Foxhill is the house of prayer and discipleship for the Diocese of Chester. Its purpose is to further the mission of the Diocese whilst being a blessing to the wider church and world.

There is now a vacancy for a Director Designate of Foxhill. The aim is to recruit this postholder to work alongside, and be mentored by, the current, experienced Director. The current Director has moved to a part-time role and is intending to retire during the Summer of 2023. It is anticipated that the Director Designate will take over from the Director at that point.

The post is open to lay or ordained applicants, although there is an Occupational requirement that the postholder is a practising Christian in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010.

Informal conversations are welcomed with the Director, Reverend Jonathon Green on 01978 733777 or by email: Jonathon.green@chester.anglican.org

Salary: £28,708 - £32,229 dependent upon qualifications and experience, rising to £33,403 - £36,923 when the Director Designate becomes the Director.

In addition, housing will be provided.

PLEASE NOTE: Applications should be made through the diocesan website using the diocesan application form, and not through Pathways.

The job description, person specification and application form can be downloaded from the Diocesan website: https://www.chester.anglican.org/support-services/job-vacancies/other-vacancies/

Completed application forms should be returned to Mrs E A Geddes, Diocesan Director of Human Resources preferably by email to liz.geddes@chester.anglican.org

Or by post to Church House, 5500 Daresbury Park, Warrington, WA4 4GE.

Closing date: Friday 28^th January 2022

Interviews: Thursday 10^th February 2022

Hours of work: Full time 35 hours. Flexible working is required, including evenings and weekends and some overnight on-call cover.

Normal place of work: Foxhill House

Overall Purpose of the Post

To work alongside the current Director to have overall responsibility for the development and delivery of the vision and strategy to grow the work of Foxhill as a Christian retreat and conference centre and furthering the mission of the Diocese.

To enable Foxhill to continue its journey to become a prayer hub in the Diocese of Chester, overseeing a dispersed community of prayer.

To work with the current Director to have responsibility for the efficient running of Foxhill, which includes both the management of all paid employees and volunteers and the willingness to undertake duties as part of the team when needed.

Principal Duties and responsibilities include:

The role of the Director Designate is to work with the current Director to provide the vision, strategic direction, business development and leadership for the operations, staff and visitors of Foxhill, making recommendations and developing both the strategic business plan and the spiritual development of the Centre, in conjunction with the Foxhill Advisory and Working Groups:

Main Duties:

1. To provide strong and inspirational leadership and management of staff, to ensure that the highest standards are achieved, ensuring that an excellent service is delivered to all guests and visitors.
2. To develop and implement a strategic business plan, in partnership with Foxhill Advisory and Working Groups, to grow a vibrant, financially sustainable resource for the Diocese of Chester and beyond, evaluating the usage and activities of Foxhill and striving for continuous improvement.
3. To focus the work of the Foxhill as a Centre for Prayer and Discipleship, working alongside the Directors of Ministry and Outreach, amongst others, in creating a strong programme of retreats, quiet days and training for whole-life discipleship.
4. To deepen a rhythm of daily prayer and regular eucharistic worship within Foxhill, both for the staff and guests, and arrange the provision of spiritual direction or sacramental confession where requested.
5. To be an Ambassador for Foxhill, working with others in the Diocese to promote and develop links with deaneries and parishes and to ensure Foxhill is accessible and widely used.
6. To work with the other staff to ensure that the accommodation, grounds, buildings and catering are all maintained to a consistently high standard, so that all guests are well cared for and have a positive experience of their visit.
7. With the Directors of Ministry and Outreach and the cathedral, to support the development of a dispersed community of prayer across the diocese, and praying for Foxhill and the diocese.
8. To be available to conduct appropriate retreats in accordance with the vision and mission of Foxhill and to lead worship for guests as required and where practical.
9. To deliver exceptional hospitality to guests and visitors and to be ‘on call’ for emergencies or special requests (including overnight) and being ‘on-site’ when on duty for guests are in residence.

