Personal Assistant to the Bishop of Warrington

Overview

To provide comprehensive and professional administrative, secretarial and clerical support to the Bishop of Warrington.

To be a primary point of contact for the Bishop’s office, presenting a positive image of the bishop, the diocese and the Christian faith at all times.

Interviews will be on Friday 14th June 2019

Main Responsibilities

The main responsibilities for this role are;

PA support

• To manage the Bishop’s calendar and appointments in an accurate and efficient manner,ensuring that she is in the right place at the right time with all the relevant documentation.
• To highlight and address potential conflicting priorities in a busy environment where appointments can be subject to change.
• To provide high quality support to the Bishop in preparation for key meetings and forums,including the collation of relevant paperwork in good time ahead of meetings, creating agendas, writing up and distributing minutes, developing and augmenting Powerpoint presentations, highlighting actions and ensuring that actions are closed out.
• To respond proactively to enquiries and queries addressed to the Bishop’s office, following these up with the appropriate action or handing them over to another appropriate person for action.
• To manage visitors to the Bishop’s office, providing hospitality and a warm welcome.
• To maintain appropriate discretion and confidentiality at all times in relation to the Bishop’s work and life.
• In the bishop’s absence, to judge where to act and what to leave, or to whom to refer queries.

Office Administration

• To manage all calls, correspondence and emails, using initiative to respond and, where appropriate to draft responses or re-direct queries to the appropriate individuals.
• To be responsible for the logistics for key events and meetings, including room bookings, travel arrangements, confirmation of meeting dates to all those involved.
• To develop and maintain efficient, accurate and up to date electronic and paper-based filing systems.

Communications

• To be a primary point of contact for the Bishop’s office, creating a positive impression for both internal and external contacts.  To liaise with a wide range of individuals and teams as to ensure the efficient running of the Bishop’s office, including:
• Diocese of Liverpool:  Bishop of Liverpool’s office, Archdeacons, Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, clergy, parishes, lay staff;
• Senior clergy and PA’s in other dioceses and other denominations.
• Senior clergy and Lay Officers in Liverpool and other dioceses; Church House, Westminster, Church Commissioners, Committee Chairs.
• To build and maintain a close working relationship with staff within the Diocesan Board of finance (DBF).  To work collaboratively with all diocesan teams, and in particular to work with the Executive Assistant and Associate PA to the diocesan bishop, to address and resolve issues and to share workload during periods of pressure.
• By special arrangement, to cover for the Executive Assistant and Associate PA during holidays and periods of sickness absence (as also vice versa).

General

• To undertake any other reasonable administration or PA duties as requested by the Bishops.
• To contribute willingly and enthusiastically to ad hoc projects which reflect the needs of the Bishops or the constituencies they serve.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate requirements are;

Qualifications

Essential

• At least ‘A’ level standard of education

Experience

• Experience of providing administrative support in a professional environment.
• Experience of pro-actively managing schedules and correspondence, demonstrating the ability to handle issues confidentially and prioritise confidentiality

Knowledge

• An understand of the Church of England and its structures.

Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills – effective at building good working relationships with a wide range of people.
• Excellent communications skills, both verbally and in writing.  Highly professional telephone manner.
• Ability to articulate messages clearly and tailored appropriately for different audiences.
• Very strong organisational and planning skills, working to a high standard of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to summarize and present information clearly and concisely.
• Confident and competent in the use of technology. Advance IT skills, including good working experiences of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and file management systems

Behaviours

• Demonstrate ability to work confidently on own initiative – willingness and ability to step out of comfort zone and take action where guidance not always available, but trust may be assumed
• A warm and open demeanour, with a collaborative working style.
• Enjoys being a team player and demonstrates a collaborative working style.
• Good listening skills.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing priorities; understands and appreciates different perspectives on issues and adopts an approach that is appropriate for the specific situation.
• Demonstrates an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Comfortable working by oneself.

Personal

• A high level of integrity and discretion, handles confidential information with diplomacy and sensitivity.
• In sympathy with the aims and mission of the Church of England.
• Presents a professional and positive image at all times.
• An ability to work with people of all ages and backgrounds

Desirable

Qualifications

• Diploma level in secretarial or administrative skills, or degree in some other (unrelated or related) field

Experience

• Experience of working in a ministerial context or charitable organisation
• Experience of providing PA support at a senior level

Knowledge

• A knowledge of the area and systems of the diocese of Liverpool.
• A familiarity with the language of theology and liturgy

Personal

• A delight in being stretched- practically, emotionally and spiritually.
• A sympathy to work that is vocational, alongside those who may have a deep sense of calling to serve God through their role.
• A personal faith and passion to contribute to and engage in fellowship with others.

About us

Non-clergy staff will be automatically enrolled into  the in the Pension Builder 2014 Pension Plan (PB2014) in line with legislation unless they choose to opt out. Clergy already in the Church of England Funded Pensions  Scheme (CEFPS) will have the option of either remaining in this scheme or joining the CAPF scheme.

Bishops Staff have an income protection insurance arrangement. To be eligible for cover under this policy an employee must be a member of the (PB2014)  scheme. Please note that insurance cover is not necessarily automatic and that underwriting may be required by the schemes in some instances (for example if you do not join the scheme at the first available opportunity or opt out of the scheme and subsequently re-join). Cover will be subject to any terms and conditions laid down by the insurance company.

As we are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, we welcome all applications from those you have served in our Armed Forces and their families.

We are committed to building a culturally diverse workforce. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from people, regardless of their background. As a Disability Confident committed employer, it is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practical or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria* due to high volume. We limit the amount of interviews conducted to five applicants per open post we advertise. 

*Where applicable depending on post requirements.