Chief Operating Officer

The Catholic Diocese of Northampton covers the traditional counties of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, together with the town of Slough, a Unitary Authority within Berkshire.

The Diocese is involved in many different areas of life. Not just in parishes, but also in schools, hospitals, prisons and religious communities; working with people with disabilities, and with the young and the old; promoting the value of family and of marriage; caring for the poor, the homeless and those who live at the margins of society.

With its southern edge resting on the Thames and its northern tip in the East Midlands, it is by no means the smallest English diocese. There are 69 principal parishes with another 26 "satellite churches", chapels of ease, and a few more Mass centres in private schools and other institutions. They are served by 48 active diocesan priests, assisted by 12 active priests from other dioceses and 18 from religious orders.

The diocese has 29 schools at primary/infant/junior level, 6 secondary schools, one 4-19 VA through-school, one private primary school, a private prep school, and one private girls’ boarding through-school. Between them they educate some 20,700 pupils.

The diocese is a registered charity, The Northampton Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust, and is also a registered company. The Chief Operating Officer will be the Honorary Secretary to that corporation. There is one active trading subsidiary, RCDN Property Services Ltd, which provides project management for school projects. There are separate Trustees' Property, Investment and Health and Safety Committees.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will provide strategic and operational leadership across the Diocese, with a particular focus on the effective management of property, land, and other physical assets. The COO will ensure that Diocesan operations support the mission of the Church, are financially sustainable, and are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements. This role is pivotal in safeguarding and enhancing the Diocese’s Mission and the supporting physical estate for current and future generations.

In addition to the statutory and legal and governance responsibilities attached to the role, the Chief Operating Officer is responsible for all the core business functions or finance, facilities, including IT, and HR.