Assistant secretary jobs

The Archbishops' Advisers for Appointments and Vocations (AAAV) team is a key team within the Office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, supporting and advising the Archbishops and the wider Church on the nomination process for senior clergy. The team supports the work of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) on the nomination of Archbishops and Diocesan Bishops, those involved in nominating Suffragan Bishops and the selection panels who nominate new cathedral Deans, as well as any other appointments involving the Archbishops. The team supports senior clergy in their vocation and discernment, working to develop and equip a diverse pipeline of candidates for senior ministry roles. The team also works in partnership with others to ensure that senior clergy are equipped for leadership in the Church and the vital role it plays in the life of the nation.

This role provides an excellent opportunity of working in a small, friendly, committed, professional and busy team supporting a complex, detailed and fast-paced portfolio of senior appointments, vocational discernment and associated projects. We work as a close-knit team in beautiful surroundings, part of the Lambeth Palace community and Office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, supporting each other with care, flexibility and good humour. 

The purpose of this role is to provide seamless, proactive support to the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments, ensuring their time, priorities, and workflow are protected and optimised. It also exists to act as a reliable presence within a busy team - stepping in to assist wherever it strengthens the overall operation. Ultimately, the role keeps the Archbishops' Secretary focused and the team functioning smoothly by being the connective, proactive and organised force that helps to hold everything together.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Complex, efficient and strategic diary management involving multiple stakeholders and competing demands, including booking travel and accommodation.
• Being aware of the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments' objectives, priorities and views, communicating these appropriately and sensitively to external and internal stakeholders.
• Organising meetings and ensuring the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments is fully briefed and prepared in advance.
• Building and maintaining relationships with key contacts and their offices, keeping the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments updated, as appropriate.
• Supporting the planning and delivery of nomination processes involving the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments.
• Ensuring the timely processing of the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments' expenses and providing wider team financial administrative support.
• Receiving and greeting visitors and being an ambassador for the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments and the wider team in welcoming guests.
• Providing detailed hospitality administration, coordination and support, e.g. ensuring meetings are set up and catered for appropriately, booking appropriate rooms, ensuring appropriate technology is in place and coordinating visitors.
• Supporting research projects relating to the work of the Archbishops' Secretary for Appointments with preparatory independent research and briefings.
• Managing and prioritising communications, whether by phone, e-mail, letter or in person, drafting high-quality and timely responses.
• Drafting and maintaining documents, reports, policies and other materials, informed by an understanding of their context, implications and impact.
• Taking and drafting high-quality meeting minutes, ensuring key outcomes, decisions and actions are clearly documented.
• Working alongside and supporting the planning and delivery of senior appointments processes and the wider work of the team, as required.

A comprehensive and supportive induction programme will be put in place for the post holder to ensure that they have all the information, access and contacts required to quickly acclimatise and excel in this role.

All staff working at Lambeth Palace share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture with regard to children and vulnerable adults, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Personal support and administration

Essential

• Strong ability to manage diaries, correspondence and papers for a senior leader.
• Strong ability to draft high-quality, accurate correspondence, briefs, minutes and other written material.
• Outstanding word-processing and proof-reading skills.

Desirable

• Experience of providing personal assistant support at senior level.
• Experience preparing committee papers and planning high-quality events or meetings.

Digital skills and process improvement

Essential

• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, the internet and networked systems, with confidence using IT to develop creative solutions.
• Ability to design and implement new processes and systems to improve efficiency.

Communication, interpersonal skills and stakeholder engagement

Essential

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an understanding of the importance of clear, timely and effective communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills and confidence in engaging professionally with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders.
• Strong emotional intelligence and the ability to respond with sensitivity and pastoral awareness when required.
• Excellent ability to collaborate effectively and work well within a team.

Judgement, discretion and professionalism

Essential

• Demonstrably confidential, discreet and diplomatic in handling sensitive information and situations.
• Excellent judgement in managing urgent, complex and varied matters.
• Strong commitment to delivering consistently high-quality work.

Planning, prioritisation and delivery

Essential

• Proactive, consistent, organised and forward-thinking, with strong planning and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to work independently, use initiative and remain calm under pressure.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail. ? Ability to adapt plans quickly in response to changing circumstances and to incorporate new learning into future planning.

Desirable

• Interest in the mission and ministry of the Church of England and the processes for appointing senior clergy.
• Experience in a Human Resources or recruitment environment.

Closing date for applications is 28 May, 23:55

Pastoral Secretary

Do you feel you could help shape how parishes and benefices are structured to support ministry? Are you someone who thrives on complex casework, careful process, and working to agreed frameworks?

If you want to play a central role in guiding the diocese through pastoral reorganisations, ensuring that the structures remain effective, sustainable, and responsive to changing contexts… then this is the role for you!

