Part time 20 hours per week (Monday to Friday, occasional evenings and weekends)

The Diocese of Chester is looking to recruit a Personal Assistant to provide excellent administrative support to the Archdeacon of Macclesfield. As PA you will be required to deal proactively with correspondence and enquiries, ensuring that the Archdeacon is well informed about issues and well prepared for meetings.

You will be based either at Church House, Daresbury Business Park, Daresbury WA4 4GE or at the Archdeacon’s home in Congleton, although a trial period of some hybrid working is also underway.

The successful candidate will have proven administrative competence, excellent interpersonal and organisational skills.

Salary: £22,179 - £24,577 pro rata dependent upon qualifications and experience.

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/

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

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: 14 August 2022

Interviews: 25 August 2022

Overall Purpose of the Post

To provide excellent administrative support to the Archdeacon of Macclesfield by dealing proactively with correspondence and enquiries and ensuring that the Archdeacon is well informed about issues and well prepared for meetings.

Main Duties

1. To action all emails/ written correspondence arriving in the Archdeacon’s office in a timely manner taking relevant action in all cases.
2. To use own initiative in responding to both email and telephone enquiries, providing information, using judgement in directing calls and ensuring the appropriate information is brought to the Archdeacon’s attention.
3. To take a proactive approach towards the Archdeacon’s diary and schedule, liaising as necessary with both internal and external parties.
4. To manage those parts of the administrative process of vacancies and appointments which fall within the remit of the Archdeacon’s office, liaising with the PA’s to the Bishop of Chester and the Bishop of Stockport as necessary.
5. To record attendance at the annual Archdeacon Visitation Services (4 evenings per year).
6. To arrange and attend Churchwardens’ Training (2 Saturdays per year).
7. To organise and maintain the filing systems, now mainly electronic, ensuring compliance with GDPR at all times.
8. To ensure that the Archdeacon has all necessary paperwork in advance of meetings/ engagements, including directions where appropriate.
9. To manage the Archdeacon’s working expenses using good judgement.
10. To ensure that sensitive information is stored in a suitable, confidential manner and that all confidential matters are respected.

Other duties

1. To welcome visitors to the Archdeacon’s office ensuring that they are dealt with in a polite and courteous manner.
2. To provide refreshments/ light lunch to visitors as necessary.
3. To replenish stationery as necessary.
4. Other duties broadly in line with these from time to time as instructed by the Archdeacon and those he nominates.
5. To undertake training as required.

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

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.