Whalley Abbey has been a Retreat and Conference Centre for the diocese since the diocese was founded in 1926. The house is set in the ruins of a 14th Century Cistercian Abbey on the banks of the River Calder in the beautiful countryside of the Ribble Valley, but with easy access to road and rail networks.

Main Responsibilities

Finance and Administration

• Contribute to an up to date live, vigorous data base to facilitate room and meetings/events sales.
• Help to ensure that information used to promote the Abbey is up-to-date and accurate including amending website and social media.
• Utilise and help to contribute to the Abbey’s systems, including Rezlynx, to achieve effective management of enquiry process to conversion, communication to team mates, invoicing and payment.
• Operate a strict pre-payment and post event invoicing procedure to optimise revenues.
• Ensure an effective post event follow up process is in place to optimise future revenues
• Manage the accounts payable and receivable.
• Manage Bookings and communications.
• Review all suppliers and negotiate to ensure best value for the Abbey within the values and ethos of the Abbey.
• Effectively manage Event and Bookings Diary to optimise revenue
• Remain aware of business demand, peaks and troughs to achieve optimum yield
• Champion a customer-focused ethos through actively seeking customer feedback and ensuring follow-up action taken

General duties

• Contribute to an up to date live, vigorous data base to facilitate room and meetings/events sales.
• Help to ensure that information used to promote the Abbey is up-to-date and accurate including amending website and social media.
• Utilise and help to contribute to the Abbey’s systems, including Rezlynx, to achieve effective management of enquiry process to conversion, communication to team mates, invoicing and payment.
• Operate a strict pre-payment and post event invoicing procedure to optimise revenues.
• Ensure an effective post event follow up process is in place to optimise future revenues
• Manage the accounts payable and receivable.
• Manage Bookings and communications.
• Review all suppliers and negotiate to ensure best value for the Abbey within the values and ethos of the Abbey.
• Effectively manage Event and Bookings Diary to optimise revenue
• Remain aware of business demand, peaks and troughs to achieve optimum yield
• Champion a customer-focused ethos through actively seeking customer feedback and ensuring follow-up action taken
• Undertake any other duties which are consistent with the basic objectives and or/duties of the post, consistent with the basic objectives and needs of the Abbey.

People

Line Management

• Help to plan and organize staffing levels for events and business as usual.

Performance management

• Participate in regular meetings with Line Manager - at least once per month.
• Assist with induction training, on the job training of new members of staff, and apprentices.

Training

• Participate in training sessions as required and identify training needs which will benefit the provision of your department.

Team Working

• Consciously contribute to effective team working at the management and team levels and encourage colleagues to behave likewise.

Service Quality

Guest/Customer Satisfaction

• Constantly focus on the satisfaction of the Guest as our main purpose and encourage staff to follow prompt.
• Monitor customer satisfaction by communicating pro-actively with guests and staff, review customer feedback with your Line Manager and follow through on delegated action steps to address any shortfalls. Coordinate all ‘Whalley Abbey impact Survey’ responses, responding to them, and forwarding them to the relevant staff and volunteers, as required by policy

Environment, Health & Safety and Security

• Follow carefully the Whalley Abbey standards on being environmentally friendly
• Ensure safe working practices in accordance with the correct policy and procedure
• Report all H&S issues and refurbishment requirements in all areas of the Abbey to the Director and follow up on it
• Fully understand the safety procedures of the Abbey and assist to ensure the safe evacuation of guests and staff
• Attend all Health and Safety training as instructed by the Director
• Monitor the security of the site.

• Computer Literacy, a good level of knowledge and experience of IT systems and packages eg Word and Excel.
• IT skills, have the skills to be able to trouble shoot and utilise an online guest booking and management system.
• Experience of financial administration.
• Accurate and appropriate numerical and written word skills.
• High level of detail in administration skills so that all systems and correspondence data/information is 100% accurate.
• Customer service skills: the ability to provide customer support in a prompt, friendly, and timely manner. Must also be able to follow-up on a guest requirements.
• Stress management skills: The ability and experience of being able to maintain composure in high pressure and fast-paced environment
• Self- starter and team player: must be able to work both independently as well as in a team oriented environment to accomplish assigned tasks and goals
• Listening and communication skills: require the ability to actively listen to customers or guests to deduce what their real needs are.
• A good eye for detail and a desire to take responsibility, adaptable and willing to accept change
• Professionalism: must be enthusiastic, respectful, and friendly; with a professional and welcoming presentation, and most importantly, possess a positive attitude
• Interpersonal skills: It is vital that you possess strong interpersonal skills to relate easily with people of various background and personalities. It is also required to help them establish relationships and build rapport with employees, customers, and guests
• Organisational skills: must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and multi-tasking, with the ability to effectively prioritise assignments.
• Flexible in terms of being able to complete tasks and duties according to the demands of the Abbey and guests at the time.
• Commercial acumen, proven experience of being able to increase revenue and control costs.
• The ability to understand and to be able to contribute towards the Vision and ethos of the Abbey.
• Interest and enjoyment in working with people.
• Supportive of the ethos of Whalley Abbey.
• A high standard of presentation and personal appearance.

The Diocese of Blackburn represents the Church of England in most of Lancashire and part of Wigan Metropolitan Borough, covering an area of 878 square miles with a population of 1.3 million. The Diocese is made up of two archdeaconries, Blackburn and Lancaster, with a total of fourteen deaneries. There are 275 licensed churches, comprising around 237 parishes, with around 254 licensed clergy (of whom 146 FTE are stipendiary incumbents, plus approx. 25 stipendiary curates) and 158 licensed Readers.

Salary: £12.71 per hour

Pension: Membership of the DBF, Royal London Pension Scheme 10% employer contribution and 2% employee contribution. Salary sacrifice is available if membership of the Clergy Pension Scheme is preferred.

Hours of Work: 32 hours per week

Holiday Entitlement: Entitlement to 25 days (not including statutory bank holidays) in the first year rising by 1 day per completed calendar year up to a maximum of 30 days per year. The holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Probation: This post will be subject to a six-month probationary period.

How to apply - please do not apply via the pathways website. To apply please visit the Diocesan website General vacancies | The Diocese of Blackburn (anglican.org)