Associate jobs in london

KEY DETAILS

DISCLAIMER: THERE IS AN OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR THIS POST HOLDER TO BE A CHRISTIAN. See section below for more information. 

Refer to document attached (visible once you click 'Apply'). 

Job title: Operations Manager 

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Flexible schedule across at least 4 days, core hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm) with occasional need to work out of hours.

Salary: £32,400 to £36,000 depending on experience

Contract: 12 months with potential/possibility of extension

Reports to: Church Leadership Team (Ministers and Trustees)

Location: Westbourne Grove Church, London W11 (Please note that the nature of the role means that hybrid working is not an option)

Closing date and how to apply:

8.30am on Friday 18th July 2025.

FOR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, HOW TO APPLY AND COVER LETTER INFO, SEE DOCUMENT ATTACHED. 

Other essential information: You must have the right to work in the UK and/or a visa that allows you to work in the UK for the duration of this contract. The Trustees are willing to consider sponsoring a visa for this role.

ABOUT THE CHURCH

We welcome everyone to join with us in discovering Jesus and sharing God’s love, especially by caring for those in need.

Located in a multicultural and socioeconomically diverse neighbourhood, the church actively promotes inclusion, stands against racism and discrimination, and is an equal opportunity employer. 

OUR ETHOS – GUIDING VALUES AND IDEALS

We believe that God is loving, good and just, and chooses to reveal himself to us! He made humans in his image, so we’re designed to live in relationship with him and with each other in community. The world is currently not as God wants, and his plan is to renew the whole of creation. He invites and calls us to the privilege of working with him on this mission.

With this in mind, we want to reflect God’s love and character in our values and actions.

OUR VALUES

• We value growing in relationship with God in a wide variety of ways - welcoming questions and doubts as vital parts of learning and growing. We long for people to know Jesus and follow Him.
• We build relationships on love, compassion, and mutual respect.
• We treat everyone with kindness and dignity, caring especially for those in need, and seeking justice and reconciliation.
• We seek to reflect God’s generosity, integrity and honesty in business.
• We share our beautiful building with the local community and offer a place of belonging, hope, and participation.
• We believe leadership is servant-hearted, and all are encouraged to take part.
• We seek to express encouragement, forgiveness, and lasting hope.

OUR WORK AND MISSION

Our church activities flow out of our community's passions and interests, aiming to embody God's character in all we do.

OPERATIONS MANAGER - ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Operations Manager is a key support for the church’s leadership and heads the staff team providing management over key operational and missional areas of the church’s activities.

This leadership role supports the ethos and ministries of the church and its mission to be a church for the community - discovering Jesus, sharing God’s love, and caring for those in need.

A vital aim for our church’s work in the local community is that our staff relationships, our Venue ministry, our Christian hospitality and how we use and share our building should all reflect God’s character - showing compassion, generosity, and kindness.

The role has a lot of different components, so we’re looking for someone who sees all aspects of this job as an expression of the church’s mission to proclaim the Good News and will facilitate and serve the congregation, the staff and the volunteer teams as they creatively explore ways to express our Christian ethos through the life and ministries of the church. This therefore requires that they are someone who has a mature Christian faith.

They will need to be a “servant“ leader who is mentally agile, energetic, able to schedule and prioritise, a good delegator, a team player, a quick learner and capable of taking initiatives, with a healthy understanding of self-care - we’re not looking for a “hero”, but someone who can work sustainability.

Leadership:

• Work closely with the church leadership team to support the trustees, staff and congregation in the development of church vision, ethos, mission and ministries.
• Create a positive, Christian work environment, and cultivate supportive team working relationships and working practices that align with the church’s mission.
• Lead the staff team, providing effective leadership, management, administration, recruitment, and staff development. Facilitate the team as they represent the church’s values in the day-to-day open house ministries of the church.
• The Operations Manager must be able to represent the church and the church’s Christian ethos in the absence of the Minister.

Building Management:

• Support and develop initiatives that enable every aspect of the building's use, welcome and presentation to be missional.
• Provide effective management, administration, organisation, maintenance, and development of the WGC church buildings and equipment.
• Coordinate with the Estate Manager to develop long-term maintenance plans for the common parts areas of the building.
• Provide the Trustees with regular building management reports.

