Chaplain to The Archbishop of Canterbury

Introduction

This post gives a unique opportunity to support the Archbishop of Canterbury at a personal and official level. The members of the Archbishop’s staff at Lambeth Palace work as a small and close-knit team, supporting each other with flexibility and good humour as they respond to the intense and wide-ranging demands placed on the Archbishop of Canterbury.

About the Department/Role

The Chaplain’s primary responsibility is to provide support by praying for and with the Archbishop. In addition, the Chaplain will assist and support her in her ministry, taking particular responsibility for its pastoral, theological, and liturgical aspects, as well as contributing to the Archbishop’s speaking, preaching, and writing commitments. The chaplain will also oversee the worshipping life at Lambeth Palace.

You will play a key role in advising the Archbishop on wider issues, in particular from a  theological perspective, and help shape the themes and priorities of her ministry. Your role will include daily contact with the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior colleagues within Lambeth Palace. You will also work closely with Bishopthorpe Palace, other Departments In the National Church Institutions (including Faith & Public Life), and the Diocese of Canterbury.

You will also engage with a wide range of external and senior contacts relevant to the Archbishop’s ministry including those from the wider Church of England (especially cathedrals and bishops), Anglican Communion partners, government, parliament, charitable organisations, and the Royal Households, as well as contacts overseas.

Pastoral

• Pray regularly for and with the Archbishop.  
• In collaboration with others, including especially the Lambeth Palace senior staff and the Private Office, seek to ensure a proper balance in the life of the Archbishop between opus dei, study, work and rest.
• Maintain relationships and effective communication with Episcopal households (especially Bishops’ chaplains and PAs), cathedrals, Royal Peculiars, the chaplain to the Archbishop of York and CofE/wider interest groups & organisations.  
• Support and, where appropriate, extend the Archbishop’s pastoral ministry to those under her pastoral care (outside her Diocese). This includes staff and residents at Lambeth Palace and the provision of one-to-one pastoral care to bishops of the Church of England and extra-Provincial dioceses of the Anglican Communion.
• Ensure good coordination and communication with the Archbishop’s family.
• Where needed, accompany the Archbishop when she travels, both in this country and around the Communion.

Liturgical

• Sustain, with other senior staff, arrangements for Synodical and Provincial liturgical events in which the Archbishop is involved in England (e.g. consecrations, Confirmations of Election, convocations and General Synod).
• Serve, enable, develop and ensure the flourishing of the worshipping life of Lambeth Palace. Oversee the use of the Lambeth Palace Chapels (and, when necessary, develop the liturgy and act as precentor for services taking place in them).
• Oversee the liturgical arrangements for all services in which the Archbishop is involved and be present with her as required.

Theological & Administrative

• Provide theological perspectives to the Archbishop and the wider team, including communications and correspondence.
• Administer publishing requests and maintain the Archbishop’s writing schedule, including the Archbishop’s annual Lent Book.
• Support the Archbishop in preaching, speaking and writing.  
• Reply to correspondence addressed to the Archbishop of a general, theological, group or personal nature.
• Provide messages on behalf of the Archbishop and deal with requests for forewords, quotes, endorsements etc.  
• In collaboration with other senior colleagues, support the Archbishop’s theological learning and reflection through a variety of means such as roundtables, conversations and retreats with theologians.

Other

• Sit as a member of the Archbishop’s senior leadership team. Provide advice to the Archbishop and senior colleagues and contribute to strategic decision-making.  
• Receive guests and visitors on behalf of the Archbishop and represent her, either in the UK or overseas, as required.
• Organise pastoral visits for the Archbishop, e.g. to dioceses.  
• Represent the Archbishop on appropriate boards and to external organisations as required.  
• Undertake such additional projects or tasks in support of the Archbishop’s ministry as may, from time to time, be requested.

About You

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who best meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Essential

The post has an occupational requirement to be an ordained and licensed minister within the Church of England (in accordance with the Equality Act 2010).

Knowledge/Experience:

• Mature faith, sharing the Archbishop’s vision and priorities for her ministry.
• Strong liturgical experience, sensitive to the different traditions found within Anglicanism and the variety in the liturgies that belong to them.
• Proven experience of leading a team with excellent team leadership skills.
• Knowledge of the life and structures of the Church of England.

Skills & Abilities:

• Mature in outlook with a deep and secure faith with a rich pattern of daily worship and well-established spiritual discipline.  
• Able to work to the Archbishop’s agenda, recognising that much of the Chaplain’s work, and the credit for it, is inevitably of a ‘hidden’ nature.  
• Able to act as companion to the Archbishop. At times the Chaplain will need to be a ‘critical friend’ and offer honest, truthful counsel, even if it’s uncomfortable.  
• An excellent team player who can work well with others creating networks and collaborative relationships.  
• Adaptable and flexible, able to prioritise tasks and work to deadlines with a good understanding of how they maintain their own wellbeing.  
• Skilled in complex pastoral work; able to handle difficult and sensitive matters with tact and diplomacy; able to maintain strict confidentiality.  
• Liturgically sensitive, competent and flexible, with an understanding and appreciation of the breadth of the Church of England.  
• Able to see the big picture while capable of accurate attention to detail; having good political judgement and the ability to spot the implications of particular issues and courses of action.  
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Capacity for maintaining confidentiality to the highest degree.
• Have proven administrative, drafting and research skills; computer literate, familiar with e-mail, Microsoft packages, social media and the use of databases.  

Qualifications & Training:

• Degree or equivalent in Theology/Religious Studies.

Personal Attributes:

• Collaborative member of the wider team, able to work creatively and constructively with colleagues.
• A commitment to supporting the Archbishop to provide compassionate, consistent and hopeful leadership to the Church of England and in the Anglican Communion.
• A calm and reassuring presence, with a nurturing leadership and communication style.  
• Highly flexible and adaptable in the face of changing requirements.
• Capable of quickly commanding the respect, confidence and attention of senior figures.
• Sensitive and diplomatic.

Circumstances:

Whilst the NCIs are committed to wellbeing and work/life balance, a willingness and availability to work outside normal office hours, including weekends, is required, on occasion, as well as travel within England and overseas.

Things to know before you apply

• Clicking 'apply' will take you to the NCIs recruitment platform which is part of the Church of England People System. On the screen that appears, click the "Apply Now" button to begin your application. 
• If you are employed by the NCIs or a Diocesan Bishop, or serving as stipendiary clergy you will be directed to login to the People System to continue your application if you enter an email address that is held against your People System record.
• If you need any support with submitting your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org or give us a call on 020 7898 1228.
• Interviews will be held on Tuesday 17 February 2026 in person at Lambeth Palace.
• The successful candidate will be employed by the National Church Institutions on a salary equivalent to a Residentiary Canon stipend in the diocese of Southwark.
• Accommodation will be provided for the better performance of the Chaplain's duties.
• This role will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

What we offer

• A salary of £34,155 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

• 30 days annual leave, plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro-rated if working part-time).
• We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case-by-case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
• We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.
• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme 
• Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus-one guest.
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
• Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS

• Strive for Excellence
• Show Compassion
• Respect others
• Collaborate
• Act with Integrity

Use of AI in your application

We appreciate that you may want to use AI tools to help you with your application. We're happy for you to use AI to come up with ideas and help structure your thoughts, but you shouldn't use AI to fabricate information or write your whole application for you. One of our values is integrity, and although we want you to demonstrate your best self, we don't want an AI-generated persona. If you simply copy and paste AI-generated content into your application, this will reduce your chances of success.