Introduction

The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation – a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.
We Include. You Belong.
Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.
Living out our values in all that we do, we:
  • Strive for Excellence
  • Show Compassion
  • Respect others
  • Collaborate
  • Act with Integrity
We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values.  Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.
About the Department
The Faith and Public Life team brings together a number of specialist sub-teams to advise and support the Church of England in its relationships with government, Parliament, other churches and other faith communities and the global Anglican Communion. FPL serves both the church as an institution and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in their respective ministries. FPL includes a number of projects which aim to increase the church’s capacity to serve the communities of the nation better.
What you’ll be doing
The post is part of the Administration sub-team in the Faith and Public Life Department, which supports the church and the Archbishops in engaging with matters of ethics, public policy, Parliament, ecumenical and interfaith relations and the Anglican Communion. Members of the administrative team each support specific areas of the FPL team’s work and collaborate together to support one another as workloads fluctuate. The post-holder will primarily provide administrative support for the Public Policy Team and the Disability Project within Faith and Public life
Main duties and responsibilities
A.         General
  • Managing and prioritising communications, whether by phone, e-mail, letter or in person, enabling the sub-team to achieve their objectives while ensuring timely responses;
  • Resolving and escalating enquiries.
  • Receiving and greeting visitors;
  • Taking minutes at meetings.
  • Supporting team members with research as required.
  • Organising events and being present on site to liaise with events, hospitality and security staff to ensure their smooth running.
B.         In support of the Disability Project
  • Providing administrative support to the Disability Project Manager, e.g.
            –    Diary management
            –    Arranging meetings and travel
            –    Ensuring agendas and associated papers for meetings are prepared and distributed in a timely manner
            –    Taking and distributing notes from all relevant meetings
            –    Processing claims and invoices relating to the disability budget
  • Managing processes and procedures for the distribution of grants to parishes, as detailed in the Disability funding bid and strategy, ensuring appropriate approval from the relevant governance bodies, in line with stated procedures.  Providing reports to the Disability Project Manager regarding grants, as necessary.
  • Providing information and support to key stakeholders.
  • Liaising with stakeholders, partners and other agencies relating to the Disability Project(s).
  • Supporting the Project Manager in gathering data and analysis for reports to relevant stakeholders, committees and managers.
  • Supporting the Disability Project Manager in the delivery and oversight of each project detailed in the funding bid.
  • Ensuring that project expenditure is in line with budget and is recorded appropriately.
  • Giving appropriate support to members of relevant groups and to immediate colleagues who may be disabled.
C.         In support of the Public Policy Team
  • Within agreed limits, progressing work in the absence of principal team members, including when they are travelling;
  • Dealing with their correspondence, including drafting replies to letters and e-mails, and where appropriate, replying on their behalf;
  • Managing their diaries, including booking rooms and hospitality where appropriate and making travel arrangements;
  • Monitoring social media, webpages, etc, to inform team members on how the online conversation is progressing.
  • Updating staff contact lists on the team’s web pages, etc.;
  • Assisting with drafting briefs for the Archbishops, lead bishops and key members in advance of meetings concerning Public Policy matters;
  • Updating the list of vacancies in Prison Chaplaincy posts on the CofE Pathways system.
  • Maintaining an effective records management system for the work of the Public Policy team, following the appropriate policies for this area.
  • Working with the Public Policy team members to help them define their support needs and make the best use of the support structures available.
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.
Essential
Knowledge/Experience
  • Proficiency in  Microsoft packages including Word, Outlook, Excel and internet browsers and familiarity with working within   a networked computer system
  • Ability to draft and prepare accurate correspondence, briefs and other material as required
  • Alignment with the values and ethos of the Church of England.
Skills & Abilities:
  • Experience of project administration
  • Forward thinking with effective planning skills
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Excellent administration and organisational skills
  • Data gathering and research skills
  • Highly organised and methodical, with the ability to cope with complex priorities
  • Strong collaborative teamwork skills and the ability easily to move between teams
  • An interest in public policy and in building an inclusive church for disabled people
Circumstances:
  •  We welcome applications from people with disabilities and can offer flexibility to accommodate many specific needs. However, the job involves close liaison with other staff and key stakeholders so regular attendance at the office base in London will be required for meetings etc which cannot be held online.
  • Some work outside normal office hours will be expected with Time Off In Lieu to compensate.
  • Some work outside London in support of the Disability Manager may also be required from time to time.
Desirable:
  • An understanding of the Church of England’s structures
  • Experience of working with organisations in the voluntary sector
  • Experience of organising events, including residential events
  • Experience of working for the inclusion of disabled people.
  • Experience of working in public policy administration.
What we offer 
Our benefits include:
  • A salary of £38,918 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 salary.
  • 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus three additional days
  • Flexible working hours and location, with an expectation of just 1-2 days per week in our office in Westminster
  • Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships
  • Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
  • Opportunity to the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies
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.
This role will be offered on a fixed term contract basis for 3 years.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 12 May 2024.
Interviews will be held week commencing 27 May 2024.

Current Vacancies

Part-time Anglican Chaplain at HMP Wandsworth

Overview of the job Job holders will provide faith/belief and pastoral care to prisoners and staff of their own faith/belief tradition and…

Closes Monday 2 December

View Vacancy

Pastoral Assistants | St John the Divine Kennington

Position: Pastoral Assistant Location: St. John the Divine Church (SW9 6JA) Contract: Fixed term through August 2026, Full time. Stipend: £670/month stipend…

Closes Tuesday 10 December

View Vacancy

Children and Families Leader | Holy Trinity Roehampton

Could you be our Children and Families Leader? We are looking for someone with energy, vision and experience to make disciples for…

Closes Tuesday 10 December

View Vacancy

Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel

The Bishop of Southwark is seeking to appoint a new chair to this important group which oversees safeguarding policy, procedures and practice…

Closes Monday 6 January

View Vacancy