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The Diocese of Leeds came into existence at Easter 2014 following the dissolution of the former dioceses of Bradford, Ripon & Leeds, and Wakefield. It covers the whole of West Yorkshire, the western part of North Yorkshire, and small parts of South Yorkshire, Lancashire, and County Durham.

The Diocese of Leeds is one of the largest dioceses in England and its creation in 2014 was unprecedented in the history of the Church of England. It covers an area of around 2,425 square miles, housing a population of around 2,642,400.

The Bishop of Kirkstall is one of five area bishops working with the Bishop of Leeds as part of the Diocese Of Leeds. Each Bishop has a part-time PA with whom they build a strong working relationship and rely on to provide administrative and PA support for their roles.

The Personal Assistant to the Bishop of Kirkstall will provide effective PA support by dealing proactively with diary matters, correspondence and enquiries, ensuring that the Bishop is well prepared for services, meetings and events and working with the Bishop to pastorally care for the clergy and people of the Leeds Episcopal Area.

The Personal Assistant manages the Bishop’s Office and ensures that work for the Bishop of Kirkstall is completed to a high standard. The Personal Assistant is usually the first point of contact with the Bishop’s Office and provides a variety of PA and administration for the Bishop. This includes prioritising mail and messages, organising the Bishop’s diary, drafting replies and/or briefing papers as appropriate, and arranging events and meetings, ensuring that the Bishop is properly resourced and supported in his work. There is a high degree of confidentiality in this work.

The Personal Assistant has key working relationships with other senior staff in the Diocese, particularly the Bishops, Archdeacons, Area Deans and staff at the Episcopal Area Office in Church House in Leeds City Centre.

The working hours for this post are 20 hours per week and the working arrangements will be discussed in more detail at interview. The salary for this post is £27,171 per year (for full time hours) which will be prorated to £15,526 per year for 20 hours a week.

To arrange an informal discussion please contact Bishop Arun Bishop.Arun@leeds.anglican.org

The closing date for applications is the 9th October 2023.

Interviews will be held during the afternoon of the 16th October​ 2023 at Church House, York Place, Leeds LS1 2EX.

For full details, please see the Job Description attached below.

Key Tasks:

Office Duties

• Respond to telephone enquiries – providing information, using judgement in directing calls and ensuring that appropriate information is brought to the Bishop’s attention
• Arrange confirmations and licensing dates for clergy working with the Archdeaon of Leeds PA and the Bishop of Leeds office
• Take a proactive approach towards managing the Bishop’s diary, regularly liaising with the Bishop and others in a smooth and unflappable manner
• Manage those parts of the administrative process of vacancies and appointments which fall within the remit of the Bishop’s Office, in conjunction with the Bishop of Leeds Office
• Work closely with the Bishop and other members of the Bishop’s Leadership Team, including Area Deans, and particularly with the Archdeacon of Leeds
• Organise and maintain filing systems
• Ensure that the Bishop has all the necessary paperwork in advance of meetings and engagements
• Make arrangements for the Bishop’s travel, including providing maps and directions
• Prepare PowerPoint presentations, service orders and other resources require

Budget

• Manage the Bishop’s working expenses using good judgement
• Make general decisions about the budget and have accountability for spending where the Bishop is signatory
• Be familiar with the financial system for budgeting and monitoring of the expenses required to run the Bishop’s Office (including maintenance of spread-sheets, recoding expenditure and budgets for the Church Commissioners)

Other duties

• Welcome visitors to the Bishop’s Office and ensure that they are dealt with in a polite and courteous manner
• Assist where necessary in the making and serving of refreshments to visitors
• Attend meetings, special services and social events, as agreed with the Bishop
• Ensure that sensitive information is stored in a suitable, confidential manner and that all confidential matters are respected
• Other duties broadly in line with these from time to time, as instructed by the Bishop and those he nominates
• Undertake training, as required

Essential Requirements

Experience

• Experience of working in an administrative capacity in an office environment

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent communications skills (verbal and written), including good telephone skills
• Proficient IT skills including strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (particularly Word and Outlook) and ability to use databases to search and record work
• Numeracy skills
• Total discretion in handling confidential material
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to deal tactfully and sympathetically with the laity and clergy in the Diocese
• Ability to work on own initiative and develop new systems
• Knowledge of the structures of the Church of England (or willingness to learn)
• An appreciation of the diverse communities in the Diocese

Education

• Educated to A-Level standard or equivalent

Personal Qualities

• Sympathy with the aims and values of the Church of England
• Sensitivity to the Bishop’s Office also being the home of the Bishop

Work-related Circumstances

• Able to work flexibly, including very occasional evenings and weekends with prior notice
• Willingness to travel to meetings within the Diocese
• Willingness to undertake training as required

One of the key aspects of the Diocese of Leeds is the "Episcopal Area" system. This means each of the five area has a designated bishop who has responsibility for them, allowing for close episcopal involvement across the diocese.

To find out more, please visit Bishop of Kirkstall