The Acting Bishop of Ely seeks to appoint a Chair of the Finance Committee.
This important role provides financial leadership that supports the vision and mission of the Diocese, manages financial risks and promotes financial sustainability. This is currently a voluntary and unpaid role and requires significant commitment, estimated at twelve to fifteen days p.a. Expenses will be reimbursed. This is an appointment of the Bishop of Ely.
Introductory note
The Diocese of Ely has traditionally combined the roles of Chair of the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance and Chair of the Finance Committee. This combined role was however largely focused on just the financial management of the Diocese, when in reality the EDBF does much more than manage diocesan finances. We therefore split the role into two and have recently appointing a Chair of the EDBF, Chris Stanford-Beale. We now seek to appoint a Chair of the Finance Committee.
Setting the Context – who does what?
Governance of the Diocese of Ely involves a number of bodies which work together in a collaboration which is complex, but usually harmonious:
Diocesan Synod
- Our main representative body is the Diocesan Synod. Its meetings are Chaired by two elected chairs (one clergy, one lay). Its members are elected by deanery synods, and they are also the “members” (the charitable-company equivalent of shareholders) of the diocesan Board of Finance.
- Synod generally meets three times per year, and it approves the annual budget, and otherwise makes provision for the church’s life in the Diocese of Ely.
Bishop's Council
- Bishop’s Council exists under church law to act as Standing Committee of the Synod – which is to say, it transacts its business between meetings – and to advise the Bishop. Its members are Synod-members, elected by Synod, plus some ex officio and co-opted members.
- It is chaired by the Bishop, and meets roughly six times per year. Its members are also the members of the diocesan Board of Education (although the routine management of diocesan education work is done by a sub-committee) and the diocesan mission and pastoral committee (re-organising parishes, team ministries, etc.), and sometimes they meet as those bodies. The Bishop’s Council is our primary strategy-forming body.
Directors and Trustees of the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance (EDBF)
- Members of the Bishop’s Council are also automatically directors and trustees of the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance (EDBF). This is a charitable company, governed by company law and charity law. EDBF employs many of the central staff of the diocese (as opposed to parish clergy, whom it does not employ) and these staff provide support services to the hundreds of independent bodies that are the diocese’s parishes, schools and other entities. The EDBF board is responsible for EDBF’s strategy – which is to say, its plans about how best to support wider diocesan strategy.
Finance Committee
- The Finance Committee is a sub-committee of the Bishop’s Council. It advises on finance, oversees trust and property matters, drafts the budget and deals with routine staff matters.
- It has sub-committees for Assets (both real estate and financial investments), and for Houses (i.e., church-owned clergy residences).
- The Audit committee has also reported to the Finance Committee, although it has recently been proposed that it should report directly to Council. The authority of the various committees is set out and limited by a Scheme of Delegation.
- Finance Committee members are appointed by Council, but need not be members of Council or Synod – in practice, they are chosen for expertise, and because of involvement in one of the sub-committees or in deanery/parish finance matters.
Chair of the Finance Committee of the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance (EDBF)
This role description provides a guide to the duties and responsibilities of the post and is not an exhaustive list. The post holder may undertake other relevant duties appropriate to the post and this role description may be amended over time, in consultation with the Bishop and the EDBF, to meet the needs of the Diocese.
Primary Purpose of the Post
To provide financial leadership that supports the vision and mission of the Diocese, manages financial risks and promotes financial sustainability. This leadership will encompass the promotion of understanding and transparency of the Diocesan finances.
Context
EDBF Limited is accountable under the Diocesan Boards’ of Finance Measure 1925 to the Diocesan Synod, and is registered both as a charity and a company limited by guarantee. The members of the Synod are members of EDBF Limited, and Synod approves the budget and accepts the accounts. Otherwise, the affairs of EDBF Limited are carried out through its board (or by its employees operating within its Scheme of Delegation). Under EDBF Limited’s Articles of Association, members of the Bishop’s Council are automatically the company board, whose members have the legal duties and rights of company directors and charity trustees.
