Overview

Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

This role is pivotal in developing the strategic priorities and ensuring the delivery of the objectives of the ministry to which God has called the Archbishop of Canterbury, in close cooperation with other members of the senior team, and helps ensure the leadership and ministry of the Archbishop and his staff, reflect the values of the Gospel of Christ, in humility, service and sacrifice.

Post Introduction

As Chief of Staff and Strategy you will report directly to the Archbishop of Canterbury and provide the Archbishop with assistance to conduct his ministry within the life of the nation, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. 

You will hold a broad range of strategic relationships across many sectors and will oversee the Archbishop’s communications, while ensuring that the Palace and the evolving shared Office of the Archbishops is efficiently and safely run, and is outward looking and accessible to its wide variety of interlocutors.

As a Chief Officer of the National Church Institutions (NCIs), you will contribute to corporate leadership, decision-making and policy formulation for the NCIs as a whole, working alongside the Bishop to the Archbishops who has the specific responsibility for relationships with other bishops.

We welcome applicants from any Christian background and/or a variety of Christian life experiences, including those of long-standing or more recent commitment to their faith. This post carries an Occupational Requirement to be a practising Christian (in accordance with the Equality Act 2010).

You will be based at Lambeth Palace, London, with the expectation of travel nationally and internationally.

To arrange an informal conversation please contact People Director Christine Hewitt-Dyer christine.hewittdyer@churchofengland.org

Interviews will be held W/C 13 June 2022.

This role is subject to an Enhanced with Barring DBS check.

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minority Ethnic Backgrounds.

We offer a unique environment with opportunities for continuous learning, generous annual leave for work life balance, season ticket loans and a range of benefits including discounted entry to attractions and what we feel is a market leading package when it comes to our pension scheme.

Role Responsibility

The Role

Strategy and Programme

• To work collaboratively and supportively with others to define, develop, agree and implement a strategic planning framework on a rolling basis, thereby ensuring all aspects of the Archbishop’s work are properly paced, resourced and completed.
• To review regularly the most effective way to deliver the agreed strategic outcomes above,  in terms of initiatives and communications.
• To work effectively with the senior team of key advisers.
• To manage and sustain a wide range of external relationships to enable the communication and achievement of the Archbishop’s objectives, including developing key relationships with Government, business, Royal Households and charitable institutions.
• To ensure the allocation of the Archbishop’s time reflects an effective balance of strategic priorities, enabling key external relationships to be nurtured. To provide an escalation and handling route for diary conflicts and any associated strategic stakeholder management.
• To ensure the pastoral and personal needs of the Archbishop’s family are taken into account in diary planning etc.
• To ensure the Archbishop is fully briefed and prepared for major meetings and events. 

External Relations & Public Affairs

As a key senior adviser in the public positioning of the Archbishop:

• To ensure the leadership and ministry of the Archbishop reflects the values of the Gospel of Christ, in humility, service and sacrifice.
• To ensure that the ministry undertaken at Lambeth in the name of Christ  reaches the widest audience.
• To ensure the Archbishop’s public profile is presented appropriately both nationally and internationally to support his strategic objectives. To provide political insight and guidance, when necessary and to flag risks and opportunities.
• To work closely with the Director of Communications and others to ensure the Archbishop’s communications nationally and internationally support his strategic objectives.
• To build and maintain high-level relationships in Government; Government departments; Royal Households; Diplomatic Services and other international links; Parliament (with the Faith and Public Life team); relevant business and media organisations.
• To ensure excellent two-way communication with the NCIs, especially the Faith and Public Life Team, the Anglican Communion Office, the Archbishop of York’s office, bishops, the Bishop of Dover and staff at Canterbury and with the Archbishop’s Representative to the European Community Institutions.

Lambeth Palace Finance, People and Location

• To be accountable for the effective and efficient management of Lambeth Palace and its teams, including oversight of all commercial, financial and people management. 
• To be accountable for the continuing development of the Lambeth Palace site, with the aim of using the Palace as an active and welcoming base, accessible to all, serving the wider Christian community and, under God, fulfilling the objectives of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England and its Vision and Strategy, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• To give oversight for the Lambeth Palace development plans ensuring close consultation with other NCIs e.g. Church Commissioners and that the Lambeth premises are properly maintained.
• To  ensure effective joint working between the NCIs and the Anglican Communion Office.
• To draw on external resources to advise the Archbishop, particularly from other parts of the Church of England and contribute to effective integration of resources within the NCIs.
• To  ensure the budget is managed in accordance with spending limits, providing oversight of financial management and compliance regarding funding from the Church Commissioners and other funds e.g., discretionary, Archbishop’s Charitable Foundation, as well as gifts and benefits in kind.
• To ensure a team culture that reflects the NCIs’ aims in belonging, inclusion, wellbeing and learning, and reflects the NCIs’ Values.
• To provide oversight and accountability for health and safety compliance and security risks.
• To be the Safeguarding Lead for Lambeth Palace, responsible for good practice in safeguarding across the various Lambeth Palace communities, residential and employed, and primarily responsible for briefing the Archbishop on safeguarding matters. To liaise with the Lambeth Palace Safeguarding Officer and the Director of the National Safeguarding Team.

