Director of Operations and Executive Chaplain to the Bishop of Carlisle

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

In this role, you will :

• 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 :

Key requirements :

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

What we offer

Your Salary

Your Benefits

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 :

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.