Church Centre Manager

We seek an organised and collaborative leader to own the management and maintenance of our recently-modernised buildings. As a church, we use them for worship, outreach and learning e.g. Sunday services, a Romanian congregation, groups for adults with learning disabilities, LIFE groups and Alpha courses. We also use them in extensive community service e.g. Job Club, night shelter, conversation café, toddlers, holiday club and youth groups, all in pursuit of our vision, mission, and values. In addition, many organisations rent our premises, generating significant income. You will interact effectively with building users, and lead staff and volunteers to ensure our operations run smoothly. You will be joining a highly-motivated team committed to making a difference in the lives of church members and the wider community.

Summary of the role

To ensure all the church’s buildings (on our main site, and the manse) are used efficiently and to maximum effect to support the church’s vision, mission, and values. To ensure all building users experience excellent service. To ensure the buildings are well maintained and the church meets its obligations on compliance issues. To discharge these responsibilities in collaboration with church leadership, volunteers and administration and finance staff.

Managing the use of the buildings

• Running the booking system on ChurchSuite software for internal and external users
• Applying the church’s policies for who may rent the premises and the priorities for the buildings’ use
• Ensuring rooms are clean, set up, catered, equipped, signposted and heated, in particular preparing the worship space for services, assisting as needed
• Recruiting and line managing volunteers or casual workers to staff reception or set up or pack down rooms as required
• Liaising with clients by phone, email or in person
• Administering payments and refunds via finance staff
• Managing complaints
• Supporting publicity and adjusting pricing as needed
• Ensuring food hygiene requirements are met by all building users
• Ensuring that appropriate emergency procedures are in place and users of the building are informed or trained
• Owning the organisation and training of volunteers and staff with safety responsibilities such as fire marshals
• Carry out other reasonable duties that are asked of you

Taking care of the buildings

• Recruiting and line managing a team of cleaners and a maintenance worker (all part-time) to maintain the buildings
• Keeping time records for all managed staff
• In collaboration with the maintenance volunteer team and property team:
  • Handling short-term repair and maintenance issues and annually-scheduled routine actions
  • Contributing to long-term maintenance and development plans
• Maintaining a knowledge of the buildings’ fabric so that they can be kept in good condition
• Maintaining a knowledge of the operation of the buildings’ technical systems, such as heating, electrical, plumbing, CCTV, alarms and Wifi, and ensuring they are kept operational
• Monitoring stocks and ordering janitorial supplies as needed
• Managing supplier, utility and maintenance contracts
• Ensuring the main building is locked and unlocked as required
• Managing the issuing of keys to the buildings
• Keeping track of church equipment
• Taking ownership of the administrative aspects of Health and Safety, conducting regular inspections, commissioning and documenting safety checks, enforcing relevant policies, and collaborating with the Health and Safety trustee
• Ensuring the church’s landlord responsibilities are met for relevant premises
• Ensuring the adjacent pathway and land are kept clear and tidy
• Maintaining internal and external signage
• Carry out other reasonable duties that are asked of you

Person Specification: Church Centre manager

Character - Essential

• To be in sympathy with Union Baptist Church’s Vision, Mission and Values Statement
• To be an organised self-starter
• To be reliable and punctual
• To be methodical and a completer-finisher
• To be flexible and a committed team player
• To be able to collaborate effectively with other staff and volunteers
• To be able to relate well to church members (as volunteers and internal clients) and external clients

Experience, Knowledge and Qualifications - Essential

• Experience of line management
• Awareness of health and safety regulations
• Experience of a customer service environment

Experience, Knowledge and Qualifications - Desirable

• Experience of building management
• Experience of a premises rental enterprise
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Understanding of the church and charitable sector
• An understanding of the operation of building-related technical systems

Skills - Essential

• Leadership skills, with the ability to encourage and enthuse team members
• Good interpersonal skills
• Organisational skills
• Problem-solving skills
• The ability to organise their own time and prioritise their workload
• A knowledge of general maintenance and repair work
• To be able and willing to undertake a range of manual duties, including the setting up and clearing away of furniture/equipment and ad-hoc cleaning
• Computer proficiency
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Numeracy, budget management and scheduling skills
• Able to work in full compliance with UBC’s safeguarding policy

Appendix: Church Profile

Union Baptist Church has the vision to see the town of High Wycombe transformed by God through a loving, serving, worshipping church community.

We are a Bible-based church which welcomes everyone and is committed to the faithful teaching of God’s word as the authority for how to live our lives.

The church has around 180 members of very diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and we regularly see several hundred people come through our main building weekly.

On the church site in the town centre, our main building includes worship and welcome spaces, newly transformed in December 2024, with a suite of rooms and halls behind them to provide for the needs of the church community. These premises also support our activities aimed at serving the town, which include ministries to the homeless, adults with learning disabilities, unemployed people, a Romanian speaking population, families and young people. In addition, we rent out our halls and rooms to non-profit and commercial organisations, so generating significant income. On the same site is a cottage leased to a counselling charity, and separately we own a manse in a residential area.