PA to Archdeacon of Middlesex

Overview

The Diocese of London comprises of c400 parishes north of the River Thames and within the M25 motorway. The Church of England in London is vibrant, growing and is at the heart of communities throughout the city. The purpose of the London Diocesan Fund is to support this work, seeking to use our resources to facilitate the ministry of our parishes and chaplains who seek to serve four million people.

The diocese has just launched a new 2030 vision, which outlines our priorities for the next 10 years. For an outline, please see our website: london.anglican.org/our-2030-vision.

At the heart of the vision is for every Londoner to encounter the love of God in Christ.

Introduction

The Archdeacon’s Personal Assistant provides vital administrative, coordinating and organizational support to the Archdeacon in their ministry across the Archdeaconry of Middlesex.

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

The PA is responsible for a wide range of tasks including:

PA duties:

• 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.

General Duties:

• Receiving visitors to Dial House and offering hospitality as appropriate.
• Filing - develop and maintain efficient filing systems, both in hard copy and electronically.
• Ordering - office supplies and equipment as necessary.

Support to Area Office:

• Area Team – attending Area Team meetings, helping with Area events, conferences and training days; assisting other members of the Area team (especially the Bishop’s PA) in general administration duties.

Finance:

• Expenses and Expenditure– overseeing expenditure, budgeting and reporting of the AD’s Discretionary Fund, AD’s Office Expenses and Area Deans expenses; assisting with the submission of the AD’s own working expenses.
• Record-keeping – bookkeeping of accounts and payments for the Archdeaconry, including the production of financial reports.

The Personal Assistant is expected to have the flexibility to undertake other duties as directed by the AD of Middlesex which are commensurate with the role in order to support them in their ministry.

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.

The following experience would be an advantage:

• Touch typing.
• Personal experience of Church of England parish church life.
• Knowledge of the structures and practices of the Diocese of London and Church of England.

About us

The LDF exists to support the mission of the Church of England in London. The principal activity of the London Diocesan Fund is to operationally and practically serve and support the parishes and people within the Diocese of London, enabling the vision that every Londoner will encounter the love of God in Jesus Christ.