Personal Assistant to Archdeacon of Middlesex

Overview

The church’s ministry across the Kensington Area is under the pastoral leadership of the Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, along with the Archdeacon of Middlesex, (a new Archdeacon has been appointed and will commence in April 2020). The Kensington Area includes the West London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, the borough of Richmond north of the Thames, and the Surrey Borough of Spelthorne. Spanning from Knightsbridge to the ancient bridge that crosses the Thames into Staines, the parishes of the Kensington Area serve hugely diverse and dynamic communities.

Introduction

The Archdeacon’s Personal Assistant provides vital administrative, coordinating and organisational support to the Archdeacon in their ministry across the Archdeaconry of Middlesex. This role is based on 28 hours per week.

The PA works in close co-operation with the PA to the Bishop of Kensington, the Area Administrator and Area Staff. They interact regularly with Area Deans, Area clergy, Churchwardens and other office holders, as well as Diocesan staff based at London Diocesan House.

Main Responsibilities

• Communication (across a wide range of media including email, telephone and mail) – interacting sensitively and appropriately with enquiries; preparing mailings; writing, on occasion, on behalf of the Archdeacon [AD] or preparing draft replies; flagging messages or issues for the AD’s personal attention.
• Correspondence and papers – drafting from notes or dictation; filing and scanning.
• Diary planning –planning events, projects and day-to-day management of the AD’s diary; assisting with travel arrangements.
• Meetings - preparing papers and briefing notes (after research) for the AD; co-ordinating venues, invitations and recording attendance at meetings chaired by the AD and taking minutes as necessary.
• Records - maintaining databases, records and filing, both paper and electronic.
• Co-ordination – arranging triennial Visitations by Area Deans, following up their reports and supporting Visitations carried out by the AD; arranging visits relating to clergy housing and quinquennial inspections of churches; organising Archdeacon’s Visitations for the admission of Churchwardens.

The Ideal Candidate

• Excellent communication skills – in written and spoken English; ability to listen well, to show empathy and to relate confidently and warmly with clergy, church officers and the public.
• Excellent administrative skills – attention to detail; the ability to plan ahead; manage complex administrative processes; work independently to oversee, initiate and maintain effective procedures.
• Personal maturity – the resilience to cope with the challenging issues which can be dealt with by the AD and to handle the pressure of deadlines.
• Impeccable integrity – showing discretion and respect for confidentiality.
• Sympathetic to the aims and ethos of the work of the Church of England – with a desire to serve the Church and its mission and ministry.
• Knowledge – the ability to understand and apply guidelines and protocols.
• Flexibility of working practice – some evening work is required for planned meetings.
• IT confidence – with desktop and cloud-based computer systems, including experience and expertise with Microsoft Office; a willingness to learn new ways of working as needed.
• Numeracy skills – to allow oversight of budgets, funds and expenses.
• Team player – the ability to work well with others and be a positive member of the Dial House Team, including attendance at times of prayer on occasion.

About us

The Church of England in London is vibrant and at the heart of communities throughout the capital. At the London Diocesan Fund we seek to do everything we can to support this mission and growth, using our resources to help our parishes and chaplains to serve over 4 million people.

We value the benefits of employing individuals from a range of backgrounds, with diverse cultures and talents and aim to create a workforce that:

• Values difference in others and respects the dignity and worth of each individual
• Reflects the diversity of the nation that the Church of England exists to serve
• Fosters a climate of creativity, tolerance and diversity that will help all staff to develop to their full potential.

To learn more about the work we do, click here

To learn more about Capital Vision 2020 please click here

To learn more about our offer to staff and our enhanced pension scheme with a 15% employer contribution, please refer to the attached 'Our offer to you'.