Position: Pastoral Secretary

Location: Oxford/Hybrid

Hours: Part-time, 22.2 hours per week (0.6 FTE)

Salary: £45,378.55 to £48,869.21 per annum pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: Sunday 7 June 2026, at midnight

Interviews: Wednesday 24 June 2026, Oxford, OX5 1GF

The Role

This is a key senior role within the Diocese, offering an opportunity to play a central part in shaping how the Church is organised to support its mission and ministry. As Pastoral Secretary, you will lead and coordinate the Diocese’s pastoral reorganisation work, ensuring that statutory processes under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 are delivered accurately, consistently, and sensitively. You will manage complex pastoral casework, advise on structural change across parishes and benefices, and support the development of governance models that enable the Church to respond effectively to changing contexts.

The role includes acting as Executive Secretary to the four Archdeaconry Mission and Pastoral Committees (AMPCs), working closely with Archdeacons and committee Chairs to ensure that statutory processes are properly followed and decisions are implemented. You will also line manage the Assistant Pastoral Secretary, ensuring a robust and consistent approach to pastoral work across the diocese.

This role involves close collaboration with senior clergy, the Diocesan Registry, the Church Commissioners, and diocesan colleagues.

About You

We are looking for a highly organised and analytical professional who is confident working with complex legislation, sensitive pastoral situations, and senior stakeholders.

You will:

• Bring experience of managing detailed casework, strong written and verbal communication skills, and a high level of accuracy and judgement.
• Be comfortable advising Archdeacons, clergy, and parishes, and able to balance legal, pastoral, and missional considerations in your work.
• Have the confidence and leadership ability to oversee another member of staff, contribute to training and guidance, and supporting colleagues across the diocese in understanding pastoral reorganisation processes.

You may come from an ecclesiastical, legal, public sector, charity, or governance background, with experience of working within statutory or regulatory frameworks and managing complex, sensitive casework involving multiple stakeholders.

You do not need to be a practising Christian or have a faith to work with us. Around half of our staff are not practising Christians but are comfortable with the Christian ethos that underpins our work. What matters is a desire to support the mission and ministry of the Church and to work collaboratively and professionally.

Benefits and Rewards:

• Competitive salary
• Generous employer pension contribution of 12.5% into the auto-enrolment pension scheme, which includes a death-in-service benefit (5% employee contribution)
• Re-accreditation as a Living Wage employer
• Annual holiday entitlement starting at 25 days, excluding public holidays, rising each year by one day to a maximum of 30 days, pro-rata for part-time employees
• In addition to the statutory UK public holidays, the Diocese offers three privilege days to all employees, namely Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day, and Christmas Eve (or the closest working day, where this falls on a weekend)
• Flexible working patterns with the ability to do some work from home
• Sabbatical leave, after a qualifying period of service
• Access to wellbeing support via Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced family-friendly policies and a generous occupational sick pay provision
• Free parking and subsidised on-site café and electric car and cycle-to-work salary sacrifice schemes
• EV charging points on site and electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme with Octopus Electric Dreams
• Cycle to Work scheme with Green Commute Initiative
• Contributions towards eye examinations and prescriptive lenses
• Access to low-interest rate financial services from Churches Mutual Credit Union
• An attractive modern working environment

The successful candidate must have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. If you do not hear from us, your application has not been successful.

We are particularly keen to receive applications from UK Minority Ethnic / Global Majority heritage and disabled candidates, who are currently underrepresented.

Our client is committed to the safeguarding, care, and nurture of everyone within the church community. They follow and are committed to their Safeguarding Policies and the relevant statutory legislation and guidance, "Working together" to ensure the welfare of children and young people is paramount.

You may have experience in other areas such as PA, Personal Assistant, PA to the Director, Secretary, Executive Assistant, Administration Manager, Admin, Administrator, Senior PA, Senior Administrator, Secretarial Lead, Senior Secretary, Board Secretary.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client, Not For Profit People. #INDNFP

Salary: £35,668 – £39,005 pro rata
Hours: Part-time (21 hours per week)
Contract: Permanent
Location: Home-based (with regular travel across Brentwood Diocese)

About the role

CAFOD is looking for a Community Participation Coordinator to grow engagement across the Catholic community in Brentwood Diocese.

You’ll inspire and support volunteers, build strong relationships with parishes and clergy, and increase participation in CAFOD’s work to tackle poverty and injustice.

Working as part of a regional team, you’ll help deliver plans that drive volunteer engagement, fundraising, and community action.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver participation plans across Brentwood Diocese
• Recruit, support, and retain volunteers
• Build relationships with clergy and key diocesan stakeholders
• Support fundraising, campaigns, and community engagement
• Monitor activity and adapt plans based on insights

About you

• Experience working with and managing volunteers
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills
• Organised, proactive, and able to work independently
• Comfortable using data to track and improve performance
• Committed to the value of volunteering and social justice

Additional information

• Home-based with significant travel (access to a car required)
• Some evening/weekend work (TOIL provided)
• Part of a flexible regional team (occasional wider travel) 

The full job description is available on CAFOD's careers page 

CAFOD is a welcoming, supportive workplace committed to a safe, inclusive culture where everyone is respected. CAFOD will make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disabilities or individual needs are fully supported. 

