Sexton (Full-time) | Grace & Holy Trinity Church, Richmond, VA

Job Description

A sexton is an officer of a church or congregation charged with the care of its buildings. The word “sexton” derived from the Medieval Latin word sacristanus, meaning custodian of sacred objects.” (Wikipedia) The purpose of the Sexton is to keep the church buildings and grounds clean and orderly; perform basic preventative maintenance and repairs; and set up spaces for use as needed. 

The Sexton is responsible for maintaining a clean and safe space for the church and community on Sundays and throughout the week, and working reliably and diligently on weekly, other scheduled and as-needed tasks to support the parish and staff. The Sexton will communicate and keep the Director of Administration & Facilities, Priest-in-Charge, and/or Wardens advised of dangers or concerns regarding the condition and maintenance of buildings and grounds. Along with performing essential job functions/duties, the Employer may add other duties, from time to time, within the reasonable scope of the Employee’s work and skill level. This role supports parishioners, staff, clergy, and the public and the successful candidate is expected to have people skills, act respectfully, and keep clear boundaries. 

The job includes working inside and outside of the church building, handling the setup, breakdown and cleanup of regularly scheduled activities such as: Wednesday Healing Service, Ministry and Outreach events, lectures and forums, conferences, receptions, Sunday breakfast, concerts, and special services.

The Sexton is expected to perform basic repairs within their skill level, meet with the Director of Administration & Facilities once a week to review routine work, the events calendar, and restocking/ordering needs, and promptly report maintenance issues or building damage.

• Immediate Supervisor = Coco Provance, Director of Administration & Facilities
• Full-time Non-exempt Employee with Full Benefits, 40 hours per week.
• Typical schedule: Tuesday–Friday and Sundays. Weekday hours are 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Sunday hours are 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Some Saturdays are required with those work weeks’ schedules adjusted accordingly.
• Flexibility, with approval from your supervisor, for both increased or decreased number of hours is allowed due to the need to reallocate working hours in order to cover other church worship and events or holidays, special events, and illness.

Skills & Experience

• Education and experience – High School diploma or GED, with one to three years related experience or training.
• Basic technology skills including email, electronic calendar, time card applications, etc.
• The ability to read, communicate, comprehend and carry out instructions, short correspondence and memos.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide units of measure.
• The candidate for this position must have a valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle.
• The candidate must be a self-starter, capable of taking initiative while at the same time being responsible and accountable to other staff members with whom they will be working.
• The candidate is required to pass a background check. 

Physical Demands

This position requires a person who can safely and successfully perform all essential job functions and responsibilities. This includes but is not limited to:

• The ability to safely work with simple power tools.
• The ability to climb steps and ladders as well as to bend, pull and push.
• The ability to move and carry items up to 50 pounds.

Compensation

As compensation for the services provided, the Employee shall be paid a wage of $20.20 per hour. All payments shall be subject to mandatory employment deductions (State & Federal Taxes, Social Security, Medicare).

Goals & Evaluations

The Employee shall have an opportunity to earn a goal based bonus at the end of each calendar year. Current year goals are reviewed with their supervisor in December. New Year goals are discussed and set in January for the upcoming year. Staff evaluations will be held each year in June or July with performance reviews periodically throughout the year.

Benefits

The Employee has the right to participate in any benefits plans offered by the Employer for full time employees, including health and dental insurance, generous paid time off and holidays, worker’s compensation, disability, and life insurance, and participation in the Episcopal Church Lay Employees Defined Contribution Retirement Plan with employer contributions of 9% of the employee’s annual salary. GHTC’s health insurance plan provides employees and their dependents access to medical, dental, and vision care insurance benefits. Coverage is effective the first day of the month following the employee’s start date.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume to applications@ghtc.org. Applications will be reviewed beginning in July.