PA to Director

Job content

We are recruiting for a highly organised and detail orientated PA to look after the daily requirements of our newly refurbished Franciscan Centre. Reporting into the Director for the Franciscan Centre, you will provide high quality, effective administrative support to enable the Centre to deliver its mission through the programmes it delivers and how visitors experience the Centre. It is essential that you work in partnership with the Ladywell Operations Team, and the sisters living on site. This is a new position carrying out administration aims and goals. This key role will require a strong alignment with the Congregation’s Franciscan spirit and charism. This is a full time role, working 5 out of 7 days a week, where there may be the need for occasional over time, to be successful in this role you will need to have a degree of flexibility.

Set within the beautiful backdrop of the Surrey countryside, Ladywell Convent is the motherhouse of the Catholic Religious Order - the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM). The FMDM is a women’s Catholic Religious Congregation who have had their Motherhouse and Congregational offices at Ladywell, Godalming, Surrey since 1956. Reading the signs of the times, the sisters are currently in the process of moving towards creating three Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO’s) to address their current reality. The sisters want to make Ladywell available to develop this iconic place as a Franciscan Centre.

A warm hospitable heart and professional competence will be key to what success looks like in this role. As part of your role you will act as a support function to the Director role and ensure the smooth administration of the centre. You’ll be the go to person and single point of contact, for general queries and be heavily involved in the day to day bookings, through to a front of house presence at events.

For This Role, You Will

Be professional and organised, with a high level of integrity and reliability
Have outstanding accuracy and be highly literate, both verbally and in writing
Communicate clearly at all levels of seniority
Be technically adept at using MS Office 365 applications
Enjoy being a problem solver, who is able to think creatively to solve any issues that may arise
Respond to a given situation appropriately and sensitively at all times
Respect and act within the ethical framework of a religious organisation and in a manner which upholds its mission and ethos
Be able to work well with people from different parts of the world, being positive, supportive and encouraging of others

As Part Of This Role, You Will

Be the face of the centre, on behalf of the Director: Model the charism and values in action, fostering positive relationships with the local community, guests, and visitors to the Centre. Work with other Mission Partners to develop a culture of team spirit across the Charity. Demonstrate excellent customer service
Provide excellent administration: Set up systems to help manage bookings, be a great problem solver and manage questions from guests. Compile reports and statistics. Attend meetings and note take.
Communicate the work and vision of the Centre: Preparation of material, including bulletins and leaflets: final layout, printing and despatching, Administer the Centre’s website and social media platforms, ensuring that all information is kept accurate, up to date and engaging
Ensure the operational running of the Franciscan Centre: Supporting the on-going day to day running of the Centre, Reflect the mission of the Franciscan Centre and FMDM in everything the Centre does. Ensure up to date IT and audio-visual resources are available and accessible. Be a point of contact for all guests to the Franciscan Centre. Ensure workplace Health and Safety standards and systems are adhered to across the Centre.
Be a true gatekeeper for the Director: Maintaining calendars; producing and organising reports, assessing the order of priority of work and planning as required, as well as maintaining office systems, including data management and filing.
Support the Franciscan Centre Director where needed, with ensuring that all enquiries and visitors are dealt with timely and appropriately with a Franciscan heart
To succeed in this role, you will need to be extremely organised, thorough, and accurate. You should have experience working in a similar role and have outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal. You will be able to use your initiative, plan ahead, work independently and be able to prioritise accordingly. Proficient IT skills are a must, including working knowledge of MS Office 365.

Please note: We anticipate interviews to take place the week commencing the 19th July.
Given the nature of this role the post-holder will be required to be fully flexible and the role may be reviewed and updated with the post-holder in line with service requirements and changing circumstances relevant to the post. The post is subject to 2 satisfactory references.