PA to the Dean & Office Administrator

PA to the Dean & Office Administrator | Southwark Cathedral

Job Title: PA to the Dean & Office Administrator

Reports to: Dean of Southwark

Key Relationships: Dean of Southwark, Cathedral Clergy, COO, Chapter Members, Chapter Committee Members, Senior Management Team, Cathedral Staff, Contractors

Start date: As soon as possible

Salary: £31,000 FTE

Hours of work: 35 hours per week (excluding lunch breaks). Some flexibility will be required to allow attendance at evening meetings and events.

How to apply: Please submit a CV and Cover Letter (no more than two sides of A4) outlining your suitability for this role, with reference to the main duties and person specification below. The deadline is Monday 13 January 2025 at 12pm. 

Interviews: Week commencing 20 January 2025

Role Purpose

Southwark Cathedral has been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years. Now it stands on the vibrant and exciting regenerated south bank of the Thames surrounded by cultural venues such as Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market, the offices of major companies as well as schools and diverse residential communities. It is an inclusive Christian community that offers a welcome to all.

This is a key role at Southwark Cathedral supporting the Dean. This secretarial role will primarily feature management of a busy personal diary, correspondence and broader administrative support for the Dean in his capacity as Dean of Southwark, Chair of Chapter and CEO of the Cathedral.

The role holder will also support the Cathedral team as the Office Administrator – responsible for a range of office duties relating to staff wellbeing & socials, office equipment & spaces and the Cathedral’s general enquiries email address.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

For the Dean

• Manage the Dean’s diary: including making appointments, arranging meetings, scheduling preaching and other liturgical arrangements, programming annual schedules (such as Bishops Staff Meetings, chaplaincy and wider public commitments) - keeping Outlook diaries up to date with any changes and making travel arrangements;
• Prepare the Dean’s weekly diary file, including the preparation of any meeting papers or briefs for the week ahead;
• Provide administrative support for the Dean in relation to their attendance at meetings associated with the governance of the Cathedral, including Chapter, Finance Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, Fabric Advisory Committee and Board of Enterprises. This will include liaising with colleagues on the Dean’s availability for upcoming meetings, any research the Dean requires and preparation of paper packs for such meetings. Minute taking will not usually be required, but may be requested from time to time in liaison with members of staff usually responsible for the minutes;
• Draft, file and send outgoing correspondence on the Dean’s behalf and process incoming correspondence;
• Support the Dean in all their working relationships including building and maintaining excellent relationships with Chapter Members and Committee Members, the Bishop’s staff and with the wider Diocese, as well as with congregation members, neighbours, commercial partners, professional advisers and other third-party organisations relating to the Dean’s work;
• Set up meetings including room set up and refreshment provision as required;
• Assist the Dean with the processing of their expenses;
• Work with the Governance & Committees Manager on Gifts Registry declarations for the Dean;
• Provide administrative support to bodies the Dean chairs, e.g. Southwark Cathedral Development Trust, the Deans Fund and other Cathedral-associated bodies;
• Assist the Sub Dean and Precentor with administrative tasks as requested;
• Update the Cathedral database in support of the Dean’s work.  

Office Administration

• Receiving, distributing and responding to emails sent to the Cathedral’s general information email address;
• Ordering stationery, office equipment and consumables in line with the Cathedral’s approach to sustainability and ethical buying;
• Ensuring the Cathedral’s printing and franking equipment is kept fully functional, and liaising with our contractors when issues arise;
• Ensuring that the offices, reception area, print room, stationery area, staff kitchen and facilities are kept clean, tidy and supplied;
• Co-ordinating Staff Meetings, including booking suitable space and organising refreshments for the meeting;
• Organising staff social events, outings and meals;
• Providing administrative support on Cathedral projects as and when they arise.

General Duties and Expectations

• Provide general administrative assistance in the context of a busy office;
• Support other teams on an ad hoc basis when required;
• Promote the mission, purpose and values of the Cathedral;
• Ensure that the highest standards of professional performance are maintained & ensure professional skills are regularly updated through participation in training and development activities.

The main duties and responsibilities of your post are outlined in your job description. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to reflect your main tasks and areas of work. Changes may occur over time and you will be expected to agree any reasonable changes to your job description that are commensurate with your salary and in line with the general nature of your post. You will be consulted about any changes to your job description before these are implemented.
 

Person Specification   (E) = Essential    (D) = Desirable
 

Skills & Aptitudes

• Excellent verbal communication skills, including a friendly & efficient phone manner (E)
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders (E)
• Able to maintain confidentiality at all times (E)
• Strong writing skills (E) 
• Able to manage the formal processes of meeting in a proactive way (E)
• Proficient with MS Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel & PowerPoint (E)
• Well organised, with good prioritisation skills (E)
• Organised approach to physical and digital filing, naming & storing of documents (E)
• Able to take ownership of tasks & complete them with minimal supervision (E)
• Able to draft agendas and papers from an outline brief (D)

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of working in an office environment (E)
• Experience of working with virtual-meeting platforms such as Zoom & MS Teams (E)
• Experience of working with and administering databases, summarising information in an easy-to-understand format (E)
• Experience of diary management (E)
• Understanding of the Church of England, its structures and liturgy (D)
• Experience of minute-taking and producing summaries of outcomes and actions resulting from meetings (D)

Personal Attributes

• Highly organised, able to work to deadlines (E)
• Proactive problem solver (E)
• Flexible and cooperative team player (E)
• Self-motivated (E)
• Demonstrates sympathy for the vision, mission & values of Southwark Cathedral (E)

Southwark Cathedral believes in promoting and building a diverse and inclusive team, and workplace, culture and governance structures that are welcoming to and respectful of all. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people whatever their ethnicity, background, age, disability, long term condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Safeguarding is at the core of all we do. We follow best practice for Safer Recruitment.
 

Terms and Conditions

Working Hours

The working hours shall be 35 hours per week (exclusive of meal breaks), over five days. Some out of hours working will be required to support meetings and events and this will be notified in advance. Time off in lieu will be awarded in line with Southwark Cathedral’s policy.

Annual Leave

25 days per annum as well as statutory bank holidays and an additional day at Christmas, with an additional 5 days annual leave after 10 years’ continuous employment. 

Probation

The appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

Season Ticket Loan

Once the probationary period has been completed satisfactorily, the person appointed will be eligible to take out a season ticket loan.

Pension

The person appointed will be eligible to join a defined contributions pension scheme managed by the Church Workers Pension Fund. The Cathedral will contribute half of the annual premium of 10% of salary.

Working Expenses

Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.