Parish Management and Operations Administrator

Job Description

Position Summary
The Parish Management and Operations Administrator (PMO) is the Pastor's principal partner for the administrative and operational life of the parish. This role provides leadership for the people, projects, facilities, finances, systems, schedules, and communications that support St. Luke's mission.

The PMO demonstrates initiative and resourcefulness in resolving routine issues before escalating them to the Pastor or ministry directors. We are seeking a practical, detail-oriented leader who takes ownership, builds repeatable systems, coordinates many moving parts, holds others accountable, and follows work through to completion.

*Key Responsibilities*
Parish Operations and Project Management
- Oversee day-to-day parish operations and serve as the primary owner of routine administrative and operational tasks.
- Create and maintain clear procedures, calendars, workflows, and responsibility assignments for recurring parish functions.
- Coordinate parish-wide projects and annual initiatives from planning through completion, including preparation for major liturgical seasons and parish events.
- Track decisions, assignments, deadlines, and unresolved issues; ensure clear ownership and follow-through.
- Coordinate the operational structures and schedules that support parish ministries, councils, and committees while pastoral and ministry direction remains with the Pastor and ministry directors.

Staff and Administrative Leadership
- Supervise assigned administrative, reception, custodial, facilities, and other operational personnel.
- Set clear expectations, organize workloads, approve routine schedules and time-off requests, and address incomplete work or recurring problems.
- Coordinate employee onboarding, training, VIRTUS, records, access, equipment, time-off tracking, and routine diocesan HR requirements.
- Support the Pastor with hiring, evaluations, personnel documentation, and corrective action; final hiring and termination decisions remain with the Pastor.
- Lead or facilitate staff operations meetings and ensure that decisions and assignments receive follow-up.

Facilities, Finance, and Committees
- Oversee facilities, maintenance, custodial work, preventive maintenance, safety practices, room use, building access, vendors, and repairs.
- Manage vendor and contractor relationships and prepare contracts or commitments for the Pastor's review and signature.
- Serve as the primary parish contact for outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services.
- Coordinate budget preparation, purchasing, invoices, payments, financial calendars, and Finance Council materials with the Pastor, Finance Council chair, and accounting professionals.
- Coordinate schedules, materials, action items, and follow-up for the Finance Council, Facilities Committee, staff meetings, and assigned project committees.

Parish Communications
- Maintain systems and workflows that keep parish communication timely, accurate, and consistent across the bulletin, weekly email, website, social media, signage, and internal staff channels.
- Ensure parishioners, students, staff, volunteers, and visitors receive clear information about Mass times, sacramental schedules, events, registrations, closures, and important changes.
- Ensure the parish's communication needs are met by personally completing, coordinating, or delegating communication responsibilities as appropriate, based on staffing resources and parish priorities.

Qualifications and Attributes
- A disciple of Jesus Christ who is a practicing Catholic in good standing, faithful to the Church's magisterium, and committed to St. Luke's mission of forming and sending disciples.
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, nonprofit management, accounting, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- Three to five years of professional business, operations, administration, project-management, nonprofit, or related experience.
- Experience supervising employees and coordinating work across departments, committees, volunteers, vendors, or outside professionals.
- Working knowledge of budgeting, personnel administration, facilities management, vendor coordination, and organizational communication-or the ability to learn these areas quickly.
- Strong organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders.
- A highly reliable, resourceful problem-solver who notices details, takes initiative, builds systems, and follows through without continual reminders.
- Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to communicate clearly, address conflict appropriately, and maintain healthy working relationships.
- Comfort using modern workplace technology and willingness to use appropriate artificial-intelligence tools responsibly to improve organization, documentation, communication, and productivity.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Additional Expectations
- Exercise delegated authority for routine operations while promptly escalating significant pastoral, personnel, legal, financial, safety, or reputational concerns to the Pastor.
- Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive personnel, financial, and pastoral information with discretion.
- Perform other duties as assigned.

Reports to: Pastor of St. Luke University Parish

Status: Full-time, exempt, benefits-eligible

Work setting: Primarily on-site

Compensation: Base salary range: $51,000 - $65,000, commensurate with experience. St. Luke University Parish also offers an exceptional benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance fully paid for by the parish for both individual and family coverage, as well as employer funded pension contribution. Depending on the employee's coverage level, the benefits package is valued at approximately $15,000 - $30,000 annually, Total compensation may be valued up to $85,000.

To Apply

Submit a resume, brief cover letter, and three professional references to:

Kristen Zacek
k.zacek@stlukegvsu.org

We will actively review applications upon receipt and will schedule initial interviews starting July 27th.

About the Employer

St. Luke is the only designated university parish in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Located just south of Grand Valley State University's Allendale campus, the parish serves both local families and the university community. Our mission is to unite and equip college students and parishioners to become disciples of Jesus Christ and be sent as missionaries.