Church administrator jobs in durham, county durham

Job Profile

CAFOD’s mission in the Catholic community of England and Wales is to inspire and equip Catholics to actively engage in the Church’s efforts to overcome poverty and injustice. Our regional teams focus on recruiting and supporting a dedicated group of volunteers within parish and school communities, empowering them to educate, engage, and inspire others to act in solidarity for the common good. Regional teams also collaborate with clergy and other representatives across the Catholic community to ensure CAFOD’s volunteer programme is aligned with faith life.

The primary purpose of this role is to provide administrative and communications support to the Community Participation Coordinators across England and Wales, with a focus on the West & Wales region as the first point of contact. This includes coordinating administrative tasks performed by office volunteers and identifying opportunities for process improvements. The role also involves volunteer recruitment administration, overseeing and training Office Volunteers, and ensuring effective database management.

This role can be based anywhere in the UK including our head office in London, working from home, from one of CAFOD’s Volunteer Centres, or a combination of both. The role requires occasional travel to London and other areas within the East & West side of the country. Travel expenses will be reimbursed, and time off in lieu will be granted for travel beyond normal working hours.

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week) and reports to the Volunteer Support and Development Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities Overview
The post holder will play a key role in driving smooth, efficient operations across CAFOD’s West & Wales region. As the go-to person for admin excellence and volunteer support, you’ll work closely with your line manager and colleagues in the East to streamline processes, improve systems, and keep everything running like clockwork.

You’ll lead on volunteer recruitment and engagement—welcoming new volunteers, managing onboarding, and ensuring everyone feels valued, equipped, and inspired to support CAFOD’s work. Your people skills and attention to detail will shine as you manage applications, data entry, and training coordination.

Communications will be at the heart of your role. You’ll create engaging e-bulletins and social media content that keeps our community informed and motivated, while ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and aligned with CAFOD’s wider goals.

You’ll be the guardian of accurate data, working with office volunteers to maintain up-to-date records that support smarter outreach and efficient workflows. Your collaborative spirit will help strengthen connections across teams, share best practices, and contribute to creative new approaches for engaging communities.

This is a role for a proactive, organised, and people-focused individual who’s excited to innovate, solve problems, and make a tangible impact in a supportive, values-led organisation.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Understanding our context

1. Understanding Catholic identity: sympathetic knowledge of the life, culture and structure of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and an ability to work effectively within it and especially an understanding of parish community life.
2. Understanding CAFOD: ability to express what motivates people to volunteer for, and support, CAFOD and the main activities in which Catholic community primarily participate. Being informed about, supportive of, and actively promoting our anti-racism work.

Working together

1. Managing ourselves: strong interpersonal skills including an ability to develop personal relationships quickly and to convince others.  Ability to be self-motivated and able to work in isolation linking with different people in a variety of contexts; confident with articulating support required for you to work well.
2. Working with others: builds positive and fruitful partnerships, particularly with volunteers; works effectively as part of a team which may work at a distance to ensure sharing of good practice and shared workload; being willing and able to help other team members and be helped to achieve delivery of shared objectives.
3. Communicating: ability to identify how best to communicate instructions and processes clearly and how this helps achieve the objectives CAFOD seeks to deliver and how to share knowledge and information across teams.

Making change happen

1. Managing resources: confident with processing data for planning, monitoring and reporting:  proven time-management, data-management and organisational skills/experience of delegating tasks clearly and making improvements to processes.
2. Achieving results: ability and willingness to focus on achieving efficiencies, especially in support of regional plans for community participation and income growth.
3. Managing our performance: ability and willingness to work to targets and achieve results.

Job-Specific Competencies

Administrative Process Improvement:

Proven ability to assess, streamline, and document administrative processes. Strong organisational skills are required to manage a variety of tasks and ensure efficient delegation to volunteers. Ability to identify inefficiencies and propose practical solutions to enhance office operations.

Volunteer Recruitment & Engagement:

Expertise in recruiting, onboarding, and maintaining volunteer engagement. You will build strong relationships with volunteers, ensuring their experience is positive and aligned with CAFOD’s mission. Experience in using volunteer management systems and managing volunteer data is essential.

Communication & Content Creation: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience in producing engaging content for e-bulletins, newsletters, and other media resources. Ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, ensuring clarity and consistency in CAFOD’s communications.

Data Management & Accuracy:

Attention to detail is crucial for maintaining accurate records. Experience with databases, data segmentation, and ensuring data integrity is essential. A strong understanding of data protection standards, including GDPR, will be necessary.

Collaboration & Team Communication:

Effective communicator with internal teams, ensuring smooth communication and alignment across various regions. Ability to foster positive working relationships and collaborate across teams, both virtually and in person. Proficiency with communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom is required.

Training & Support:

Experience in delivering training to volunteers and staff, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge. Ability to provide ongoing support to regional office volunteers, helping them succeed and contribute effectively to the team.

