Head Sexton for Copenhagen Cathedral

Do you want to lead a skilled church sexton team and help create good conditions for life at Vor Frue Church - Copenhagen Cathedral?

As lead church sexton you will have the overall responsibility for the sextons' work and at the same time be a central part of a daily life where people, tradition, services and practical tasks meet. With us we carry out the tasks in a community. You are part of the group and take part in the same tasks as your colleagues. At the same time, it is you who has the overarching responsibility for ensuring that the work is planned, coordinated and followed through.

The scope of the job is broad. You must be able to lead the sextons' work at major church ceremonies, where the requirements for preparation, coordination and orderly execution are high. But you must also thrive in the ordinary everyday life, where tasks include cleaning, practical challenges and personal encounters with the church's many visitors. The lead church sexton also has a special responsibility for the church’s building maintenance.

ABOUT THE JOB

You will have daily management responsibility for the church's seven permanent church sextons as well as a number of temporary staff. You report to the church's daily leader and thereby to the parish council.

The everyday life at Vor Frue Church includes both fixed routines and situations that cannot be planned in advance. Therefore we need a leader who can create structure and overview while preserving calm and flexibility when plans change.

You set the direction for the sexton team’s work and ensure that tasks and responsibilities are clearly distributed. That does not mean you have to solve everything yourself. On the contrary, we place emphasis on a collaborative working environment where colleagues contribute with experience and professionalism, help each other and take responsibility for the common task. Your role is to create the best space for collaboration and at the same time make the necessary decisions, prioritise and follow up.

Vor Frue Church is the church of the homeless. Its doors are open to people of all kinds: the regular congregation, prayerful visitors, tourists, school classes and people with challenges. We place emphasis on meeting everyone with kindness and respect, but at the same time being able to set necessary boundaries.

Your most important tasks

Together with the church sexton team you ensure that the building functions in daily life, and that people who come to the church are greeted professionally and respectfully.

You will among other things be responsible for

• to lead, coordinate and participate on an equal footing in the sexton team’s daily work
• to plan and coordinate working hours, duty rosters and tasks
• to ensure practical preparation and execution of services, concerts and other events – also on a large scale
• to develop workflows and together with colleagues find good solutions to everyday tasks
• to hold MU conversations and support each employee's development and well-being
• to plan and coordinate external craftsmen and partners in connection with maintenance of the church building and related buildings in collaboration with the church warden.

WHO ARE YOU?

You have an interest in the church and an understanding of its special character as both a workplace, a place of worship and a venue for many different people. You are a clear and trustworthy leader who thrives on being close to both people and tasks. You do not need to have all the answers yourself. Instead, you should be able to connect the threads, set direction and ensure that agreements are turned into action.

We place emphasis on the following

• have solid experience with leadership and can create good frameworks for a team
• have experience with leadership of construction and/or maintenance tasks
• work in a structured way and are good at planning, prioritising and delegating work
• are able to communicate clearly and respectfully with colleagues and visitors
• have an eye for both people, practical details and the bigger picture
• possess practical sense and are hands-on
• are flexible regarding shifts

Experience from the Church of Denmark would be an advantage, but your background can also be managerial, craft-based or something else. You will receive a thorough introduction to the workplace, and together we will lay out a plan for your onboarding.

ABOUT US

Vor Frue Church is a living church in the heart of Copenhagen with a wide range of ecclesiastical, cultural and social activities. In addition to weekly services and broadcast morning prayers, the church fulfils its duties as a cathedral and parish church through religious education, a rich concert life, children and family events, a museum, evening-open church and social work.

You will become part of a large and socially well-functioning workplace with 42 employees, where the tone is warm and respectful, and where it is noticeable that we enjoy working together. You will also meet an engaged parish council with a special focus on a good and professional working environment.

WE OFFER

• a meaningful and diverse job right in the middle of Copenhagen
• an unusually wide range of tasks, from major religious events to the everyday routine
• good colleagues with an informal tone and good humour
• a workplace where practical tasks, community and spirit go hand in hand
• a strong sense of teamwork where tasks are solved together, and where you as lead church sexton have the overarching responsibility to create direction and coherence
• flexible working hours according to the duty roster, including evening and weekend work.

Salary and employment terms

Working hours are 37 hours per week. The position involves rotating working hours, including evening and weekend work.

Employment is with Vor Frue Parish Council, Nørregade 8, København K. The employment is covered by the Collective Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and Public Employees Organizations (OAO-S) and the Collective Agreement for church functionaries with core duties as church sexton or gravedigger, entered into between the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Denmark’s Church Sexton Association and the accompanying protocol for church sextons.

Current civil servant employees who are church sextons have the right to retain their civil servant status upon appointment with direct transfer. In that case, the position must be classified.

It is a condition that the mandatory 5-week training for church sextons is completed within 2 years after the start of employment. The annual salary is to be agreed within the range 324,667 DKK – 408,841 DKK (current prices). There is a duty to be available to the position. The standby allowance amounts to 33,231,- DKK (current prices) per year. OK allowance of 1,401,- DKK (current prices) per year. An agreement on placement in the salary range is made between the parish council and Denmark’s Church Sexton Association.

For more information about the position, please contact the Secretariat Manager (daily leader) Line Marschner at telephone number 3122 6639. Applications with relevant attachments are submitted via the link in the job portal. Applications received by email will not be considered. Interviews will be held on November 17. A second interview will be held the same week.