Compliance and Legal Administration:

Provide effective management, administration, organisation, and compliance with UK laws, for:

• The maintenance of a safe and healthy working environment.
• Safeguarding, equality and inclusion.
• HR matters including safe recruitment, induction, training and employee development.
• GDPR
• Matters relating to Westbourne Grove CIO charity’s Trust Deeds, Constitution and Church Rules, and leasehold responsibilities.
• Requirements as a registered charity (CIO) including timely submission of reports to the Charity Commission.
• Develop and implement policies, risk assessments and safe working procedures and keep them regularly updated and reviewed. Ensure policies and safe working practices are adhered to.
• Provide adequate information, training and supervision to ensure employees and volunteers are competent to do their work.
• Lead in communications with the freeholder, the management company, the estate manager, and church tenants. Oversee any necessary legal input for decision-making and work closely with the WGC Trustees, and external organisations on decisions relating to the common parts of the building.
• Keep administrative records. Provide reports for the Trustees.

Administrative Services and Support:

• Provide administrative support for the Ministers. Develop and maintain administrative, organisational, communications systems and record keeping procedures for the church’s general administration. Maintain membership and constitutional records.
• Administrate the church's IT infrastructure, broadband, phone systems, and utilities accounts and ensure they meet the operational needs of the building and its ministries.
• Assist the Venue Manager to develop and maintain suitable and effective systems, strategy, pricing, communications, contract management, staffing and customer relations.
• Develop the church’s visibility and profile in the community using the church’s website, social media, ArtSpace, and missional displays and exhibitions, ensuring these align with the church’s ethos and mission.

Financial Oversight:

• Oversee provision of financial management information to Leadership team and Trustees, including budgeting, salaries, financial reports, end-of-year statements. Support them in developing financial strategies and policies.
• Oversee the accurate functioning of church financial systems, controls and procedures. Monitor and administrate reserves and investments.
• Ensure WGC's financial practices comply with UK charity regulations. Assist with the filing of the accounts and annual report to the Charity Commission.

Provide financial oversight, management, and support for:

• Venue ministry finances, pricing and strategy
• Finance Administration - ensure all financial records, payroll, pension administration, invoices, and reports are accurate and timely. Authorise payments.
• Manage the buildings budget including liaising with the Estate Manager regarding common parts expenditure.
• Financial interactions with lease and licence holders including new leases, rent reviews, break clauses and lease renewals, insurance contributions.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Personal Skills and Characteristics:

• A practising Evangelical Christian - Pastoral skills: able to mentor, and support in prayer.
• Leadership and team building: Ability to lead with a servant heart, to encourage, enable and enthuse team members. Emotionally intelligent and resilient. Skilled at delegating. Has the wisdom and confidence needed to handle conflict. Reliable and consistent, creating a stable and secure environment.
• Problem solving: Strong management and administration skills. Strong organisational, strategic, analytical, and problem-solving abilities. Able to think clearly, creatively and collaboratively.
• Attention to detail
• Time-management
• Sound judgement and decision making across many fields of work. Awareness of when wider consultation or authorisation is required.
• Excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills with a wide range of people.
• Flexible and Confident: Works well under stress, supports others when working under pressure. Good at multitasking and responding to the unexpected. Comfortable to work alone and as part of a team. Can-do attitude and open to input from others. Keen to develop existing skills and learn new ones.
• People skills: builds relationships with colleagues. Develops a culture that demonstrates the Biblical “one-another’s” and celebrates life together. Earns trust, able to maintain confidentiality. Speaks truthfully and kindly, takes responsibility, and apologises for their mistakes. Gives and receives constructive feedback lovingly, honestly and humbly. Invests in the development of others. Sensitive to cultural differences and behaves respectfully and appropriately in a multicultural team.
• Committed to excellence to serve Jesus, WGC and those we reach out to. Seeing projects through to completion.
• Self-motivated: pro-active in developing new initiatives and inspiring others. A desire for personal development and willingness to learn and grow.

PREFERRED WORK EXPERIENCE

Candidates should be able to demonstrate either experience in the following areas of responsibility and/or the skills needed to carry out these responsibilities.

Preferred leadership experience – preferably in a church or other Christian organisation:

• The ability to contribute to the management decision making process.
• Understanding of the church and charitable sector.
• Leading and managing projects of a diverse and complex nature in a team-oriented workplace and of delivering operational excellence in challenging environments.
• Leading and creating effective teams and of working co-operatively and collaboratively with others. Experience in delegating effectively.

