Job Description and Person Spec for PA to the Priest in Charge and Parish Administrator of Fairlight, Guestling and Westfield Churches
Responsible to: Priest in Charge
Overall purpose: to ensure that all administrative activities of the parishes are undertaken effectively and in line with the Churches vision and values, to facilitate their overall ministry.
Location: St Peter’s Church Centre in Fairlight, located next to Fairlight Village Hall on the corner of Broadway and Waites Lane. The post holder must live sufficiently near to Fairlight, Guestling and Westfield to be able to access all four churches and church offices in Fairlight and Westfield. Option available to agree on flexible working from home when access to these locations isn’t necessary.
Payment: £9523.80 per annum
Working hours: 15 hours per week with working days and times to be arranged to suit.
Holiday entitlement: 5 weeks per annum pro rata.
Training: Induction and appropriate training will be provided with ongoing support.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Office Management and General Administrative Duties
a. Provide general administrative support to the Priest in Charge.
b. Be skilled in IT and familiar with Word, Excel, and Power Point and Gmail, to manage and use as appropriate for the general organisation of church administration, including meetings, diary, holidays, electoral roll, and rotas. Maintain Office 365.
c. documentation in accordance with requirements and carry out an annual shredding of paperwork which no longer needs keeping in line with policy.
e. Review and implement procedures to ensure clear, efficient, and effective office operation and ensure a safe and clean working environment within the offices.
f. Create, maintain and develop systems as necessary to streamline common areas of administration for three parishes together and when required train post holders to be able to access and use them.
g. Create and maintain an electronic and physical folder of all forms used and ensure availability of supplies.
h. Deal with statutory documents, including statistical returns, registers, certificates and applications; and ensuring that church records are kept up to date (e.g. register of baptisms; marriage banns, marriages, burials and records of fees, copyright reporting).
i. Liaise as necessary with the secretaries to the Parochial Church Council (PCC) Church Wardens, Safeguarding Teams, Electoral Roll Officers, and Diocesan Advisors at Church House.
j. Take and manage bookings, including invoicing, for users of Church buildings/Halls.
k. Maintain Church Websites
l. Maintain’ A Church Near You’ websites
m. Maintain Google Calendar
n. Update the ‘Life Events Diary’ used for Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals as required
2. Financial Responsibilities
a. Raise invoices for fees for weddings, funerals, and ad hoc building bookings for BACS payments, copy in the Treasurers and liaise with them to ensure payment received.
b. Maintain Excel spreadsheet for hall bookings
c. Maintain invoice folders for weddings/funerals/baptism and church buildings/Halls.
3. Parish communications
a. Act as first point of contact for, and log all general enquiries, ensuring people are dealt with politely and professionally and followed up by appropriate action.
b. Manage parish correspondence, including post, e-mail, and telephone.
c. Parish mailings as required including printing and distributing.
e. Liaise with volunteers to produce publicity for church activities (e.g. Café’ Refresh, Women’s Fellowship, Dementia Services)
f. Create, email, and post online church notices.
g. Provide administrative support to the Vicar for all matters relating to baptisms, funerals and weddings including dealing with enquiries, communications, bookings, registers, certificates, materials, payments, organists, and vergers.
4. Administrative Support for Weekly Worship
a. Distribute to team members the Sunday orders of service.
b. To create Power points and produce large print copies for Sunday and other services, as required.
5. Other tasks
a. Meet regularly with the Priest in Charge.
b. Undertake any other duties that may be reasonably required by the Priest in Charge, or whoever may be appointed to deputize for them.
In order to fulfil their duties, the post holder will need to be sympathetic to the Christian faith and have an understanding of the faith and church calendar appropriate to the key responsibilities.
This post holder will work within the parishes and therefore the successful applicant will be required to satisfactorily complete, and keep up to date, safeguarding training levels C0 and C1 online, and will be required to comply with the safeguarding policies and procedures of Fairlight, Guestling, and Westfield Churches.
Person Profile:
In order to fulfil this role, we will be looking for someone who is/has:
Skills, abilities and experience
- Excellent administrative skills.
- Unquestionable ability to keep confidential information safe.
- Ability to multi-task; excellent time-management skills.
- Experience of working in a busy environment.
- Computer literate, in both Office Word, Excel and Power Point.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written communication skills.
- Able to prioritise
- Uses initiative
- Good level of numeracy.
- Smart appearance when meeting people in person.
Personal qualities
An approachable, open, calm, and efficient person with personal integrity, resilience and confidence who offers a warm welcome and treats others with respect.
Fairlight, Guestling and Westfield Churches are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check.