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Job Description

Line manager

The Secretary General is the senior employee of the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) and is responsible to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) through the Chair of the Standing Committee. The Secretary General is appointed by the Standing Committee with the consent of the President (the Archbishop of Canterbury), pursuant to Section 17.1 of the Articles of Association.

Location

St. Andrew’s House, home working with significant international travel throughout the Anglican Communion.

Hours

As required to complete the role

Managerial Responsibilities

All ACC staff, with direct line management responsibility for:

  • Director of Administration and Logistics
  • Director of Finance and Facilities
  • Communications and IT Director
  • Director for Unity, Faith & Order and Deputy Secretary General
  • Leaders of Programmatic work as may be undertaken by the ACO from time to time

Key external relationships

  • Chair, Vice Chair, and members of Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council
  • Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Primates, Provincial Secretaries, and other key figures across the Anglican Communion
  • Senior leaders of other Churches, of other faiths and in civil society
  • Chief Executive of the Lambeth Conference Company
  • Executive Director of the Anglican Alliance

Job purpose

  • The Secretary General is responsible for the leadership of the ACO, which is a secretariat serving the ACC and its Committees and the other Instruments of Communion.
  • The Secretary General assists the Communion to become even more faithful to and engaged in God’s mission, serving as an advocate and encourager for the churches of the Anglican Communion, building relationships between member churches and acting as a bridge-builder to effect healing amongst the churches where required.
  • The Secretary General will work to bind the Communion together, as well as amplifying the voices of new and/or smaller provinces to ensure all voices can be heard.
  • The Secretary General will be living out a life as a committed Christian, a person of deep faith and prayer, and an ambassador for Christ.

Key Responsibilities

  • Work with the Standing Committee, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the other Instruments of Communion to further the distinctive contribution of Anglican Churches around the world, in witnessing to the love of God in Jesus Christ.
  • Facilitate and encourage conversation, cooperation and engagement among the Churches of the Anglican Communion, ecumenically with Christian communities and with inter-faith partners, and with leaders in secular society, government, and non-governmental organisations.

Leadership and management of the Anglican Communion Office:

  • Provide strategic and inspirational leadership to the professional and international staff of the secretariat as an effective agent and manager of change at a time of rapid development in the Anglican Communion.
  • Develop for approval and implement the work-plans and budget of the ACO. Ensure the efficient delivery of all ACO services.
  • Oversee the delivery of any programmatic work requested from the ACO from time to time, ensuring any such work is properly approved, funded and resourced before being undertaken.
  • Implementing the Inter-Anglican budget. The Secretary General will be required from time to time to play a visible role in collective efforts to raise funds.

Instruments of Communion:

  • Prepare for and service the Anglican Consultative Council, Meetings of the Primates, Standing Committee, and other inter-Anglican bodies, ensuring decisions are implemented.
  • Support the work of the Archbishop of Canterbury as an Instrument of Communion.

Anglican Communion:

  • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with Primates, Provincial Secretaries, and other key figures across the Anglican Communion.
  • Undertake visits to Member Churches of the Communion, often to attend synods and conventions, to meet with their leadership and address issues of mutual concern and interest.
  • Play a lead role in discussion with potential new provinces, advising them on the steps required to be considered for independent and autonomous Provincial status, working within guidelines produced by Standing Committee.
  • Help bind the Communion together, building relationships between Member Churches, acting as a bridge-builder to effect healing amongst the churches of the Anglican Communion where required, and amplifying the voices of new and/or smaller provinces to ensure all voices can be heard.

Ecumenical, inter-faith and political representation:

  • Give leadership to ecumenical relations with other Christian denominations through personal involvement and representation of the Anglican Communion in formal and informal dialogues with global church bodies.
  • Representing the Anglican Communion to ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches.
  • Representing the Anglican Communion to those of non-Christian faith traditions.
  • Representing the Anglican Communion to political institutions such as the United Nations.

Key responsibilities – other representation:

  • Represent the Anglican Communion with external funding partners, including but not limited to the Compass Rose Society.
  • Represent the Anglican Communion to partner agencies including but not limited to the Anglican Centre in Rome and Anglican and other mission and development agencies.
  • Maintain a close working relationship with the Executive Director, Chair and (fellow) Trustees of the Anglican Alliance

Miscellaneous:

  • Facilitating, coordinating and encouraging other important inter-Anglican activities and events.
  • Providing guidance, planning, organisation and administrative services for the many activities of Christian mission in which Anglicans and ecumenical partners from all parts of the world are engaged.