Saintlaurence Reading

saintlaurence Reading St Laurence Church Job Description

Vacancy: Maternity Cover – P/T Office Manager & Vicar’s PA

Hours 20 hours p/w (Must include Mon & Tues 9.30-2.30)

Salary Up to £23,956 PA FTE (dependent upon experience)

Contract 7 Months Fixed-Term (5th Oct 2015 – 30th April 2016)

Starting Date: Ideally available from 5th Oct for 1 month handover with existing post-holder, must be available to start 2nd Nov 2015

Location: St Laurence Church, Friar St, Reading, RG1 1DA

Reports to: Vicar

Job Purpose/Summary This is a critical role that enables the smooth running of the church office and all operations in order to support and facilitate the ministry of St Laurence. The post-holder would need to provide executive administrative & advisory support to the Vicar and would manage Church Service Administration, Communication, Events, HR & Finance.

Key relationships

 All members of the staff team

 PCC, Church Wardens & church members (where necessary)

 Arabella Mates – Vicar’s PA @ Lambeth Palace

 Hiring organisations/individuals

 Service providers

 Visitors

Duties & Responsibilities

Specific job responsibilities & duties include:  Provision of administrative & advisory support to the Vicar  Overseeing the smooth running of the church office  Specific responsibility for Service Administration, Communication, Events, HR, & Finance  Supporting the Finance Administrator  Acting as first point of contact for all enquiries

1). Welcoming/Reception

 Be the first point of contact for any enquiries or visitors (by phone, email or in person) including responding to emails sent to the “admin” address, taking all phone calls & responding to messages and welcoming visitors into the building.

 Manage all incoming and outgoing mail

2). Service Administration

 Oversee the recording and uploading of sermon podcasts onto host site and link to Face book & St Laurence website

 Request a copy of each rota to hold in the office for staff reference and chase when new ones needed (e.g. S1, S2, Worship, Children’s Work etc).

 Send out weekly email to those involved in the forthcoming Sunday Service to co-ordinate content and flag specific events (e.g. baptisms, christenings, visiting speakers).

 Ensure any additional literature has been produced in preparation of services (e.g. Order of Service, Lent Prayer Books etc).

 Complete quarterly marriage returns and annual parish statistics

 Maintain records of electoral roll & prepare all necessary paperwork for AGM & AVM in coordination with PCC Secretary

3). Communication

 Maintain and regularly update the St L database

 Regularly update the church notice board including information displayed on the community board and circulate relevant information via Face book and email to the St L Community

 Prompt and send out weekly e-newsletter to the St L Community in co-ordination with Vicar  Update relevant sections of St L website as required

4.) Events (Internal & External)

 Respond to all enquiries and potential booking requests

 Manage the church diary and entry of all bookings

 Provide/source refreshments for relevant internal events (e.g. Shared Conversations, Jim McNeish, PCC).

 Provide a tour of the church facilities as requested

 Administrate all external bookings including the completion of contracts

 Ensure information booklet for prospective hiring individuals/organisations is up to date

 Liaise with main contact regarding all logistics, practicalities and equipment needs prior to the event

 Arrange for equipment to be set up as required

 Ensure a nominated key holder is provided where necessary

 Communicate all forthcoming bookings with staff members

 Produce and send out feedback survey following all events

 Initiate opportunities to further market St L as an events venue

 Update the venue hire section on St L website

 Oversee all licensing requirements for relevant events

 Refer to PCC sub-committee regarding any potential bookings outside of the usual remit

5.) HR

 Maintaining records of all leave for PCC Employees

 Updating employment contracts & staff handbook annually  Conducting salary reviews upon the request of PCC annually

 Liaising with payroll provider and sense checking pay details to ensure all information correct

 Advising on HR-related issues (or sourcing legal advice where necessary)

 Assisting the Vicar by co-ordinating staff away days, training, line management, coaching sessions, clinical supervision and setting up management committee meetings

6.) Finance

Supporting the Finance Administrator by:

 Forwarding on any relevant finance related emails or post received

 Acting as point of contact or referral for Finance Administrator

6.) Buildings/Office Management

 Oversee various service contracts (including cleaner, fire & security, gas & electricity, buildings insurance etc) and liaise with Finance Administrator & Curate when renewing/changing

 Oversee use of downstairs storage area by hiring organizations and communicate to staff team accordingly any new/revised arrangements

 Place orders for relevant equipment or stationery as required

 Maintain a welcoming and tidy office environment (to include filing)

 Co-ordinate with the Curate with regards to any IT needs

7.) Personal Assistant to the Vicar

 Manage the Vicar’s diary, booking meetings & travel (as requested) ensuring he has the necessary paper work in advance

 Liaise regularly with the Vicar’s other PA at Lambeth Palace to ensure a joined-up approach for diary management & recouping lieu days

 Respond on behalf of the Vicar to emails, letters & phone calls as requested  Prepare all necessary documents on behalf of the Vicar

 Advise the Vicar on any issues in which you are consulted on

 Maintain and prioritize a list of the Vicar’s existing tasks and follow-up as necessary

 Meet with the Vicar on a weekly basis to discuss diary commitments and tasks to be undertaken

 Prompt the production of documentation as required (e.g. agendas for forthcoming meetings).

 Oversee the logistics and administration of all internal ad-hoc events as proposed by the Vicar (e.g. visit to Lambeth Palace, Jim McNeish weekend etc) including budgetary management and feedback to Treasurer and Finance Administrator as required.

 Attend events in support of the Vicar as requested (e.g. funerals)

8.) Other ad-hoc duties

 Other ad-hoc tasks as required.

General

In addition to the specific duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description, all St Laurence Church employees should be aware of their specific responsibilities towards the following:

 Must be respectful of the Christian ethos and overall values of the church and uphold ethical and professional standards and not behave in a manner that is likely to bring the Church into disrepute.

 St Laurence operates a no-smoking policy. The post holder should either be a non-smoker or be prepared not to smoke in any church premises, grounds or vehicles or when on St Laurence business outside the office.

 Adhere to all health & safety and fire regulations and to co-operate with the church in maintaining good standards of health & safety.

 Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning and development and to participate in any training relevant to the role.

 You will also be required to attend weekly staff meetings and participate in other ad hoc meetings as necessary.

This job description is not exhaustive. It merely acts as a guide and may be amended to meet the changing requirements of the Charity at any time after discussion with the post holder. saintlaurence Reading

St Laurence Church Person Specification

Job Title: Temp Office Manager & Vicar’s PA

Work Requirements and Experience:

Essential: . GCSE/A-levels (Grades A-C) or equivalent . PC literate with demonstrated proficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel & PowerPoint . Administrative experience . Attention to detail . Approachable, friendly and outgoing individual with excellent relational skills . An effective team player . A commitment to confidentiality . Excellent organisational skills . Excellent time management & the ability to prioritise work load efficiently . Ability to judge situations and handle sensitively . Good written & verbal communication skills . A citizen of the UK or the EU, or have entitlement to work in the UK. . A DBS Enhanced Disclosure for Adult & Child Workforce including barred list checks . A respect of and sympathy towards the Christian ethos and values of the Church

Desirable: . Working knowledge of the Church of England . HR knowledge and/or experience . Finance knowledge and/or experience . Events management experience . Previous PA experience