Visitor Services Assistant (Reception) - Campus Services - 100290 - Grade 3

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 28,000

Job description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £25,618 to £27,126

Grade: 3

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 20th April 2025

Are you considering a career at the University of Birmingham?

Our Recruitment Team is hosting one-to-one conversations to help you understand the application process, provide updates on existing applications, and answer general questions about working at the University. Our next appointments are available on Friday 28th March; click here to book. Further dates and opportunities to connect with us in person will be advertised on future job listings.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The post holder is part of the Visitor Services Team at Winterbourne House and Garden, part of Campus Services.

Role Summary

Winterbourne House and Garden welcomes over 80,000 visitors a year.

Part of the Visitor Services team, the post holder runs the Visitor Reception at Winterbourne House and Garden on a daily basis and occasionally assists in the Shop, welcoming visitors, issuing tickets, selling Membership and providing excellent customer service. As the key face on Reception, they are the first point of contact for a wide range of visitors, providing an informed welcome for an exceptional visit whilst also ensuring all internal KPIs are achieved.

Winterbourne is open 7 days a week January to December. The role operates on a rolling rota of 5 days out of 7. This includes regular weekend and Bank Holiday working.

To view an example rota, please click here.

Main Duties

Front of House

• Working in Visitor reception, be familiar with and implement agreed Winterbourne House and Garden Service Standards, projecting a welcoming and friendly presence to all visitors to the site.
• Open the Reception and prepare the house daily for visitors.
• Welcome all visitors to the property, issuing tickets, checking Membership cards etc.
• Actively promote Gift Aid on Entry, Winterbourne Membership and Guidebook sales to achieve budgetary targets.
• Oversee the welcoming of Groups to the property and the facilitation of their planned visit.
• Promote and sell tickets to events.
• Oversee the daily delivery of the Visitor Survey to meet set quotas.
• Work with Visitor Survey and Fundraising volunteers to ensure Survey targets are met and Raffle sales promoted.
• Monitor visitor flow in order to efficiently minimise queues and prevent overcrowding.
• Ensure that the various constraints on visitors, which are essential to the safekeeping of the property and its exhibits, are applied in a sympathetic manner.
• Operate EPOS till/card transaction machines with the appropriate levels of skill and accuracy.
• Acquire a sound knowledge of the House and Garden so as to ensure all visitors receive an appropriate welcome and are provided with accurate information.
• Be part of the property First Aid team, providing First Aid to staff and visitors as required.

Administration

• Process Membership and visitor data accurately in the required systems.
• Process the Winterbourne Contacts Mailbox and deal with messages within the appointed time frame.
• Maintain compliance with GDPR for all data by abiding by laid down procedures.
• Record visitor and membership data and compile monthly reports.
• Answer the telephone, transferring calls to the appropriate person in a professional and timely manner.
• Dealing with queries and taking details of the query to escalate where appropriate; this may include dealing with complaints where possible.
• Assist with the accurate daily banking returns to University of Birmingham Accounts.
• Carry out required Health and Safety checks for the Reception and house area and complete associated records, reporting any issues.

You will be expected to treat everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity.

Any other duties as may be reasonably required within the grade of role.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Literacy and numeracy skills which may be evidenced by GCSE Maths and English D-G/1-3 or similar level 1 equivalent qualification. Where no equivalent qualification is held, relevant work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role will normally be required.
• IT skills – Demonstrable competency in the use of Microsoft office programmes especially Excel and Outlook. Previous use of CRM systems would be advantageous. Training will be given on bespoke systems.
• Excellent face to face communication and interpersonal skills.
• Accuracy and attention to detail is essential.
• An ability to organise your own activities within a schedule.
• A customer focused approach.
• Previous experience of working on a busy reception desk is desirable.
• Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect own area (e.g. dietary requirements/dress code).

Dimensions

• The post has no direct line management responsibility for other staff but does oversee a small Volunteer team.
• The post has no budgetary or financial responsibility.

Planning and Organising

You will follow a schedule set by your supervisor but will be able to organise activities within the schedule.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Able to deal with customer queries and simple requests on day to day tasks without reference to others.

Internal and External Relationships

Visitors, colleagues, students, potential suppliers.

DBS Required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role, all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Tessa Lovell, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.