This means the Board is unusually large for a charity board, and its members are mostly elected rather than being appointed in order to secure a particular set of skills or experience. Financial management is therefore undertaken (without prejudice to the responsibility of the board as a whole) by a Finance Committee whose members are appointed by the Bishop’s Council or co-opted. The Finance Committee usually includes qualified finance professionals, representatives from deaneries and members of its various sub-committees.
Sub-committees of the Finance Committee include Houses (care of church houses), Assets (finance and land holdings), EDEC (education) and Audit (assurance of risk management).
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
The Diocese is committed to both numerical and spiritual growth. It sees finance as an active facilitator of mission. The Finance Committee Chair will bring vision and leadership to the position, as well as being a responsible trustee of the financial and real property assets of the Diocese.
The position is currently voluntary and unpaid (though we are considering an honorarium) and requires significant commitment, estimated at twelve to fifteen days p.a. Expenses will be reimbursed. This is an appointment of the Bishop of Ely.
Vision and leadership
- To inspire confidence in EDBF Limited’s financial management, through transparent, open reporting and effective communication and engagement.
- To promote sustainable finance as an instrument for Christian mission.
- To take the lead on financial matters in the Diocese of Ely, working in partnership with the Diocesan Secretary and their staff, and with senior clergy, to establish and implement a long-term, sustainable financial strategy.
Best governance practice
- To provide governance for and, through the Audit Committee, oversight of the financial affairs of the Diocese, the management of its risks and its compliance with law.
- To chair the Finance Committee. To ensure it operates within its terms of reference, that conflicts of interest are identified and managed, and that decisions are taken on the basis of sound information and in good time. To oversee processes to ensure that the decisions of the Finance Committee are enacted.
- To attend the Assets and Houses Committees of the EDBF.
- To oversee arrangements for settling Ministry Share requests, including chairing the Deanery Liaison Group.
- To be an ex officio member of Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod.
- To represent the Diocese on the Inter Diocesan Finance Forum.
Finance expertise
- To report to Synod on financial matters, as required.
- As lead finance trustee on the Bishop’s Council/EDBF board, to equip, support, encourage and oversee the provision by the Diocesan Secretary and officers of the DBF of financial control, appropriate reporting including accounting, and budgeting and forward planning.
Key Working Relationships
- The postholder is responsible to the Chair of Trustees of EDBF Limited.
Key stakeholders
- The Bishop, Suffragan Bishop and archdeacons, and the Bishop’s senior team;
- The Diocesan Secretary;
- The Diocesan Synod, in particular the chairs of the Houses of Clergy and Laity;
- EDBF Limited Chair of Trustees;
- The Bishop’s Council/EDBF Board;
- EDBF finance staff, and other Diocesan officers and staff as required;
- Deanery Treasurers.
Person Specification
The postholder will be an active and practising member of the Church of England with an understanding of and sympathy with the overall mission of the Church of England in general, and the Diocese of Ely in particular.
The post-holder must be able to demonstrate:
- Skill and experience in financial planning for an organisation of an equivalent size and experience. The post-holder will normally hold a finance qualification;
- Business and commercial experience and skill;
- Experience and skill in chairing meetings;
- Understanding of governance, risk and compliance;
- Good communication skills;
- Ability to lead, inspire and foster a collegiate manner of working;
- A broad (lay) understanding of the implications for EDBF of charity, trust and employment law.
- Commitment
- The Bishop’s Council currently meets 5 evenings a year, plus one all-day meeting.
- Synod currently meets 3 times a year (generally two Saturday mornings and one evening).
- The Finance Committee currently meets every two months.
- Ex officio member of the Assets Sub-Committee (four day-times per year) and Houses Committee (nine day-times per year). Attendance at every meeting is not expected.
- The Deanery Liaison Group meets four evenings per year.
- Regular interaction with the Diocesan Secretary and staff.
- Occasional visits to Deaneries and other meetings.
- Overall, we expect the role to require between twelve and fifteen working days per year.
Applications and Next Steps
- Deadline for Applications: 19th December 2025
- For an informal discussion about this post, please feel free to contact the Chair of the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance (EDBF), Chris Stanford-Beale, on chris.stanfordbeale@elydiocese.org
- To be considered for the position, please email the Acting Bishop of Ely, the Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter, on bishop.huntingdon@elydiocese.org. Please provide in you application of no more than 2 pages of A4, details as to your suitability.