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Full Time – 35 hours per week
The Diocese of Chester is seeking to recruit a Diocesan Secretary who will be:
1) A senior member of the Bishop of Chester's core staff team,
2) The chief officer of the charitable business that undergirds the Diocese of Chester, and
3) The most senior, 'lay' officer of the Diocese of Chester.
The role is complex as well as important. You will need an open heart and deep courage, patience, kindness, humility, determination, and constantly reflective practice. We value competence founded on transparent good character, grounded deeply in Christian faith. You will need to be able to see over the horizon without missing the personal needs of team members, enabling both with persistent grace and strategic focus.
The successful candidate will be inspirational, humble, skilled and experienced in leadership in both ‘first-’ and ‘second-chairs’, a change manager, relational and the technical ability to fulfil the role.
This role is based in Church House, Daresbury, Warrington which is a key operational centre for the life of the Diocese.
For informal conversation, contact the Bishop of Chester - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button.
The recruitment pack, including job description, person specification and application form can be downloaded from the Diocesan website: Please see website address in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button.
Completed application forms should be returned by email - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button
Closing date: Sunday 23rd August 2026
Interviews: Tuesday 8th September 2026
The Diocese of Chester is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
An Enhanced DBS Disclosure will be required for the successful candidate.
An Occupational Requirement exists for the postholder to be a practising Christian, in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Purpose
Sequence ME & Long Covid is one of the most ambitious whole-genome sequencing studies ever undertaken into ME and Long Covid, co-led by Action for ME. Building on the success of DecodeME, this proposed £20 million study will use large-scale, long-read whole-genome sequencing to analyse the entire genetic code of 9,000 people with ME and 9,000 people with Long Covid - making it the world's largest 'long-read' whole-genome sequencing study of any disease.
Current funding supports project mobilisation, partnership development, and the development of the Long Covid arm of the study, including agreeing case definitions and gathering expressions of interest from people with Long Covid. Phase 2 has recently been confirmed, backed by £4.75m from the UK government and a further £174,414 from the WE&ME Foundation, and will focus on sequencing 6,000 ME/CFS samples previously collected through DecodeME using Oxford Nanopore's long-read sequencing technology, running alongside Phase 1.
You will play a pivotal role supporting the Sequence ME & Long Covid project in several different ways. Working closely with the project's management team and other team members, you will help ensure the smooth day-to-day running of this landmark study, providing administrative support to the various people and partners involved in delivering it.
As a self-starter, you will manage a range of tasks including meeting scheduling, taking meeting minutes, preparing governance documents, event administration, and broader project support - no two days will be the same.
You will need to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times, particularly when supporting governance meetings and handling sensitive project documentation.
As a team player, you will provide comprehensive, confidential and organised administrative support, developing a deep understanding of the project and building strong, effective working relationships with colleagues, researchers and external partners.
Remote working at home can be challenging for some and works incredibly well for others. You will need to be able to work independently, use your own initiative, and remain proactive in maintaining good levels of communication with colleagues.
Key Duties
Person Specification
Essential skills and experience
Desirable skills and experience
Our mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ME. Better meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.