Caretaker

Please note that this role will involve frequent manual handling, working in an environment with no access to a lift, and a frequent need to use the stairs., Westminster Cathedral is seeking to appoint a Caretaker for the Cathedral Hall and the Hinsley Room. The Caretaker will look after both places, set up for events and hires, ensure that users comply with the conditions of the hire, and provide basic maintenance.

You will need to be able to carry out maintenance jobs such as painting and decorating, as well as being able to identify any issues which need the attention of the maintenance team of the Cathedral complex. Furthermore, you will have responsibilities briefing the weekly cleaning schedule to contractors, booking in bi-monthly deep cleans and occasionally, when necessary, be prepared to clean the facilities yourself.

You will support the Cathedral Gift Shop with deliveries and moving items, as well as carrying out simple handyperson tasks as directed by the Cathedral Manager. Additionally, you will work together with the Cathedral Maintenance Team and help in occasional caretaking duties in the Cathedral itself, such as helping with setting up for big events.

This means there's lots to get involved in - and to be excited about., Actions we take to provide equality of opportunity for all candidates include:

• We anonymise application forms during our shortlisting process to ensure that candidates are assessed without any consideration of their name, gender or background.


• As part of this anonymisation, we don't take into consideration where candidates studied, or the method of that study e.g. full-time, part-time or distance learning.


• We apply a consistent approach to our question setting across our applications and interviews to ensure that everyone is assessed against the identified values, competencies and job requirements. Our values are important to us and as such we use a scoring framework that marks candidates based on values, behaviours and competencies.


• We provide guidance and brief all our interviewers throughout the selection processes in recruitment best-practice to mitigate against any potential for conscious or unconscious bias or discrimination.


• Whenever possible we will have multiple interviewers when assessing each candidate to ensure marking is accurate and fair.


• We ensure all our assessment venues are accessible. We offer alternative formats of our application forms to encourage applicants with disabilities or who require reasonable adjustments to perform at their best.


• We will work together with candidates with a disability or health condition to implement reasonable adjustments to enable them to feel comfortable and strive during the assessment process
  
  With substantial experience in a caretaker and/or maintenance role, you will be a great communicator who will thrive on juggling the various competing demands of this varied role.


It is very important that you are self-motivated, work well within a small team and that you can multitask effectively to meet deadlines.

Additionally, you will have excellent communication and team-working skills, and an innate ability to project a friendly and professional manner.

An ability to work alone using your initiative, as well as part of a close-knit team in support of the Cathedral Manager, is imperative to success within this role. Experience in maintenance of buildings such as events venues, visitor attractions or similar facilities, would be advantageous.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, known as Westminster Cathedral, is the largest Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal Vincent Nichols) and it is also home to one of the country's most celebrated Cathedral Choirs.

Even though the Cathedral is not a historic monument it is a significant visitor attraction with up to 25,000 people passing through its door each week and very much a working church for the thousands of the faithful who attend Mass and services here every week. It is at the heart of a very diverse and committed parish community who practice their faith and their commitment to the values of Catholic social teaching in a large number of special interest groups and charitable endeavours.

The Cathedral is also known for hosting concerts and services of different kinds and the adjacent Westminster Cathedral Hall is used for different purposes by a wide range of clients including local government departments, the National Blood Transfusion Service and the various choirs and societies to name but a few.

We are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, a faith-based charity with offices close to Victoria Train and Underground Station and just a short walk from St James's Park and Westminster Underground stations.

We are one of the leading Catholic dioceses in the country, delivering our charitable mission through our network of 208 schools in which over 90,000 pupils attend daily, 212 parishes and several hundred social justice initiatives. We seek to positively impact the lives of all members of society., The Diocese of Westminster is an Equal Opportunities and accredited Living Wage employer. To be successful, we aspire to be person centered at all times and place human dignity at our centre. We aim at all times to recruit the person who is best suited to the job, and we welcome applications from all communities and underrepresented groups, regardless of race, sexual orientation, disability, faith, age and gender. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria. We strive to take a holistic approach to the development of our people so that we may better serve and empower the mission of our Church as ministered by the parishes, deaneries, schools and communities that we support. Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrating and promoting diversity.

We want people from all walks of life to feel valued for their individuality, thrive in our organisation, share a sense of belonging and demonstrate our values. With this in mind, we positively celebrate Diversity & Inclusion at the Diocese of Westminster and place it at the heart of our aim which is to reflect and connect with the diverse communities that we serve.

In return for your hard work and commitment to us, you will receive a competitive reward package which will include, but is not limited to:

• Life Assurance


• Access to Healthcare Cash Plan


• Discounts scheme through Reward Gateway - shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, gift cards and much more


• Specsavers Eye Care Vouchers


• Season Ticket Loan


• Cycle to Work scheme


• Access to low cost loans with Churches Mutual


• Employee assistance programme- free, independent 24/7 help and advice for work-related issues as well as problems affecting home life