Parish Support Officer (Maternity Cover 20 hours per week

Position: Parish Support Officer (Maternity Cover 20 hours per week)
The Company Honeycomb is delighted to be working with a well-established community-focused organisation to recruit a Parish Support Officer on a temporary basis to cover maternity leave. This is an important office-based and parish-facing role, providing professional and confidential administrative support to senior leadership while helping to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the Parish Office and Parish Centre. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting parish activities, events, communications, administration and community engagement, working closely with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

The Role Reporting to the Parish Priest, the Parish Support Officer will provide confidential, efficient and professional administrative support, ensuring the effective running of the Parish Office and Parish Centre. Key responsibilities will include:
Providing a warm and professional welcome to visitors and responding to telephone calls, emails and general enquiries. Providing general office administration and correspondence support. Maintaining diaries, calendars and parish schedules. Maintaining strict confidentiality and demonstrating sensitivity when dealing with confidential or personal matters. Maintaining Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage and Funeral registers and issuing certificates when required. Providing administrative support for sacramental preparation, including baptism meetings, wedding paperwork and funeral arrangements.

Liaising with relevant clergy and parish staff to ensure appropriate procedures are followed. Preparing and producing weekly bulletins, newsletters and parish communications. Creating parish resources including booklets, flyers, posters and PowerPoint presentations for meetings and events. Maintaining parish mailing lists in line with GDPR requirements. Maintaining accurate databases, registers, filing systems, archives and other parish records. Maintaining an up-to-date parish calendar.

Liaising with committees, stakeholders and contractors regarding facilities, repairs, servicing and testing. Providing administrative and communications support to parish engagement and working groups. Organising meetings, including preparing agendas, recording action points, circulating follow-ups and arranging venues. Scheduling annual meetings and supporting the administration of parish-wide events and celebrations. Providing administrative support for parish programmes and initiatives. Researching relevant funding and grant opportunities.

Supporting the preparation and administration of funding applications and maintaining accurate records of submissions, outcomes and reporting deadlines. Developing effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across the wider organisation. Supporting the smooth and effective operation of the Parish Office and undertaking other duties appropriate to the role as required.

The Person

Essential Criteria The successful candidate will ideally have:
Previous experience in an administrative or office-based support role. Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Experience managing diaries, meetings, correspondence and general office administration. Strong attention to detail and the ability to maintain accurate records and databases. Experience handling confidential information with discretion and professionalism. The ability to work independently while also contributing effectively as part of a wider team.

An understanding of GDPR and the importance of confidentiality when handling personal information. Desirable Criteria It would be advantageous to have:
Experience working within a parish, community, charity, voluntary or similar organisation.

How to Apply

To apply for this role, submit your CV via the application form provided. Alternatively, to speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity, please contact Zeena Jackson at . Disclaimer If you have a disability which means you require assistance at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us directly to discuss. Honeycomb is committed to providing equality of opportunity to all.

Please note, we are receiving an exceptionally high number of applications and will be unable to shortlist candidates who do not meet the specific requirements for this role. Due to the high volume of applications, we may be unable to provide individual feedback. We thank you in advance for your understanding.