Additional information

Next steps

If you would like to apply, please complete the online application form via Pathways. You are advised to read the guidance notes before starting your application. The closing date for applications is Thursday 27 May. Please be aware that the online application system will close at midnight on this day. 

As part of the interview process, we make use of psychometric profiling to support appointment and discernment work. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete psychometric questionnaires and discuss the themes from these with an external consultant.

If you have any questions about the application process email aaad.office@churchofengland.org.

The interviews will take place on Monday 28th & Tuesday 29th June. Subject to Coronavirus restrictions, we hope these will be able to take place in person in St Albans. 

The appointment process

The Dean of St Albans is a Crown Appointment. The nominated candidate will also be appointed as Rector of the Parish and hold both offices in plurality. Mrs Helen Nellis, the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire has been invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to chair the panel which has the responsibility to nominate the next Dean. The members of the selection panel are:

Voting members

Carol Borras (Lay Chapter member)

Helen Gray (Lay Chapter member)

David Ison (Cathedral representative, nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Jacob Kurien (Bishop’s Council representative)

Helen Nellis (Chair of the panel nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Alan Smith (Bishop of St Albans)

Dennis Stamps (College of Canons representative)

Non-voting members

Brad Cook (Appointments and Vocations Adviser)

Richard Tilbrook (Prime Minister’s Appointment Secretary)

Stipend, housing and office space

The current stipend for Deans is £37,670 per annum. The Dean will live in The Old Rectory. The role will be offered under Common Tenure. 

Eligibility & pre-employment enquiries

To be appointed as Dean you need to have been ordained for at least six years. Applicants should have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. The appointed candidate will need to satisfactorily complete an Enhanced DBS check and pre-appointment occupational health clearance. 

Safeguarding

Experience of your competence in managing safeguarding forms a key part of the discernment process, as well as enquiries to reassure the appointing panel that you are not a safeguarding risk. 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a confidential declaration and your bishop will provide a Clergy Current Status Letter (CCSL), prior to interview, having examined your blue file. We will also ask your referees to comment on your approach to managing safeguarding.

In the event of safeguarding concerns being raised, the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments will liaise with your bishop, the Chair of the panel and the National Safeguarding Team (NST) for advice and direction on how to proceed. If any issues raised cannot be resolved within the timescales for the appointment process, you may be asked to withdraw.

Induction and Development

A transition coach will be available to support the next Dean as s/he takes up this new ministry. The new Dean will also be invited to attend safeguarding training alongside a series of other induction meetings to help them flourish in their new role.