Assistant secretary jobs

Assistant Diocesan Secretary
Based at the Diocesan Office, Rochester (with travel across the Diocese)
Full time (35hrs) | Salary from: £66,485

Are you an experienced senior leader who thrives in complex organisations and enjoys bringing clarity, coordination, and strategic oversight to challenging programmes of work?

The Diocese of Rochester is seeking an Assistant Diocesan Secretary to work closely with the Diocesan Secretary at a significant moment of transformation. Following successful investment through the Diocesan Investment Plan, the Diocese is delivering an ambitious programme of work to support the Called Together vision and strategy.

This is a key leadership role providing oversight of governance, risk, and organisational coordination, ensuring the effective delivery of strategic priorities across the Diocese.

About the Role

You will play a central role in supporting the Diocesan Secretary and senior colleagues in managing governance, risk, and organisational capacity. Your key responsibilities will include:

· Overseeing governance planning, ensuring effective scheduling and coordination of diocesan committees and boards

· Monitoring implementation of actions arising from governance bodies to support organisational delivery

· Leading on the maintenance and monitoring of the diocesan risk register

· Supporting the Diocesan Secretary in responding to national policy developments affecting diocesan functions

· Helping manage internal capacity and performance monitoring as programme activity expands

· Supporting preparation for General Synod and Bishops Council, including planning and correspondence

· Advising colleagues on responding to emerging national policy developments

· Representing the Diocesan Secretary in internal and external meetings when required

· Line managing the Head of Property and overseeing the work of the DAC, Surveyors, and Net Zero teams

About You

We’re looking for someone who:

· Has proven experience in a senior management role, ideally within a charity or values-led organisation

· Has strong governance, risk management, and organisational oversight skills

· Is highly organised and able to manage complex priorities and competing demands

· Has excellent interpersonal and communication skills and can work effectively across teams

· Is resilient, discreet, and able to approach challenges with a solution-focused mindset

· Understands and supports the aims and ethos of the Church of England

 It would also be helpful if you:

· Have experience working within the Church of England or a similarly complex organisation

· Are familiar with General Synod, Bishops Council, or equivalent governance structures

· Have experience supporting senior executives or board-level leadership

What we can offer:

• Flexible working and TOIL

• Generous holiday entitlement

• Contributory pension scheme

• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme and counselling service

The Diocese is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

The wider a group’s diversity, the smarter, wiser, and more compassionate and creative its decision making becomes.
We are committed to achieving diversity throughout our Diocese by seeking UKME/GMH colleagues and those from a wide range of backgrounds, to help us create a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Closing date for applications: 26 April 2026

Interviews will be held on: TBC

The Executive Officer to CEO (Maternity Cover) leads the effective running of the CEO’s office, providing strategic project management, coordination of leadership priorities, and hands-on delivery across strategy development, planning and governance.

This is a pivotal role within War Child, sitting at the heart of the organisation’s leadership and governance. Working closely with the CEO, Leadership Group, Chair and Board of Trustees, the Executive Officer to CEO plays a key role in enabling effective decision-making, organisational oversight and delivery of War Child’s ambitions for children.

Reporting to the CEO and acting as a trusted representative of their office, you will be an energetic, highly organised self-starter with the judgement and confidence to balance strategic coordination with high-quality executive support. The role combines project leadership, organisational planning and culture-focused initiatives with hands-on executive assistance.

As Company Secretary, you will also support excellence in governance by ensuring War Child meets its statutory and regulatory obligations, including compliance and reporting to the Charity Commission, Companies House and the Fundraising Regulator.

This is a hybrid role, with two days per week expected in the London office and up to three days per week working remotely. Occasional additional office attendance may be required to support meetings or key organisational activity.

This role is offered as a 12-month maternity cover contract, ideally starting in late-May 2026.

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you. 

Below are some of the experiences and qualities we’re looking for. You can read the full job advert on our website.

• Experienced in providing high-level executive support at C-suite level, and in supporting a Board and/or charity governance processes, including the drafting of high-quality minutes, reports and formal papers.
• Possess strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the confidence and sensitivity to engage effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders, and to represent the CEO with professionalism, discretion and sound judgement.
• Exceptionally organised with the ability to manage competing priorities and produce high-quality outputs to tight deadlines.
• Experience of supporting or coordinating organisational strategy development, planning or review processes, or similar organisation-wide initiatives.
• Able to bring experience and learning from a range of dynamic projects, programmes or campaigns, applying best practice to improve ways of working and outcomes.
• Demonstrates strong end-to-end project management capability, with the ability to introduce clear, methodical and proportionate approaches that maximise efficiency and organisational impact.
• Comfortable working in a creative, fast-paced environment, with an interest in storytelling, communications and fundraising-led work.
• Highly resilient, with the ability to bring clarity, structure and momentum when working in ambiguous or evolving circumstances, and to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with superb document, spreadsheet and presentation skills (including Word, Excel and PowerPoint / Canva).
• Able to exercise sound judgement in relation to competing priorities, making decisions and recommendations where solutions are not always obvious and initiative, discretion and prudence are required.

