Expected Hire Date: March 15, 2025
Overview
Description:
The Lay Associate for Communications, and Administration (“ACA”) at Church of the Nativity (“Nativity”) oversees communications, and is the primary office administrator.
Reporting:
The ACA reports directly to the Rector. The ACA may address concerns regarding the job description, support, and feedback with the Rector, Senior Warden, or Vestry representative, as well as the Diocesan Canon for the East Region. There will be an annual performance review with the Rector and a member of Vestry annually in January.
Type:
Part Time (20 hours / week)
Time Required
This is a part-time (20 hours/week) position, and the ACA reports directly to the Rector. The ACA will be expected to hold consistent on-site office hours, Monday through Thursday 10 am to 2 pm, and also be available via email and phone during the work day Monday through Friday. Any reason the ACA cannot be present in the office on these days must be communicated to the Rector before the absence.
The ACA will receive three weeks of vacation. Vacation time should be cleared at least 30 days in advance with the Rector and noted on the Nativity Google calendar. Sick leave is in addition to this at the discretion of the Rector.
The church office is closed the week between Christmas and New Year, not including Sundays. (More details about special services / feast days are below.) The church office is also closed on Easter Monday and Veterans Day. Other holidays are observed at the discretion of the Rector and Vestry.
The ACA will attend and participate in weekly staff meetings, currently scheduled for Tuesdays at 11 am. The ACA will also meet individually with the Rector for liturgical and communications planning as needed, at a mutually agreed upon time.
Position Requirements
- High School Diploma or equivalent required, some college preferred
- Exceptional writing, editing and storytelling skills
- 2-5 years work experience in an office setting
- Familiarity with Google for Non Profits and Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) required
- Familiarity with Ministry Scheduler Pro, WordPress and Microsoft Publisher highly preferred
- Familiarity with iContact (email marketing) or similar software preferred
- Other software that will be utilized includes:
- CDM+ (church database)
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Canon print utilities
- Photoshop / GIMP / similar
- Canva
- familiarity with the Book of Common Prayer, Scripture and the teachings of the Episcopal Church
- Ability to work in an office setting for four hours a day
- Basic graphic design and video editing skills are a plus
Compensation
- $25 an hour, expected 20 hours a week
- Three weeks of Personal Time Off (PTO)
Duties and Responsibilities
Communications (40%)
- Coordinate all parish-wide communications, including:
- weekly print and email newsletters (Developed by the ACA, reviewed by the Communications Team)
- social media postings (via the communications committee)
- blog posts (via the Communications Team with content from a variety of sources) Page 2 of 4 (rev. 2/26/2025)
- Plan, in consultation with clergy and the communications committee, articles and announcements to be included in weekly communications
- Produce, format, proof, and schedule Glad Tidings (weekly e-newsletter); ensure that clergy, staff, and volunteers receive draft copies in a timely manner
- Produce, proof and print Nativity Star (weekly print newsletter)
- Upload weekly announcement (Nativity Star) to website
- Maintain and update parish website, in consultation with staff and other lay volunteers
- Ensure brand consistency in all communication materials
- Create and deploy text messages to opt-in database via 3rd party messaging platform, managing text distribution list and publishing schedule
- Monitor and analyze communication efforts, providing insights and recommendation for improvement
- Work collaboratively with the Communications Committee
- Meet with the committee and/or chair as needed to provide feedback and exchange ideas
- The ACA and Committee will work together and collaborate, but have separate primary responsibilities, as shown below. These divisions are subject to review as deemed necessary by the Rector, Vestry, ACA, and Communications Team.
| Area / Function | Primary Responsible Party |
| Budget for Communications Team | Committee Chair, in consultation with ACA |
| Glad Tidings / Nativity Star | ACA |
| Text Messaging | ACA |
| Weekly / routine website updates | ACA |
| Social Media | Communications Team with guidance from ACA |
| Website redesign, and similar projects | Communications Team |
| Parish Directory | Communications Team |
| Updating monitors (Narthex, Estill House) | Communications Team |
| Roadside Banners | Communications Team |
| Other projects | Communications Team, with ACMA’s guidance |
Administration (60%)
- Collect and distribute mail, and handle outgoing mail
- Manage physical access to the buildings and control/access to keys and passcodes
- Maintain and update parish Google calendar
- With support of Buildings and Grounds committee, support contractors and others working on the physical plant
- Produce, proof, and print worship bulletins; ensure clergy and volunteers receive draft copies in a timely manner
- Upload worship bulletins for online services to website
- Create Lector documents for volunteer readers at services
- Maintain prayer list spreadsheet; add / remove names as necessary
- Prepare baptismal certificates; notify altar guild of baptisms well in advance
- Process new members and transfers in / out; update database as necessary
- Keep church credit card in office and ensure volunteers sign out for it
- Make rental agreements / contracts and handle payments
- Serve as point of contact for all software (e-mail vendor, texting, etc)
- Coordinate worship volunteers using Ministry Scheduler Pro; serve as primary maintainer and organizer of the database and schedules
- Serve as administrative assistant to Memorial Garden Committee; order stones
- Serve as staff liaison to IT Committee
- Order nametags as needed
- Fill out attendance and membership portions of the annual Parochial Report
- Order office supplies as necessary; consult sexton for cleaning supplies