Estates Secretary

DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS ,
St Albans, Hertfordshire
More Details
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: In the range £44,630 - £48,975, plus generous, non contributory pension

Overview

The Diocese of St Albans consists of the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and part of the London Borough of Barnet. The population is approximately 1.8 million, and the total electoral roll number is approximately 32,000. The Bishop of St Albans has overall responsibility for the Diocese. He is assisted by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Bedford and the Bishop of Hertford, who in turn are assisted by the Archdeacons of St Albans, Bedford and Hertford. There are twenty deaneries and the Diocese has 336 parishes, of which about one third are rural, 210 benefices, 400 churches, 328 stipendiary clergy, 48 non-stipendiary clergy, 218 clergy with Permission to Officiate and 265 Lay Readers. There are 138 Church Schools and Academies in the Diocese. The Board of Finance is responsible for formulating the diocesan budget, which is currently about £16.5m, and for managing clergy housing, investments and overseeing parochial trusts, the combined value of which is about £160m. The lead officer of the Board, who has overall responsibility for the staff of the Diocesan Office, is the Diocesan Secretary. The administrative team which supports the work of the Board is organised into three major departments, each of which is headed by an Assistant, the Director of Finance, the Estates Secretary and the Pastoral & Advisory Secretary. The staff of the administrative team are in regular contact with, and provide support to, other Diocesan Officers involved with the work of the other Boards and Councils, and a variety of groups and sub-committees which report to them. The Estates Secretary heads the Estates Department which, through the oversight of the Glebe and Property Committees of the Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) and in conjunction with its professional advisors, manages the operational and investment properties of the Diocese. The Department is also responsible for the Trusts of which the Board is either the custodian or direct trustee. In addition the Department deals with the payment of clergy stipends and removal, resettlement and first appointment grants together with decoration grants for parsonage houses and DBF properties, and manages let properties. The person appointed is one of the senior management team of the DBF, alongside the Director of Finance and DAC & Pastoral Secretary, who report to the Diocesan Secretary. They will have a key role in supporting the Diocesan Vision of Living God’s Love by ensuring that: Clergy are supported in their ministry through the provision of good quality, fit for purpose housing and Property is managed to maximise financial return in order to resource the Diocesan Vision. The Property Committee is concerned with the provision, repair and improvement of some 232 parsonage houses in the diocese, which covers Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and part of the London Borough of Barnet. The Property Committee also looks after the DBF’s own properties, of which there are approximately 34 plus the Diocesan office and is responsible for ensuring curates are suitably housed. The Property Committee meets six times a year. The work involves close liaison with the clergy and their families and calls for understanding, tact, flexibility and sensitivity which combines a methodical and efficient management role with a genuine pastoral care and concern for the clergy and the houses they live in. The Glebe Committee is responsible for the management of the diocesan glebe which is vested in the Board of Finance and comprises some 3,500 acres of land in the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, with three farms in Buckinghamshire. There are also fourteen residential properties. The Glebe Committee meets four times a year. It is not expected that the person appointed will necessarily have technical or surveying qualifications or experience; professional advice and assistance is available from the Diocesan Surveyor and his staff and the Board’s agents with whom there is regular contact. There is also regular contact with the DBF’s solicitor based at Debenhams Ottaway in St Albans. However the person appointed will need to have experience of working with sometimes complex technical and legal matters and ensuring that the appropriate professional advice is received. We are seeking candidates who are: Educated to degree level or equivalent A creative and strategic thinker with a proactive approach to challenges and opportunities Financially astute with experience of identifying and effecting opportunities for maximising financial returns and obtaining value for money and who have: Experience of working with professional advisors, and holding them to account Experience of working in property management Experience of working with and servicing committees Experience of working within formal legal frameworks and knowledge of, or the ability quickly to acquire knowledge of, the relevant ecclesiastical and other legislation The ability to communicate well with Clergy and colleagues as well as to committees Empathy with the vision and ethos of the Diocese

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