 What we can offer you

At War Child, we genuinely value different ways of working. From day one, we’re open to discussing flexible options, including hybrid working and flexible hours. Our goal is to support our employees to do their best work while ensuring we continue to deliver for children affected by conflict. Some of our benefits include:

• Flexible working culture and flexible public holidays
• 28 days annual leave (pro-rata), plus bank holidays, which increases by one day per year on your work anniversary, up to a maximum of 33 days.
• Pension - 5% employer contribution (increasing to 6% after one year’s service), with minimum employee contribution.
• Health and wellbeing - employees may take advantage of a healthcare cash plan, a GP 24/7 helpline, cancer cover, and a range of wellbeing initiatives and training. All employees have access to free, confidential one-to-one wellbeing consultations with trained counsellors.

This role offers an incredible opportunity to make a tangible difference at a time of unprecedented need. Join us in standing up for children affected by war and help create a future where no child’s life is torn apart by conflict.

PA

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in your workplace? Do you have exceptional organisational skills, a keen eye for detail and understand the importance of confidentiality?

We have an incredible opportunity for you! We are looking for a Personal Assistant to join a dynamic team supporting the Associate Archdeacon of Berkshire.

This roles offers flexible working and is a rewarding opportunity to contribute to a diverse team, grow professionally and be a part of a community dedicated to fostering a safe and spiritually enriching environment.

Position: Personal Assistant

Location: Theale, Berks

Hours: Part-time 12 hours per week, worked equally over three days, which must include Mondays and Thursdays. The third day will be agreed with the line manager.

Salary: £30,804.08 pro rata (actual £9,990.51)

Contract: Fixed-term, 12 months

Closing Date: Monday 27 April 2026 at midnight, may close sooner

Interviews: Theale, RG7 5AS:  Friday 8 May 2026

The Role

We are seeking a highly efficient and detail oriented administrative professional to support a dynamic organisation. In this role, you will play a key part in ensuring the smooth running of daily activities and providing essential support to the team. You will offer PA support to the Associate Archdeacon, managing diaries, correspondence, data, and meetings, as well as handling emails, preparing documents, and taking minutes. Alongside this, you will contribute to the wider work of the archdeaconry, supporting recruitment processes and assisting parishes as they serve their local communities. This is a role where your organisational strengths and ability to keep operations flowing will make a meaningful difference.

About You

You will have excellent organisational and communication skills. You will work well in teams and on infrequent occasions autonomously, have proficiency in computer applications, and have a proactive problem-solving mindset.

You do not need to be a practising Christian or have a faith to work with us - around 50% of our staff are not practising Christians but are comfortable with the Christian ethos that underpins our work. However, all our staff do have a desire to make a difference.

Benefits and Rewards:

ODBF continues to offer a range of rewards and benefits to its staff, including:

• 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 
• 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
• Electric car and cycle-to-work salary sacrifice schemes
• EV charging points on site
• 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 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. #INDNFP

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

The Difference is seeking a Head of the Inclusive Leadership Course to lead our year-long programme for senior school leaders, training 200+ headteachers, deputies and assistant heads annually to reduce lost learning and transform inclusion practice across England's schools.

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for designing and delivering a sector-leading professional development programme, building strong relationships with school leaders and strategic partners, and capturing evidence of impact. The role will lead facilitation of regional cohorts, oversee quality assurance across all programme delivery, and work closely with MAT and LA leaders to scale understanding and reach.

The role requires regular national travel for programme delivery, regular office attendance and representing The Difference at conferences and sector events. You will work directly with the Deputy CEO to develop course content, identify opportunities for programme expansion, and ensure the course remains at the forefront of inclusion leadership practice.

We are looking for a confident leader with a strong track record in senior school leadership, programme design and delivery, and stakeholder management, alongside the ability to translate inclusion strategy into measurable outcomes for young people.

About The Difference

Every day, the equivalent of 5,500 children are suspended from England's schools, doubling their likelihood of being NEET by 24. The Difference is a young education charity founded to change this story through whole school inclusion. Since 2019, over 1,000 school leaders have completed the Inclusive Leadership Course. 94% report shifted knowledge of inclusion, and 64% of schools subsequently saw suspensions data buck national trends. The course has been the test bed for our Whole-School Approach to Inclusion, with principles now evident in the Schools White Paper.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design of the Inclusive Leadership Course to ensure full engagement across the year and measurable improvement in Whole School Inclusion practice
• Lead facilitation on regional cohorts, building cohort buy-in and belonging while maintaining high engagement and satisfaction
• Design and execute evidence capture to provide timely, valuable data for The Difference Impact Strategy
• Stay informed of promising practice to ensure the course remains sector-leading, piloting new content before wider roll-out
• Represent The Difference through speaking engagements and writing

About You

Essential:

• Senior leadership experience in schools with a track record of leading inclusive work that gives credibility to stakeholder relationships
• Experience designing and delivering professional development that has led to improved student outcomes
• Proven ability to build teams with strong identities to deliver against ambitious targets
• Experience quality assuring autonomous staff in ways that empower while delivering consistent outcomes
• Strategic ability to juggle competing priorities, spot and mitigate risks, and identify opportunities
• Credibility to hold significant relationships with MAT CEOs, Directors of Children's Services and DfE
• Commitment to personal growth, including diagnosing your own development areas and using others' expertise
• Shared values with The Difference and personal commitment to improving life outcomes for young people

Desired:

• Insight through life or work into school experiences of over-excluded young people
• Product design experience building business cases for new services in the school sector
• Early-stage social enterprise or charity experience

Please see the attached Job Description for full role details and person specification.

