Director of Operations and Executive Chaplain to the Bishop of Carlisle

Lambeth Palace Library; Keswick; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

A Church of England institution in Keswick seeks a Director of Operations and Executive Chaplain to the Bishop of Carlisle. This senior position encompasses high-level support to the bishops, management of office operations, and handling pastoral matters. The ideal candidate will have a degree-level qualification, strong IT skills, excellent communication abilities, and the capacity to manage complex issues. This role is open to both lay and ordained applicants and is vital for supporting the ministry effectively.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexible working arrangements

Access to Occupational Health services

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Must have a full driving licence and access to a car.
• Ability to manage complex issues and negotiations.
• Must represent the bishop in a professional manner.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level support to bishops as a trusted adviser.
• Manage pastoral matters and ensure resolution.
• Oversee Bishop’s Office operations and staff.

Skills

Strong IT skills (Microsoft Office)

Excellent written and verbal communication

Organised and detail-oriented

Ability to manage people

High level of confidentiality

Prayerful and collaborative attitude

Education

Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Director of Operations and Executive Chaplain to the Bishop of Carlisle

This is a senior role in the Bishop’s team, ensuring the effective support of the ministry of the Bishop of Carlisle, including some wider outward facing and diocesan responsibilities. It is open to both lay and ordained applicants.

What you’ll be doing

• Provide high-level support to the Bishop of Carlisle and Bishop of Penrith, acting as a trusted adviser and representative.
• Manage pastoral matters and complaints, ensuring timely and appropriate resolution in line with diocesan procedures.
• Support communications, liaising with key stakeholders on diocesan strategy, crisis management, and major services.
• Oversee Bishop’s Office operations, including staff management, data protection compliance, clergy appointments, and financial governance.
• Contribute to the Bishop’s Leadership Team, fostering prayer, communication, and pastoral care, and leading diocesan projects.
• Undertake research and prepare briefings, agendas, and correspondence for meetings and episcopal duties.
• Drive continuous improvement, implementing change management to maintain high standards across systems and processes.

About You

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 Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under‑represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have:

• Degree‑level qualification or equivalent experience
• Strong IT skills (Microsoft Office)
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Full driving licence and access to a car
• Organised, detail‑oriented, and able to work under pressure
• High level of confidentiality and pastoral sensitivity
• Ability to manage people and negotiate complex issues
• Prayerful, collaborative, and adaptable

Key requirements:

• This post is subject to an occupational requirement that the post holder be a communicant member of the Church of England under Part 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010. The post holder will be required to represent the bishop, including occasionally leading prayers or conducting worship on behalf of the Bishop in a manner appropriate to the Church of England.
• An Enhanced DBS check will be undertaken for the successful candidate as part of the pre‑employment checks.
• This role is open to both lay and ordained applicants.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification.

Closing Date for applications is Friday 16th January 2026

Interviews will be held in Keswick on Friday 30th January 2026

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role, please email the Bishops' Executive Assistant:

[e-mail]

What we offer

Your Salary

• A salary of £44,079 - £51,571 per annum (depending on experience) per annum, plus age‑related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

Your Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus eight bank holidays.
• We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case‑by‑case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work‑life balance.
• We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave.
• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.

ABOUT NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS

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.

Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.