Other preferred areas of experience, skill and understanding:

• Operations and building management.
• Administrative and operational support,
• Human Resources, including employment laws, practices, and administration.
• Charity compliance, legal compliance with leases, tenancy agreements and customer contracts.
• General church administration, organisation and communications.
• UK Health and Safety regulations and compliance including writing and implementing policies, risk assessments and procedures.
• Safeguarding administration and understanding of training requirements at a team leadership level.
• Oversight of finances and managing budgets. Understanding of financial management systems - able to interpret and define financial reports.
• Venue management.
• Technical experience required for effective team working, including email, online meeting forums, and shared calendars and drives. Proficient in the use of Office 365 suite including Word and Excel.
• Experience in the use of websites and social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to promote public awareness. Experience in the use of Square Space, Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, to produce website and social media content, and for graphic design of posters, church displays and exhibition materials.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in the work environment.
• Holds a UK driving licence.

This job description outlines the key areas of responsibility for the Operations Manager role but is not exhaustive. It may evolve based on the church's changing needs and the skills and interests of the appointed candidate. Regular reviews will take place to ensure the role remains aligned with the church’s vision and mission.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Westbourne Grove Church is a Christian Charity committed to equal opportunities
and is an ‘equal opportunities’ employer within the parameters of its ethos and values. We make employment decisions by matching the church’s needs with the skills and experience of candidates.

We want all staff members, despite their differences, to know that they are welcomed, respected and included at WGC, able to do their jobs free of discrimination.

As a Christian community we operate according to the principles of our faith and therefore reserve the right to recruit Christians with an understanding of Christian values and support for the church ethos where there is an Occupational Requirement to do so.

Occupational Requirement:
In accordance with schedule 9 of the 2010 Equality Act, the church considers that there is currently an occupational requirement for the holder of Operations Manager role to be:

A mature practising Evangelical Christian: with a personal faith in Jesus Christ, of godly character, committed to personal growth, a worshipper with a passion for God’s Kingdom; a person of prayer, with good knowledge of and respect for the Bible as God’s inspired word; able to apply biblical principles to working life and showing evidence of calling to the role.

They need to:

Be an active member of Westbourne Grove Church.

Understand, be in agreement with, and be happy to promote the ethos, vision and practices of Westbourne Grove Church.

Be willing to accept and abide by the WGC Ethos Statement and Statements of Faith and to work in accordance with the WGC Constitution and Rules.

This Occupational Requirement is in place to:
Provide pastoral and prayer support, missional direction and Christian leadership to the staff team.

Protect our strong Christian ethos and values and to ensure that these are demonstrated in the work and practices of the staff team.

Ensure: that the requirements of the Church Constitution and Rules are followed in all the church practices; that our charitable objective of advancing the Christian faith is understood and carried out by the staff team.

Ensure that the church building is used to its full missional potential so that the local community and visitors encounter something of the life and presence of God.

If you require reasonable adjustments in order to carry out the role or attend an interview at WGC due to a disability, caring responsibilities, or any other reason, please let us know when you apply. Thank you.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND HOW TO APPLY

The role is full time (37.5 hours / week - flexible schedule across at least 4 days, core hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm) with occasional need to work out of hours.
Please note that the nature of the role means that hybrid working is not an option.

Salary £32,400 to £36,000 depending on the competencies and experience of the successful candidate. The package also includes 28 days’ leave + Bank Holidays, and a workplace pension (with 4% employer contribution) following the successful completion of probation.

In line with our safer recruitment policy, the successful candidate will have to undertake a DBS check and all those invited to interview will be required to complete a declaration of suitability and provide references. References will be taken up prior to appointment.

Please note that you must have the right to work in the UK and/or a visa that allows you to work in the UK for the duration of this contract. The Trustees are willing to consider sponsoring a visa for this role.

Please send your CV and a cover letter of no more than 2 pages please - to Charlotte Thackery, Operations Manager (email found on doc attached) by 8,30am on Friday 18th July 2025.

Your cover letter should include:

1. Why you would like to work at WGC generally and this role specifically;

2. Why you think your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this role;

3. Describe how your Christian faith informs your life and actions

4. When you could start the job if you were to be offered it.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to record a 1-minute video of themselves addressing a particular prompt. The highest performing candidates will be called for an interview with members of the WGC team.

Whilst we appreciate the time and effort that has gone into your application we can only correspond with short-listed candidates. If you have not heard from us by 04 August 2025 then your application was unsuccessful. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.