Charitable Organisations

• To ensure the Archbishop’s charitable patronages are kept under review so they are consistent with the objectives of his ministry and that his relationships with them continue to be managed in a cost-effective way.
• To be first point of contact for the Lambeth Trust and Partnership, working with them to facilitate their understanding of the funding needs of the Archbishop’s priorities.

Leadership and Governance

• To work in partnership with the Chief Officers of the other NCIs, following the recent re-organisational processes, ensuring all the NCIs continue to deliver improved coherence and efficiency for the Church and working towards the delivery of common services. To champion the journey of working differently which has just commenced.
• To participate in corporate leadership decision-making and policy formulation for the NCIs as a whole, modelling their Values and aims on belonging, inclusion, wellbeing and learning.

The post holder will be comfortable with, and enthused by attending worship with the Lambeth Palace community and praying with the Archbishop. This will be both as part of the community at Lambeth Palace and in public and state events

The Ideal Candidate

The Requirements

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Exceptional leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate and empower teams within a politically and ethically complex setting, embracing diversity and modelling a learning mindset.
• Demonstrable intellectual ability to think at both a strategic level and operational level. 
• Strong analytical capability, able to assimilate and analyse information quickly, identifying issues, risks, opportunities and priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively across organisational and sector boundaries, while demonstrating both sound judgement and independence of mind.
• Strong ambassadorial, representational,  influencing and communication skills.
• Culturally sensitive to a broad spectrum of people, both internationally and in the UK.
• Ability to demonstrate strong stewardship through grasp and interpretation of financial data and flexible and imaginative use of resources more broadly.
• Ability to initiate action to solve problems; overcome barriers and exploit opportunities.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Substantial experience in operating at a senior strategic leadership level within a large and complex system, influencing boards, committees and stakeholders and contributing effectively to wider corporate issues.
• Evidence of building high-value relationships with a range of external partners to achieve organisational objectives.
• Proven experience of using strong, inclusive and inspirational leadership to improve the performance of an organisation of a similar size and complexity, with a strong record of achievement in leading change.
• Track record of developing and implementing corporate strategy, business and financial planning, with excellent delivery of results.
• Evidence of effective resource and people management, supported by a good understanding of organisational development and change leadership; track record of harnessing the strengths and potential of diverse staff at all levels of the organisation; maintaining and motivating a senior team.
• Substantial experience of handling a complex workload and policy issues in the political and/or civil society spheres.
• Experience of working in an international context. Experience of dealing with diverse cultures both in the UK and the wider world.

Personal Attributes:

• Leads by example, demonstrating enthusiastic commitment to the ministry and priorities of the Archbishop and the Church, and understands that the purpose of working for the Archbishop in this role is to serve the Kingdom of God.
• A high level of personal integrity, credibility and natural authority; quickly engages and commands the confidence and respect of others.
• A natural diplomat and alliance builder with a flexible approach to working with other groups and organisations and to sharing resources and information.
• Deals with conflict around sensitive issues and confident to surface and lean into tensions, especially through cultivating trusting relationships that accommodate disagreement, convening, facilitating and building consensus.
• Leads peers without necessarily having line management responsibility.
• Commitment to the NCIs’ belonging and inclusion and wellbeing aims in employment and service delivery, with a caring and respectful attitude to staff.
• A visionary and strategic operator, balancing the strategic with the detailed when necessary, with a good sense of reputational risk management.
• Relates effectively to complex situations and organisations; thinks laterally and creatively.
• Political acumen, comfortable working with uncertainty and ambiguity.
• Has developed strategies to maintain personal resilience within a challenging role and environment.
• Positive team member, who contributes, supports and leads as required, to maximise  effectiveness of the team’s work.

Circumstances

• This role requires some national and international travel, occasionally to higher risk locations,  undertaken on the most cost-effective basis possible.
• We welcome applicants from any Christian background and/or a variety of Christian life experiences, including those of long-standing or more recent commitment to their faith. This post carries an Occupational Requirement to be a practising Christian (in accordance with the Equality Act 2010).

About Us

We in the National Church Institutions support the mission and ministries of the Church all over England. We work with parishes, dioceses (regional offices), schools, other ministries and our partners at a national and international level.

Excellence, Respect, Integrity

We follow these three values in everything we do, whether we are of Christian faith, another faith or no faith. To learn more about working for National Church Institutions and our benefits, please click here

As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.

As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, we welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and to ensuring that everyone, job applicants, customers and other people with whom we deal, are treated fairly and not subject to discrimination.  We will do whatever is necessary to provide genuine equality of opportunity. We continuously review our policies and processes to support our aim to create a workforce as diverse as the nation the Church of England serves.

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