Director of Parish Operations- St. Michael's Parish, Augusta

Job Description

Position Summary
The Director of Parish Operations serves as the Pastor's primary partner for organizational traction and day-to-day stability. This role ensures parish priorities move from decisions to execution by maintaining dependable office systems, calendars, communication workflows, and administrative routines across the parish's ministries, events, and facilities. The Director oversees the parish front office and works closely with staff, volunteers, and parish groups to ensure coordination across churches and alignment with the parish mission.

Reports to the Pastor. Supervises Office Administrator, Pastoral Administrator, Front Office Receptionist, and Front Office Volunteers (and others as assigned)

Outline of Duties

1. Chief of Staff Support to the Pastor
a. Translate the Pastor's priorities into clear goals, timelines, and accountable owners.
b. Prepare agendas, materials, and follow-up for key leadership meetings; track action items to completion.
c. Identify bottlenecks, risks, and decision points; recommend solutions and maintain forward momentum.
d. Serve as an internal coordinator to keep staff and major parish groups aligned with parish vision and annual priorities.

2. Front Office Leadership and Operational Stability
a. Direct daily operations of the parish front office to ensure consistency, professionalism, and reliable service.
b. Establish and maintain office workflows, documentation, routines, and coverage plans for intake, scheduling, records flow, and communications.
c. Hire, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate front office staff; support onboarding and cross-training.
d. Build a culture of hospitality, confidentiality, accuracy, responsiveness, and "no surprises" follow-through.

3. Calendar, Scheduling, and Parish Coordination
a. Own and maintain the master parish calendar (TeamUp or equivalent), including liturgies, events, facilities usage, staff schedules, and clergy commitments.
b. Coordinate parish-wide scheduling and space use in collaboration with the facilities lead; resolve conflicts and enforce scheduling norms.
c. Ensure the office effectively triages and prioritizes requests for pastoral care and sacramental preparation, keeping the pastoral team coordinated and informed.

4. Policies, Procedures, and Compliance
a. Ensure parish staff and volunteers follow diocesan and parish policies (including facilities use, finance controls, safe environment, and records standards).
b. Develop and maintain internal procedures, checklists, training materials, and documentation to support consistent execution.
c. Support audit readiness and maintain compliance documentation as needed.
d. In collaboration with the diocesan safe-environment office, ensure compliance with required background checks, training, code of ethics, and related procedures for employees and volunteers working with children.

5. Communications and Information Systems
a. Coordinate internal and external parish communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timeliness.
b. Oversee parish communication channels, including bulletin/newsletter coordination, website content updates, and social media administration (directly or through delegated staff/volunteers).
c. Maintain a clear and accurate public-facing calendar of parish life.
d. Manage the flow of communication between diocesan offices and parish staff; attend diocesan meetings as assigned by the Pastor.
e. Leverage technology (website tools, forms, online scheduling/registration, etc.) to streamline office triage and improve parishioner experience.

6. Finance Operations Support and Internal Controls
a. Support the Pastor and finance leadership by ensuring reliable administrative processes and internal controls that safeguard parish assets.
b. Oversee or coordinate (with the appropriate finance staff/volunteers) the handling workflow for parish revenue sources, including offertory, online/mail donations, Mass stipends, and other gifts, ensuring proper documentation and controls.
c. With input from staff and volunteers, assist in the development and monitoring of budgets for the front office and select pastoral departments (e.g., worship/liturgy and faith formation), as assigned.
d. Coordinate vendor relationships, contracts, and invoicing for front office and designated pastoral departments; ensure proper approvals and documentation.
e. Coordinate periodic financial communications to parishioners (e.g., quarterly reporting) through established communication channels, as directed by the Pastor.

7. Ministry and Volunteer/Group Alignment
a. Establish operating norms for parish groups and volunteers to support consistent planning, facility use, and administrative compliance.
b. Support group leadership with planning, required paperwork, and coordination across churches.
c. Promote collaboration between parish groups and key departments (faith formation, worship/liturgy, facilities, finance) so efforts are aligned with the overall parish mission

8. Office Resources, Technology, and Inventory
a. Oversee office technology and equipment (phones, computers, printers/copiers, internet, software systems) and coordinate support as needed.
b. Manage office and ministry supply processes, ensuring adequate inventory of liturgical, sacramental, and general office materials (e.g., candles, linens, paper products, missals/music resources, faith formation supplies), either directly or through delegated staff.
Key Competencies and Characteristics
• Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters.
• Excellent organizational skills; project management mindset with consistent follow-through.
• Clear communicator (written and verbal) with the ability to lead meetings and drive decisions to action.
• Calm under pressure; able to triage competing priorities with charity and firmness.
• Ability to set boundaries, enforce standards, and say "no" appropriately while maintaining pastoral sensitivity.
• Collaborative leader who can unify staff, volunteers, and parish groups across multiple church communities.
• Comfort using and improving office technology systems and workflows.
Qualifications (recommended)
• Experience in operations, office management, executive support, or organizational leadership (nonprofit/church context preferred).
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff and coordinating volunteers.
• Familiarity with budgeting, internal controls, and administrative finance processes.
• Proficiency with office productivity tools and scheduling systems; ability to learn parish-specific platforms quickly.
• Commitment to the mission and values of a Catholic parish; ability to work respectfully with clergy, staff, and parishioners.

Work Expectations
Full-time, with occasional evening/weekend availability for major parish events or seasonal peaks.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Ability to sit for up to 3 hours per day with reasonable breaks
• Ability to key stroke for 2-3 hours per day with reasonable breaks
• Ability to crouch or stoop occasionally

To Apply
Submit a resume and brief letter of interest to hr@portlanddiocese.org

About the Employer

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, serves the entire State of Maine. St. Michael's Parish is located in Augusta, ME.