Lambeth Palace is a unique building of significant historical and global provenance. It is, first and foremost, the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his family, as well as home to a wider, diverse and thriving, residential community. It is also an office and the epicentre of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry to the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion. It is a Grade I listed building comprising various listed buildings dating from the 12th to the 20th centuries, set within 10 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens. Fundamentally, the Palace seeks to be a place of contribution to the life of a 21st century church.

In support of the Archbishop’s ministry, the office at Lambeth Palace is made up of several interconnected teams – Anglican Communion, Chaplaincy, Communications, Correspondence, Ecumenical, Evangelism & Witness, Events, Facilities, Finance, Inter-Religious, Public Affairs, Reconciliation, Records - each providing pivotal, interdependent and essential support to the Archbishop to enable the effective delivery of the ministry to which he has been called by God.

Lambeth Palace is an exciting and vibrant ‘community of communities’. Working here provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to the ministry of an internationally significant religious leader in a friendly, busy, fast-paced and dynamic office. The team at Lambeth Palace works collaboratively with colleagues throughout the National Church Institutions (NCIs) and beyond and supports each other at busy periods with flexibility and good humour.

The role of Personal Assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Adviser on Social and Public Affairs is an excellent opportunity for a skilled and experienced Personal Assistant to provide high quality secretarial and administrative support to the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs, who is part of the Archbishop’s Senior Team at Lambeth Palace.

The Adviser on Social and Public Affairs leads on those aspects of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s role and ministry that touch on public policy, civil society, government and church-state issues. This work is key to shaping the Archbishop’s witness in the public square, focussing on those areas of specific interest and concern to the Archbishop.

The ideal candidate will be confident and professional with superb communication skills and the ability to build excellent working relationships. Due to the nature of this role, there will be an ever-changing workload and you will need to be able to prioritise with ease, operating several steps ahead at all times.

You will also need proven administrative, office and diary management skills and the ability to support the Adviser in organising events, official engagements and functions at Lambeth Palace involving the Archbishop. A background or working in a policy environment ideally in parliament/the civil service or the third sector would be very helpful.

Interviews will be held on the 1st July 2019

In return we offer a unique environment with opportunities for continuous learning, generous annual leave for work life balance, season ticket loans and a range of benefits including discounted entry to attractions and what we feel is a market leading package when it comes to our pension scheme.

The Role:

• Dealing with a high volume of correspondence, drafting letters, emails and other documents on behalf of the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs and, where appropriate, replying on their behalf. Transcribing dictation, receiving and making telephone calls on their behalf.
• Managing the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs’ calendar, including arranging a high volume of meetings, booking meeting rooms and offering hospitality where appropriate, and making travel arrangements.
• Supporting the Adviser in organising events, official engagements and functions at Lambeth Palace involving the Archbishop for which the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs has responsibility, such as roundtables, lunches, dinners and receptions.
• Organising appointments and meetings, including room bookings, refreshments, invitations, and circulation of related documents.
• Making practical arrangements, including travel arrangements and diary liaison with the Private Office, for the Archbishop’s involvement in events outside of the Palace for which the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs has responsibility.
• Assisting in the preparation of briefs for the Archbishop’s official engagements for which the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs has responsibility, including drafting and collation of information.
• Being the initial point of contact for organisations with which the Archbishop has a patronage relationship, including overseeing the periodic review of patronage relationships.
• Receiving and greeting visitors on behalf of the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs.
• Dealing with enquiries and, within agreed limits, progressing the work of the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs in his/her absence.
• Maintaining paper and electronic filing and ensuring the safe and secure storage of confidential material.
• Being aware of the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs’ objectives and views and, where appropriate, communicating these to external and internal parties.
• Providing any other duties that may arise in terms of general administrative support to the Adviser on Social and Public Affairs.

The Requirements:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Good oral and written communication skills, including an excellent telephone manner.
• Ability to draft and prepare correspondence, briefs and other material as required.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and good judgement in dealing with a wide range of issues.
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills with the ability to deal with people at all levels including government, civil servants, parliamentarians, bishops and industry leaders.
• Well organised and methodical with the ability to cope with competing priorities.
• A self-starter, able to use initiative and good judgement.
• Ability to be proactive in conjunction with other members of the Lambeth Palace team.
• Good IT skills - experienced user of Word, Outlook, Excel and the internet as well as a networked computer system, with fast and accurate word processing skills.
• An eye for detail and a strong sense of responsibility to produce consistently well-presented work of a high standard, with fast response times.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure, and to adapt plans quickly in response to change.
• Ability to work as a member of a team.
• Ability to create and implement new processes and systems to improve efficiency.
• Flexibility to work very occasional evenings, as necessary to fulfil duties and responsibilities.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Previous experience of administrative and secretarial support in the third sector and in a busy and fast-paced office environment, demonstrating the knowledge and skills required to give full support of the kind outlined above.
• A background or working in a policy environment, ideally in parliament/the civil service or the third sector.
• An interest in current affairs and public policy.

Education:

• ‘A’ level standard or equivalent

Desirable

• Experience of working in a public policy environment.
• Previous experience of working in a complex or similar organisation.
• An interest in the work of the Archbishop’s ministry and the Church of England generally, and some knowledge of the Church’s structures.

We in the National Church Institutions support the mission and ministries of the Church all over England. We work with parishes, dioceses (regional offices), schools, other ministries and our partners at a national and international level.

Excellence, Respect, Integrity

We follow these three values in everything we do, whether we are of Christian faith, another faith or no faith. To learn more about working for National Church Institutions and our benefits, please click here

As we are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, we welcome all applications from those you have served in our Armed Forces and their families

We are committed to building a culturally diverse workforce. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from people, regardless of their background. As a Disability Confident committed employer, it is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practical or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria* due to high volume. We limit the amount of interviews conducted to five applicants per open post we advertise.

*Where applicable depending on post requirements.