Ops and Generosity Support Officer

The key purpose of the Operations and Generosity Support role is to support Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) and leadership teams across Mission Areas to develop robust systems of administration and financial management. This will be through a mixture of direct support and development of shared resources that will be universally available throughout the Diocese.

• Supporting local teams to engage with specialist resources and support provided from across the Church House Team. Supporting the delivery of training in small group settings as required (likely Mission Area and Deanery level).
• Provide support to the Operations and Generosity Development Team Lead with parish finance and administration support projects. This will include signposting and hands on activity to promote best practice.
• Development of key resources for finance and administration including development and rollout of practical tools to enable ongoing local management and support PCCs to meet their responsibilities as Trustees.
• Working with a group of churches to identify areas of potential efficiency in administration processes, sharing good practice and potential collaboration.
• Assisting treasurers to budget plan and operate financial controls to help ensure that the PCC understand their financial position and make appropriate decisions.
• Setting up systems and processes to support the preparation of compliant accounts and Parish Finance Returns for charitable entities.
• Development of key resources for general administration (eg governance, safeguarding, estates management, health and safety, GDPR, HR) and practical tools to enable ongoing local management and to support PCCs and wider Mission Area activity. This could involve development of templates and best practice guides and connection with external resources through ACAT membership
• Supporting the preparation of annual accounts (financial statements) and the financial aspect of the Trustees’ Annual Report for presentation to stakeholders. To assist administration systems, support and audit processes where applicable.
• Build and integrate administration systems to support key areas such as Occasional Offices (baptisms, weddings, funerals), buildings repair and maintenance, and graveyard admin.
• Be proactive in learning from and sharing with other Diocese and national teams where good practice is identified and may drive shared efficiencies.

The post-holder must have a strong blend of professional and administrative qualities, particularly the ability to work constructively and communicate clearly with a wide range of stakeholders, including clergy, churchwardens, treasurers and other key leaders and volunteers.

The post-holder will be part of the established Mission Finance Team within the Diocesan Finance team. They will report to the Operations and Generosity Development Team Lead.