Episcopal Personal Assistant (Diary & Events)

The Personal Assistant (Diary & Events) works closely with the Bishops, the Bishop's Chaplain & Executive Assistant and the Finance & Associate PA.

The post-holder will need to have (or be able to quickly develop) a thorough knowledge of the many facets of a Bishop's roles, the workings of the Diocese of Liverpool and the Church of England more widely. As well as having excellent organisational, administrative and diary management skills, the post-holder must have the capacity to respond quickly often working independently and calmly to rapidly changing circumstances and effectively manage competing demands.
This role demands initiative, discretion and creativity. It is ideal for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, is passionate about the Church's mission, and is confident in managing both strategic and operational responsibilities. It requires someone who is proactive and can organise their work so that they are one step ahead in order to anticipate issues and influence positive outcomes. The post holder will also be an excellent communicator, able to handle difficult conversations and be highly collaborative in order to build highly effective working relationships with a wide range of individuals and organisations.

The role will be primarily based at Bishop's Lodge, Woolton Park, Liverpool. There is a requirement to be flexible and, on occasion, to work from the diocesan office at St James' House.

These relationships will be vital as everyone in the bishop's office must have a good awareness of each other's work and the capacity to allocate tasks and support each other's workstreams according to the particular demands. Holidays must be agreed between staff to ensure that the office is well staffed. The PA (Diary & Events) will not normally be away from the Office or on holiday at the same time as the Finance & Associate PA.

Any given day is varied and therefore likely to produce a range of demands both foreseen and unforeseen; the Personal Assistant needs the flexibility and initiative to respond appropriately as and when matters arise. The following are, however, the focal responsibilities of the role:

Diary Management

Working with the Bishop's Chaplain & Executive Assistant, to have overall responsibility to plan, organise and coordinate all elements of the day-to-day diary management for the bishops and the Bishop's Chaplain. This includes but is not limited to:

• Book, manage and adjust appointments, engagements and meetings.
• Organise the diary and schedule the bishops' day in a way that enables and sustains their ministries.
• Take the lead on making travel and accommodation arrangements
• Ensure the bishops have all necessary paperwork or information in advance of meetings or engagements
• Liaise with parishes, clergy and all key stakeholders both internal and external where required.
• Be pro-active in drafting appropriate responses to all requests and invitations.
• Protect the bishop's diary by setting criteria to manage all diary demands including pushing back on requests to ensure that the number of commitments is sustainable.

Administrative and operational support

• Managing the administration for Readers in the diocese including liaising with the Diocesan Team and the Warden of Readers.
• From time to time as and when required to serve as clerk to the meetings held by the bishops and to take notes, co-ordinate agendas, actions and follow-ups.
• Oversee the maintenance of the Clergy Personal Files ensuring that they are up to date and stored and organised correctly.
• Collaborate with the Bishops' Chaplain & Executive Assistant and other members of the team to provide administrative support to enable the smooth running of the Bishop's Office and is also crucial to the Bishops' work.
• Develop and maintain highly effective electronic and paper filing systems, data, databases, and other records storage in line with Safeguarding and GDPR principles.
• Undertake other appropriate duties as commensurate with the role as requested by the Bishop

• Lead on planning and delivery of events, both large and small, hosted by or involving the bishops as required and share in welcoming visitors to the Bishop's Office.

• Plan, coordinate and manage logistics, invitations, guest communications and event materials, liaising with both internal and external contacts and be the lead contact for such events.

• Ensure events reflect the bishops' priorities and are delivered with professionalism and warmth.

• Build excellent working relationships with all those with whom the Bishops come into contact by responding to a wide range of enquiries in a warm and friendly manner, either in person or by directing enquirers to the appropriate sources of information.

• Establish, maintain and improve ways of working and consistent information flow, including liaising with the bishops' staff, Diocesan Offices, other bishops, external civic contacts, dioceses and clergy nationally; the Bishoprics and Church Commissioners.

Skills/Aptitudes

• Demonstrates thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a very high standard.
• Efficient and quick at dealing with requests.
• Ability to handle confidential information and to act with discretion
• Able to work flexibly, both in terms of time and responsibilities
• Content to work to the bishop's agenda, adjusting work style to the Bishop's preferences and requirements.
• Ability to organise own workload, to set priorities and to work to deadlines
• Ability to show initiative and creativity and to work without direct supervision
• IT proficiency, including Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written including excellent report writing skills.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.

Experience

• Significant demonstrable experience as a highly performing administrator/personal assistant/diary manager in working with senior members of staff
• Demonstrable experience of providing Personal Assistant/Diary support to senior staff
• Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to quickly establish and maintain excellent working relationships with officers/post holders and other key stakeholder groups
• Proven stakeholder management skills to manage competing demands.
• Experience of managing expectations, conflicts and difficult conversations whilst maintaining productive working relationships.
• Familiarity with the Church of England's structures and mission

Personal attributes

• Ability to work calmly under pressure and solve problems efficiently and effectively
• Calm, confident and adaptable under pressure
• Self-movitated, punctual and organised
• Compassionate and patient
• To be a person in sympathy with the mission and ethos of the Christian Church, the Church of England and the Diocese of Liverpool