Adaptability & Problem-solving:

Flexible and resourceful, able to adapt to changing priorities. You will be expected to identify challenges and propose solutions to keep operations running smoothly.

Commitment to CAFOD’s Mission & Values:

A deep understanding of CAFOD’s mission and Catholic social teaching, with the ability to align volunteer engagement and administrative activities with the organization’s goals of addressing poverty and injustice.

Use of Digital Tools & Systems:

Competence in using databases, Microsoft Office Suite, and collaboration tools. Ability to train volunteers in these systems to ensure smooth operations across teams.

Project Management & Accountability:

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring tasks are completed within deadlines and to a high standard. You will be responsible for delivering results aligned with CAFOD’s objectives.

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, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

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.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Job Overall Goal: The Event Manager plays a key role in planning, organising, and executing impactful programs and events that align with the charity’s objectives. Under the direction of the Global Programs Manager, this role ensures that each event is delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.

Job Location: Remote working. The ability for on-site meetings at offices based in Eastbourne (BN21) or Milton Keynes (MK19) on an ad-hoc basis. The role requires occasional travel to support program delivery at events.

Hours: Up to full-time: (37.5 hours: Monday–Friday).

Overview

The Maclellan Giving Together Foundation’s global engagement has reached a new season. As a Global Programs team, we roll out key initiatives across the globe that focus on equipping local ministries and releasing local resources to foster sustainable Kingdom growth. We also provide UK strategic grants that engage the church and para-church organisations. This is a dynamic, high-impact role, ideal for someone who is highly organised, relational and passionate about seeing the Kingdom flourish globally.

Job Summary: 

The Event Manager will be responsible for end-to-end event coordination and administration, supporting global programs through strategic planning, logistical execution, and project-based collaboration. Collaborating with the Global Programs team to provide insights and recommendations for improvements. The Maclellan Foundation’s comprehensive global programme and event initiatives include: 

• Giving Together events 
• Learning Communities 
• Programmes that serve the global church and para-church organisations for sustainable Kingdom growth 
• Programmes that serve Christian donors in deepening generosity and giving.

This individual must thrive in a fast-paced environment, be confident in managing multiple priorities, and bring creative problem-solving to each event.

Key Responsibilities:

• Programme Coordination: Plan and coordinate multiple programmes to ensure key milestones are met with excellence.
• Written Communications: Draft, edit, and format professional correspondence, communications, presentations, and materials.
• Pre-event Organisation: Collaborate with external designers and stakeholders to ensure event assets/documentation are created and delivered on time.
• Registration & Booking: Manage delegate booking systems and registration processes, ensuring accuracy and a smooth experience for all participants.
• Database Management: Maintain and regularly update relevant databases to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
• Project Management: Ensure events are executed excellently from initial conception, registration and contracting to delivery.
• Stakeholder Management: Deliver prompt and professional support to attendees and stakeholders via phone and email.
• Research & Reporting: Conduct research, gather and analyse data, and prepare clear reports and documentation to support event planning and evaluation.
• Scheduling & Travel: Manage calendars, appointments, and travel arrangements as needed.
• Operational Improvement: Continually review administrative/management processes and suggest or implement improvements for greater efficiency.
• Administrative Support: Provide administrative support, including tasks related to all programmes and events.
• Onsite Event Management: Event set-up, provide logistical support, and ensure excellent delegate care throughout the event.
• Budget & Expenses: Process expenses and support budget tracking in collaboration with the Global Programs Manager.
• Online Oversight: Ensure online platforms reflect accurate and current event-related content.
• Any other related activities as directed.

Occupational Requirement

The candidate must have an active Christian faith.

Because The Maclellan Giving Together Foundation supports the Christian sector, the nature of the work requires that this post holder has an active faith in Jesus under the Equality Act 2010, Part 1, Schedule 9.

Experience

• Have experience in a church, charity or professional environment (Essential)
• Strong understanding of and commitment to the Foundation’s mission (Essential)
• Experience in event and project management, with a strong attention to detail (Essential)
• Has an understanding of the Church landscape (Essential)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) (Essential)
• Professional in appearance and a desire to constantly improve and grow (Essential)
• Knowledge of standard office administrative practices and procedures (Essential)
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, with strong interpersonal skills (Essential)
• Willingness to be flexible in their working hours with occasional travel and overnight stays (Essential).
• Experience working across geographical boundaries (Desirable)

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent experience. (Essential)
• Technical Skills: Familiarity with event/project management software and managing budgets (Desirable)

Benefits

• This is up to a full-time position (Monday-Friday).
• Start as soon as possible.
• Permanent position offered subject to a successful 6-month probationary period.
• Salary £30-36K, depending on previous experience
• Holiday entitlement is 20 days pro rata, per annum (plus bank and statutory holidays and 3 days Christmas closing).
• Pension contributions via auto-enrolment to NEST
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required for event support