We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the charity sector. As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names and protected characteristics redacted where possible.

St Barnabas with Christ's Chapel is a large, thriving, inclusive parish at the heart of Dulwich Village. This is an exciting opportunity for you to join our team in a central role that is key to the continued flourishing of our busy parish. This is a reconfigured and expanded role where you would have the opportunity to make a real difference to how we work together and implement our vision and mission priorities. In return we would offer you warm, collegiate, and engaged colleagues, both staff and volunteers.

This role is ideal for you if you a hands-on, collaborative, relational, and mission driven Christian professional who can balance operational excellence with a heart for people and community. As Operations Manager you will oversee the parish’s resources: people, buildings, IT, and finances, developing systems and structures that are effective, flexible, and culturally responsive.

PURPOSE:

● To work collaboratively with the Vicar, Wardens, PCC (church council), staff and congregation, supporting St Barnabas with Christ’s Chapel as we live out our vision and implement our Mission Action Plan (MAP).

● To help nurture a staff and volunteer culture rooted in mutual respect, honest communication and shared responsibility, supporting healthy rhythms of work and life.

● To be responsible for the management of the parish’s resources of people, buildings, IT, and finances. Developing effective, efficient, and flexible administrative processes, and robust and appropriate structures for leadership, management, and governance (including statutory compliance).

As a leadership role within a Church of England parish, there is an occupational requirement for the post-holder to be a Christian and enthusiastic about the vision and values of St Barnabas with Christ’s Chapel.

Full details of the role, benefits and the person specification for this exciting role can be found in the attached job pack. 

We look forward to hearing from you. 

This is an exciting opportunity to lead CPAG’s strategic legal work at an important time in the organisation’s fight to end child poverty. As Head of Strategic Litigation, you will oversee and carry out CPAG’s work using legal cases for positive impact, to benefit families and children in poverty. You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of CPAG’s legal work, in addition to managing CPAG’s legal practice and playing an active role in conducting high-profile litigation on a day-to-day basis.

We are looking for someone who is strategically minded and passionate about using the law to advocate for the rights of, and directly improve the lives of, families in poverty. The ideal candidate will be a solicitor (E&W qualified) with substantial post-qualification experience. You will have experience of conducting public law litigation and legal aid (publicly funded) work. You will be able to supervise the casework of colleagues, such as CPAG’s junior or trainee solicitor(s) and welfare benefit advisers, and support the professional development and wellbeing of your team. You may have experience of working with clients in vulnerable situations or with additional needs, for example, survivors of domestic abuse, refugees, disabled people or children and young people.

We welcome applications from individuals with the skills and experience outlined and we can be flexible about working arrangements. We operate a hybrid working system and would be happy to discuss any flexibilities required. CPAG is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion which you can read more about in the job pack. 

For more information about this post and to apply download the Head of Strategic Litigation job pack and application form. 

If you have questions or need specific arrangements or reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process please contact us.

To apply, please return to us the application form, taking particular care to provide full details of how you meet the person specification. 

Closing date for applications: 11.59pm, Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Interviews will be held at our London office: w/c 27 April 2026

We are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to join our small, professional finance team in a complex and demanding charity environment.

What is the role?

Working at both operational and strategic levels, you will play a central role in supporting the Director of Finance & Assets and contributing to the financial health, governance, and long‑term sustainability of the organisation. The work is varied, intellectually engaging, and meaningful. You will lead key financial processes while supporting strategic planning and decision‑making across the organisation. As a key point of expertise, strong technical ability, initiative, organisation and interpersonal skills, are essential.

What are we looking for?

You will be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or be AAT qualified with significant experience and have management finance experience in the charity or not for profit sector. You will be skilled in preparing management accounts, budgets and forecasts, managing competing priorities and deadlines, and developing and implementing systems and processes. You don’t need to be a practising Christian, but you do need to be aligned with, and willing to develop an understanding of, the values, ethos and mission of our organisation.

Why join us?

• A role with genuine purpose and impact across local communities.
• A supportive, close‑knit Finance Team where your expertise is valued.
• Supportive and engaged staff in a organisation where your wellbeing matters.
• Varied work combining operational delivery with high‑level strategic insight.
• Hybrid working and a welcoming organisational culture rooted in Christian values.
• Additional benefits such as flexible working, a range of wellbeing activities and the Church of England Pension Scheme with 9-15% employer contributions.

The closing date for applications is 12noon on 13 April 2026 with interviews being held on 21 April 2026 in Truro.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. However, we would particularly welcome applications from those with a disability, or from a UK minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented in our staff.

SAFEGUARDING – EVERYONE MATTERS – EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY

The Diocese of Truro strives to be trauma informed, and is committed to developing safer policies, cultures, and practices.