Associate Rector

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Associate Rector is a vital senior leadership role, created in reponse to the significant opportunities presented by a thriving and growing church. This role exists to strengthen leadership capacity, enable sustainable growth and ensure that vision is translated into effective practice across the life of the church.

Working closely with the Rector and the Senior Leadership Team, the Associate Rector will contribute to strategic decision-making, organisational oversight and the leadership of key initiatives. The right person will be inspired by the opportunity to use their gifts to make a real difference in and through the church at an exciting time. They will be energised by the prospect of raising up many emerging leaders across the church and investing in our outstanding staff team.

This role is a highly influential role for an ordained leader who combines strong pastoral instincts with strategic acumen, operational insight and emotional maturity. The post holder will help shape culture, steward risk, oversee best practice and lead change in a dynamic and mission-focused environment while also engaging in ministerial responsibilities across the church.

ABOUT ST ALDATES

Our vision is to invite people to encounter Jesus, equip people to follow Jesus in every area of their lives and envision people to transform their communities.

We are excited about what God is doing in our midst. We are seeing people come to faith in Jesus on a weekly basis, and we are pioneering new ways of discipling people to make a difference in every area of their lives. As a city-centre church with a congregation of 1600+ we have hundreds of volunteer leaders and teams across our ministries, leading Aldates Groups, Alpha, Student ministry, Aldates Kids and Youth.

We have four services every Sunday, one of which is broadcast live. Our team consists of 35+ Ministry and Operations Leaders. In addition, the School of Ministry trains students annually who work alongside Ministry Leaders.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Senior Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a core member of the Senior Leadership Team, working in close partnership with the Rector in the overall leadership and direction of the church
• Act as a trusted advisor and strategic sounding board to the Rector, contributing to long-term vision, priorities and organisational health
• Translate the Rector's vision into executable strategies, structures and initiatives
• Lead and oversee key strategic projects from conception through to delivery, ensuring clarity, pace and alignment with vision

Delegated Leadership & Organisational Oversight

• Operate with delegated authority across agreed areas of responsibility, acting on behalf of the Rector where appropriate
• Act as a primary bridge between pastoral, ministry and operational leadership, ensuring coherence, collaboration and clarity
• Support and enable ministry leaders and operational leads to deliver effectively in a complex, fast-paced ministry environment

Ministry, Servies & Events

• Provide strategic oversight of Sunday services and mid-week events, leading change where needed and encouraging both staff and volunteer leaders
• Coordinate and oversee major seasonal moments such as Easter and Christmas
• Engage in ministerial opportunities as an Associate Rector within the life of the church, contributing to preaching, pastoral ministry and discipleship as appropriate

People & Culture

• Recruit, train, develop and empower volunteer leaders across the church
• Model emotionally healthy leadership, fostering trust, clarity, accountability and collaboration
• Champion a culture of excellence, prayer and mission across staff and volunteers

Governance, Risk & Safeguarding

• Provide senior leadership oversight of safeguarding culture and practice, working closely with safeguarding officers and relevant governance bodies
• Support the Rector in governance responsibilities, including engagement with PCC/trustees and statutory obligations
• Ensure appropriate policies, accountability frameworks, escalation pathways and risk awareness are embedded across ministries
• Exercise sound judgement and discretion in handling sensitive, high-risk or complex situations

PERSON DESCRIPTION

Knowledge and experience

• Proven experience of delivering complex projects to completion in a church or comparable organisational context
• Experience operating at senior or executive leadership level within a church or multi-faceted organisation
• Experience of line management and leading teams of staff and volunteers
• Experience of delivering and embedding change in a church or secular context
• Experience of engaging with governance structures, oversight bodies or trustees
• Experience of leading groups, events or meetings in a church context

Skills and abilities

• A proactive, confident completer-finisher with the ability to hold complexity and competing priorities
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into scalable and sustainable practice
• Excellent communicator, able to bring clarity and confidence in both verbal and written communication
• Emotionally intelligent and pastorally grounded, with strong interpersonal and relational skills
• Confident leader, comfortable leading large gatherings, senior meetings and small groups
• Strong planning, organisational and administrative capability
• Sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive, high-risk or confidential matters
• Resilient, adaptable and able to operate effectively under pressure