Operational Activities:

1. To promote the ministry of Foxhill through the website, social media, advertising in retreat and printed publicity in order to develop and increase the use of Foxhill.
2. To work effectively with the Foxhill Advisory and Working Groups, building strong and effective relationships with other key stakeholders, developing and maintaining effective links within the Diocese of Chester and its senior staff.
3. To meet regularly with the Directors of Ministry and Outreach.
4. To attend Church House Management meetings when requested.
5. To lead regular meetings with the whole staff of Foxhill.
6. To support the day to day operations of Foxhill during peak periods and to cover for staff shortages due to holidays etc.
7. To develop the use of the grounds and Arboretum.
8. To ensure all relevant Health and Safety legislation is complied with and assess all foreseeable risks and mitigate risk and effect.
9. To ensure the buildings, fixtures, equipment and fitting are kept in good working order.
10. To ensure that the appropriate insurance cover is in place as required in liaison with the Diocesan Secretary and Head of Finance.
11. To liaise with the Head of Finance at Church House with regard to the appropriate provision and maintenance of IT equipment.
12. To act as the Designated Premises Supervisor in order to comply with the Licensing Act.
13. To carry out any other duties that might reasonably be required.

Management of staff:

1. Care of all staff, including provision of necessary training and arrangement of rosters within individual constraints. Arrangements for temporary extra or cover staff as necessary for the smooth running of the work, and willingness to cover other roles when needed in emergency.
2. To manage staff in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Diocese of Chester, including conducting appraisals and recruitment of staff in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources, whilst maintaining good working relations amongst the Foxhill staff.
3. To create, implement and develop effective team communication mechanisms to ensure that all staff are kept up to date with priorities and developments in a professional environment, as well as organizing and leading staff meetings.

Please note: this list is not exhaustive and the post-holder will be required to undertake duties commensurate with the role.

There is an Occupational Requirement that the post holder is a practising Christian, in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010.

The successful candidate will have a deep and growing faith in Jesus Christ with a mature spirituality. They will have an awareness of a range of Christian spiritualities from personal practical involvement, together with an ability to minister and lead worship for people from a variety of backgrounds. Experience of organising and leading Christian Retreats will be essential.

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The work of the Chester Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) is operated from within Church House and is located at Daresbury Park, Warrington.

The DBF is the body which oversees the central financial and administrative work of the Diocese of Chester, provides support, teaching and trained personnel to advance the mission and ministry of the parishes within the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and the mission and ministries of the bishops of the Diocese.

The DBF is part of the Church of England, the established Church of the land, which proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and aims to proclaim the Kingdom of God in an open way to all people, of all races, cultures and backgrounds.

For many posts within the Diocese those who are not members of the Church of England are welcome to apply. We respect their right to express different religious and philosophical opinions but require them, as employees of the Diocese, to respect our ethos as an Anglican Christian organisation and not to undermine it. These posts will require the post-holders to be in sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Church of England.

Some posts may include an Occupational Requirement for the post holder to be a practising Christian in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010. Where this applies the recruitment documentation will state this.

The Diocese of Chester is in the province of York in the Church of England, part of the global Anglican Communion. For more information about our life, ministry and work please visit our website www.chester.anglican.org We are linked with the Anglican Church of Melanesia in the Solomon Islands and the Dioceses of Aru and Boga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Diocese covers an area of 1025 square miles, approximately the old Victorian County of Chester, including parts which subsequently became absorbed into Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The Rivers Mersey and Tame approximately delineate the boundary with Liverpool and Manchester. There are areas of dense urban population, mainly in the north, stretching from Birkenhead to East Manchester. There are prosperous suburban regions of West and South Wirral, Chester and south of Manchester, with a mainly rural heartland, bounded by the Derbyshire Pennines and the Welsh Border. The overall population is around 1.6 million.

The diocesan bishop is Mark Tanner. He is supported by two suffragan bishops: the Bishop of Birkenhead, Julie Conalty and the of Bishop of Stockport, Sam Corley.

The Cathedral for the Diocese is in Chester.

The Diocese is divided into two archdeaconries: Chester covering the western half and Macclesfield the eastern, each with nine deaneries. There are 273 parishes, about 100 of which can be described as rural. Compared with many dioceses, there are few teams, and few multi-parish benefices. There are approximately 231 stipendiary clergy. The ministry of Readers and Pastoral Workers is important, with over 400 licensed. The role of self-supporting ministers is increasing, with over 80 in post at present.

Roughly speaking, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield covers that part of the diocese to the east of the M6, plus the area around Crewe and Nantwich. The Archdeaconry of Chester covers the rest of the diocese to the west of the M6. Each archdeaconry has a broad mix of urban and rural parishes. The Archdeacon of Chester lives in Chester, and the Archdeacon of Macclesfield lives in Congleton. Both now work from Church House, Daresbury.