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children and young people and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues. The post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service). 

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures. 

About Action Tutoring
At Action Tutoring, we believe every child should be given the opportunity to succeed in school. But in the UK today, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to 

achieve the grades they need to progress in life. This isn't because they are any less able; they have less access to the tools to help them reach their potential. 
 

We don't think this is fair. We know tutoring is an effective way of improving academic attainment and so we harness the power of volunteer tutors to bridge the gap and ensure this help can be accessed by every pupil who needs it, not just those who can afford it. 
 

We specifically help pupils facing socio-economic disadvantage and who are at risk of leaving primary or secondary school without reaching national standards in their exams. We work in partnership with schools in different cities and regions across the UK, delivering weekly tutoring in English or maths to those pupils who need it most. 
 

About the opportunity
The Director of Finance and Operations works closely with the CEO to build the organisation, operations and systems to enable us to scale and respond to emerging opportunities. A critical strategic role, they are a hands-on financial leader that brings strategic insight and challenge. Passionate about our mission, they lead a small team and use their experience and expertise to make our strategy a practical reality.

Closing date: Sunday, 17th May 2026
Interviews:Thursday, 28th and Friday, 29th May 2026, in our London office. There will be a second round of interviews.
Start date: Ideal start date is asap. However, we’re happy to wait for the ideal candidate.
Contract and hours: Permanent. Full time. We offer flexible hours with 9.30-4 as core hours. A full working week is 37.5 hours. 
Place of work:  Hybrid/flexible. This role requires 6 days a month in our London Office, Fivefields, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH.

Duties and responsibilities
 
Finance

Lead financial strategy and long-term planning to support the development of the organisation, as well as holding overall responsibility for finance processes and controls. 
 

Operations

Drive continuous improvement of operations to increase productivity, quality of delivery and value for money. With the operations team, provide oversight of all operational matters to ensure compliance and the smooth running of the organisation.
 

HR and team development

Action Tutoring has a Head of People & Culture who oversees day-to-day HR operations. However, with a permanent staff team of around 60, this role holds strategic responsibility for talent development and HR processes. This includes training and development strategy, effective diversity and inclusion policies and regular reviews of performance and reward systems.
 

Senior Leadership 

As one of the four members of the Senior Leadership Team of Action Tutoring, you will contribute to leadership decision-making, representing your own areas of expertise but also advocating for the best strategic options for the charity as a whole. 
 

Legal compliance, risk management and governance

This role ensures legal compliance of the organisation.
 

Line management

Overseeing a small team, this role has direct line management responsibility for the Head of People & Culture, the Operations Manager, and the Senior Finance Officer. You will also, with support from your team, manage relationships with external support agencies, including the outsourced management accountant, IT support company, and HR and employment law consultancy.
 

This role also plays a key part in a number of internal working groups, including leading the Digital Systems working group and serving as a member of both the Sustainability and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working groups.
 

A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description attached to the BreatheHR advert.

Person specification
 
Qualifications criteria: 

• The right to work in the UK.

We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others:

• Deep finance and operations experience as well as a track record of strategy development. You will have significant experience overseeing finances and managing budgets and be able to demonstrate a high level of understanding of financial management and forecasting within a fundraising setting. Familiarity with charity accounting and SORP will be essential. 
• Someone with the ability to see the big picture and lead long-term strategy while being able to zoom into the detail and set high-expectations for the team and wider organisation. 
• An excellent eye for detail and an experienced project manager who relishes delivering long-term projects through to completion, you will be a self-starter with a strong ability to take initiative to drive change.
• An ability to identify areas for organisational development and growth. You are someone who leads change and development. Alert to reputational risk, proactively preventing errors.
• An established track record in delivering results in a growing environment at the management level.
• Experience with a range of business functions and systems, including budgeting, finance, legal, IT and human resources or a willingness to build expertise in these areas.
• Understanding of developing policies and procedures; experience in good governance practices, including:
  • Familiarity with routine HR legislation and processes.
  • A good understanding of GDPR compliance and processes.
  • Familiarity with reporting at Trustee level (or equivalent). 
• Excellent team leadership skills. 
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. 
• A commitment to the mission and values of Action Tutoring.
• A commitment to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children.
• Always aiming to help more pupils and have a bigger impact, we continually seek ways to improve tasks, processes and culture.

You will likely be more successful in this role if you have: 

• Additional formal qualifications relevant to the role (e.g. qualified accountant, MBA, CIPD Level 7).
• Experience or knowledge of safeguarding procedures.
• Digital transformation project management.
• Experience in the charity sector or the education sector, particularly in charity legislation and accounting.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation processes and/or school data.
• Experience in improving systems and processes.