Chaplain to the Bishop of Coventry

Summary

About the Diocese

Bishop Sophie was appointed the 10th Bishop of Coventry in 2024 and took up the legal responsibility in February 2025. As the Bishops House is refurbished, she is using this time to prepare well for this new responsibility building on her experience of episcopal ministry over the past five years. She will commence public duties from the date of her welcome service on 7 June 2025.

Bishop Sophie will, in due time, share her episcopal authority and responsibility fully and collegially within the Diocese with the Bishop of Warwick once appointed, but will first take time to form a clear picture of the Diocese before beginning that process of appointment.

She will work closely with the Dean of Coventry, the Archdeacons, and the other members of the Bishop's Senior Staff Team. This missionary and apostolic oversight is of course shared with every licensed priest, but among them especially, the area deans. Governance responsibility for the Diocese is likewise shared, principally through the Bishop's Council and Diocesan Synod.

The Bishop's Chaplain will:

1. Work to the Bishop, her agenda and priorities, focused on assisting her ministry, with wisdom, good humour, and steadfast hope.
2. Be emotionally intelligent and theologically alert, with a strong ability for reading people and situations, relating well across a diverse range of ages, personalities, cultures and theological convictions.
3. Be flexible and adaptable, able to work to tight deadlines, to prioritise, to cope with complex and competing demands, and to assemble resources on a wide variety of subjects.
4. Enjoy working as part of a small team, with the spontaneity and natural generosity which interdependence requires.
5. Provide pastoral support to the Bishop's Staff, with a proven capacity to work calmly and effectively through more stressful seasons of ministry.
6. Support the Bishop in liaising with colleagues over matters of strategic development in the mission of the Diocese.
7. Take primary responsibility, on behalf of the Bishop, for worship and prayer in the life of the Bishop's Senior Staff Team and to help shape a pattern of prayer in the Bishops House Chapel which is sustainable and life giving, including occasional services of Holy Communion.

Key requirements

1. The Chaplain's main place of work is the Bishop's Office at The Bishop's House.
2. The expectation is of a similar time commitment as a parish priest. As a general rule the Chaplain will be expected to share in morning worship outside office hours, and to keep office hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm with a break for lunch. There is an expectation of some work, and ministry being exercised, outside office hours. There will be some evening commitments. The rest day is generally a Friday or Saturday.
3. The post is subject to Safer Recruitment Processes and a satisfactory Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Disclosure.
4. This post has attached to it an Occupational Requirement under the 2010 Equality Act, Part 1, Schedule 9.

What we offer

1. A salary of GBP33,058 per annum (equivalent to the stipend of a Residentiary Canon).
2. A house (or housing allowance) will be provided to enable the Chaplain to carry out their duties.
3. Clergy already in the Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme (CEFPS) will have the option of either remaining in this scheme or joining the PB14 scheme. In addition to the employer age-related contribution (between 8-15% of salary), the employer also matches the employee contributions in whole percentages up to 3%. Employees enrolled into PB2014 will be automatically enrolled to contribute 3% of their pensionable salary. The employee can choose to increase or decrease their contribution at any time.
4. 30 days annual leave FTE.
5. Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme.

The Diocese is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment and to comply with the relevant safeguarding policy.