Office Assistant

We are currently looking for an Office & Facilities Assistant for our central Larch Building. You will provide a welcoming, professional front-of-house service at the Larch Building and keep shared office facilities organised, supplied and ready for use.

Actual salary:  £17,575.00 for 30 hours per week/ Term time only Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 2.30pm or 7.30am to 2.00pm

Hours Per Week:  30

Weeks Per Year:  Term Time only (38 weeks)

Key responsibilities

Reception and front-of-house service

• Answer the door, welcome visitors professionally and notify colleagues promptly of their arrival.
• Receive deliveries and pass them to the appropriate person.
• Maintain a tidy and presentable reception and entrance area.
• Follow Trust procedures for admitting visitors and managing access to the building.

Shared administration inbox

• Monitor the shared administration email inbox during contracted working hours.
• Review enquiries and forward or allocate them promptly and accurately to the appropriate person or team.
• Respond to routine enquiries using agreed information and responses.
• Escalate urgent, sensitive or unclear enquiries to the appropriate colleague.
• Record enquiries awaiting allocation or follow-up and flag outstanding items to the appropriate colleague.

Meeting-room preparation

• Prepare clean, tidy meeting rooms with tables, chairs, basic refreshments, stationery and routine supplies as required.
• Check and reset rooms between bookings so they are ready for use.

Communal areas

• Keep the kitchen and shared areas clean, tidy and presentable during the working day, including cupboards and work surfaces.
• Load and unload the dishwasher and put away clean items as required.
• Monitor supplies of tea, coffee, milk and other agreed kitchen items and arrange or request replenishment before they run out.
• Replenish hygiene products as required, including paper towels, toilet rolls and handwash.
• Report faults, damage, cleaning, maintenance or other facilities issues in meeting rooms and shared areas promptly.

Supplies and general office administration

• Monitor office and meeting-room consumables, replenish them from available stock and identify items that need ordering.
• Put away routine office supplies when they arrive.
• Carry out printing and copying, prepare meeting materials and distribute post as required.
• Handle emails, visitor information and office documents confidentially and in accordance with Trust procedures.
• Undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the nature and level of the post.

Person specification

Essential

The successful candidate will:

• Welcome visitors confidently in a friendly, helpful and professional manner.
• Communicate clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing.
• Be reliable and punctual.
• Organise routine tasks independently, prioritise competing requests and seek guidance when needed.
• Use email and standard Microsoft Office applications for routine administration.
• Distinguish routine enquiries from urgent, sensitive or unclear matters requiring escalation.
• Handle enquiries and complete routine tasks accurately and with attention to detail.
• Be willing to carry out practical tasks and keep shared spaces clean and welcoming.
• Handle confidential information discreetly in a Trust office environment.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a reception, office, hospitality, facilities or customer-service environment.
• Experience of working in a school, education or public-sector environment.

Safeguarding Statement

The Good Shepherd Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Good Shepherd Trust ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Job applicants privacy notice can be found as an attachment.