Team Administrator

Bishopthorpe Palace

Part-Time (21 hours)

Closing Date: 17 July 2026

*Please note: the Diocese of York is not the employer*

Job Description

The Team Administrator will provide a range of administrative and personal support to the Archbishop’s Chaplain and the wider team at Bishopthorpe Palace. They will also act as one of the main points of contact for visitors and callers and will be expected to work closely and collaboratively with the other Team Administrator to ensure duties are always covered.

All staff working at Bishopthorpe Palace share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture with regard to children and vulnerable adults, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

A basic DBS check is required for this role.

Interviews will be held for one day on 28 July 2026

Responsibilities

Support to the Archbishop’s Chaplain

Provide administrative support to the Chaplain including but not limited to:

Managing the Chaplain’s diary using Outlook, including booking rooms and hospitality where appropriate.
Booking travel and hotel accommodation as required.
Taking minutes of meetings on an occasional basis.
Preparing background information for Clergy Current Status Letters (CCSLs).
Assisting with the printing of materials for worship.
Responsible for the administration of the clergy charity funds, in liaison with the Archbishop’s Chaplain. Liaising directly with the Suffragan Bishops and Archdeacons of the Diocese of York in the allocation of these funds.
Clergy retirement/resignation letters – In liaison with the Records and Correspondence Manager, making sure that all resignations and retirement notifications are actioned.
Providing general administrative support to the Chaplain, and any other duties that may arise as required.
Providing support to the Chaplain on the administration of PTOs, and any other duties that may arise as required, in the absence of the other Team Administrator.

Assisting with the administration and organisation of the following events:

Consecrations and Confirmation of Elections;
Provincial Visits;
Annual Northern Church Leaders’ Retreat;
Diocese of York Clergy Quiet Days;
Diocesan Clergy Conference;
Ordinations of deacons.

Reception duties (shared with the other Team Administrator):

Answering incoming calls to the main Palace phone, ascertaining the purpose of the call and transferring to the appropriate member of staff, giving full information.
Answering video-entry phones at the main office door and disabled entrance, greeting visitors, assisting disabled visitors, issuing visitor badges, and alerting the appropriate member of staff of their arrival.
Fulfilling other general receptionist duties, including ensuring the reception area is kept clean and tidy and that publications/circulars made available in that area are relevant and up-to-date, organising visitor refreshments and organising taxis for visitors as required. Ensuring reception/telephone cover is maintained when away from the front desk.
Overseeing the office stationery supplies to ensure that stocks are maintained, negotiating prices with suppliers and ordering goods.
Responsible for the franking/preparation of outgoing post, including the completion of paperwork for non-standard postal services, and ensuring the post is taken to the post office each evening ahead of closure deadlines.
Preparation and circulation of a staff weekly whereabouts sheet.
Maintaining and updating the staff signing-in boards.

General administrative duties (shared with the other Team Administrator):

Processing incoming post before passing to the Records and Correspondence Manager for further action.
Assist in the administration of central office emails, filtering the messages and forwarding those requiring further action to the Records and Correspondence Manager.
Production of standard letters as directed by the Records and Correspondence Manager.
Booking of travel/hotels for members of the Archbishop of York’s team as required.

About You

Essential

Knowledge/Experience

Proven ability in managing diaries, correspondence and papers for a manager with the ability to find creative solutions.
Experience of, and confidence in, dealing with a wide range of people in the course of work, including at a senior level.
Experience working in a high-pressure environment.
Experience organising meetings and/or events.
Evidence of dealing with confidential and sensitive material
Excellent knowledge of IT and experience using the Microsoft Office 365 suite of packages, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
Confident in the use of the mail-merge function and working on a networked computer system with the ability to use IT to find creative solutions.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to draft and prepare high-quality, accurate correspondence, briefs and other material, including minutes of meetings as required.
Excellent interpersonal skills capable of dealing with difficult conversations calmly and efficiently.
Highly confidential, discreet and diplomatic with proven ability to work in a strictly confidential environment and to handle sensitive documents.
Forward-thinking with highly effective planning skills.
Ability to organise diaries and meetings.
Ability to collect and collate information and data, and understand data protection requirements.
Highly focused, organised and methodical with the ability to cope with conflicting priorities and projects and to meet deadlines.
Flexibility with the ability to adapt plans quickly in response to change.
Ability to create and implement new processes and systems to improve efficiency.
Strong teamwork skills.

Skills & Abilities:

Equivalent professional experience, with a good command of written and spoken English, including accurate spelling and punctuation.

Desirable

Knowledge of and empathy with the Church of England and its structure.
An understanding of the work of the Archbishop’s ministry and the structures and roles within the Church of England.
A good working knowledge of SharePoint would be an advantage, however training will be provided.

About Us

Please note that you will not be able to view the role description after the closing date. We suggest that you save a copy of this page before you submit your application.

About the NCIs

The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation – a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.

We Include. You Belong.

Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims 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.

Living out our values in all that we do, we:

Strive for Excellence
Show Compassion
Respect others
Collaborate
Act with Integrity

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.

Use of AI in your application

We appreciate that you may want to use AI tools to help you with your application. We’re happy for you to use AI to come up with ideas and help structure your thoughts, but you shouldn’t use AI to fabricate information or write your whole application for you. One of our values is integrity, and although we want you to demonstrate your best self, we don’t want an AI-generated persona. If you simply copy and paste AI-generated content into your application, this will reduce your chances of success.

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