent organisational and monitoring abilities. Handling a number of complex schemes at once and managing relationships with colleagues throughout the heritage sector, you will also be responsible for the day to day running of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches, ensuring all governance and procedural processes are appropriate and up to date.

You do not need to be a practising Christian or have a faith to work with us - around 50% of our staff are not practising Christians but are comfortable with the Christian ethos that underpins our work. However, all our staff do have a desire to make a difference.

Benefits and rewards:

• 25 days holiday per annum, pro rata, rising each year by one day to a maximum of 30 daysIn addition to the statutory UK public holidays, the Diocese offers three privilege days
• Hybrid working
• Free parking and subsidised on-site café Generous employer pension contribution of 12.5%, including 1% death in service benefit (5% Employee Contribution)
• Electric car and cycle to work salary sacrifice schemes
• Access to wellbeing support via Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced family friendly policies and a generous sick pay provision
• Access to low interest financial services from Churches Mutual Credit Union including loans
• An attractive modern working environment

The Organisation

The Diocese is the administrative area of the Church, broadly speaking, covers the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. There are 815 churches in the Diocese – more than any other diocese in the Church of England. So, in many ways the best description is that it is the family of the 55,000 or so regular worshippers in these churches.

We want our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion for all to be reflected in the composition of our staff. We are particularly keen to receive applications from candidates from communities currently underrepresented in the diocese.

You may also have experience in areas such as Church Buildings Officer, Historic Buildings Officer, Heritage Officer, Architect, Historic Buildings, Heritage, Conservation, Church Buildings, Architecture, Building Conservation, Engineering, Surveying, Estates Manager, Estates Officer, Facilities Manager.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.