Venue Services Assistant - Campus Services - 96972 - Grade 3

Position Details

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: 24th April 2025

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.

Background

This role is part of the University of Birmingham's Campus Service, seating within the Venue and Event Team, the role is based mainly at The Exchange but will include travelling to the Main Campus.

Role Summary

We are looking for a highly motivated team player to join our Venue Services team in The Exchange, the University of Birmingham's venue in Centenary Square (Birmingham city centre). You will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of an excellent experience for all our visitors, customers and building users.

Main Duties

• Deliver outstanding customer service for all events and activities, including building tours and room inductions.
• Provide a professional front-of-house meet and greet service.
• Contribute to planning meetings, tours and client show-arounds.
• Communicate accurate information to building users.
• Contribute to knowledgeable building tours illustrating an enthusiastic engagement with the buildings programme.
• Ensure all room set-ups and furniture moves are in place for all events, meetings and activities in the venue, working closely with colleagues such as catering, front-of-house and technical staff.
• Contribute to/carry out regular/routine health & safety building and equipment checks and keep accurate records. This may include first aid equipment, evacuation chairs and furniture inspections. Reporting any maintenance to the manager on duty in a timely manner.
• Support all day-to-day venue security and first aid requirements under the direction of the Venue Services Coordinator.
• Contribute to the safe and efficient day to day running of the building including reporting accidents/near misses to the manager on duty and supporting with the site emergency evacuation procedures.
• Ensure all spaces are kept clean, tidy and presentable at all times; where required by line managers, personally ensure all spaces comply legal guidelines.
• Be based in public areas carrying out regular building patrols, or static while invigilating a venue, ensuring the building complies with premises licence and statutory regulations.
• Provide venue-wide (and, where required, cross-venue) administrative support including the formulation of daily report and signage in line with University of Birmingham's policies and procedures.

Additional Responsibilities

• Additional non-duty based responsibilities including training and development. This may include mentoring and shadowing shifts for new staff members as part of their induction and ongoing development.
• Respond efficiently/positively to any last-minute staffing changes and additional requirements.
• Champion sustainability, resourcefulness and green initiatives set by the University of Birmingham as directed by line managers.
• Participate in all University performance and review processes.
• This post is employed on an annualised hours contract, and therefore the post holder must be capable of working flexibly (e.g. 5 days out of 7, including weekends, evenings and bank holidays) based on the programme of events and activities in the venue.
• Work at The Exchange in Centenary Square and at the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston Campus and other University of Birmingham sites as directed by line managers.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience in MS Word, Excel and Outlook or equivalent experience.
• Able to build productive and respectful relationships and to communicate to a diverse range of people in a friendly, helpful and confident manner.
• Excellent clear communication skills, including the ability to deliver instructions and briefings to teams.
• Excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills.
• Experience of providing excellent customer service for customers with access requirements.
• Ability to recognise the importance of presentation, with the resourcefulness to ensure all public areas of the venue are presentable.
• Pragmatic approach and ability to problem-solve.
• Ability to prioritise and manage own time and workload effectively.
• Adaptability, passion, willingness to learn.
• Ability to adapt to change easily, positively influencing colleagues to embrace continuous improvement.
• A genuine passion for the hands-on delivery of venue events and activities.
• First Aid at Work (FAW) qualification or willingness to undertake appropriate training.
• Security Industry Association (SIA) qualification or willingness to undertake appropriate training.
• Experience of using Event 500 or similar event management system.

Dimensions

This role is key in supporting the day to day management of The Exchange in collaboration with the Venue Services Coordinator including health and safety and event management.

Planning and Organising

Assist the Venue Service Coordinators with staff rotas, ensuring appropriate staffing levels for all venue services, including evening, weekend and public holidays where required.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Support and provide feedback to The Exchange team on efficiency and improvement opportunities. Offer customers an excellent Customer Service at all times by offering creative solutions and quick resolutions of problems and queries.

Internal and External Relationships

Liaise closely with the University’s Conferences & Events team to ensure the seamless advancing of venue bookings and to ensure accurate information is recorded on all event schedules and systems. Collaborate with the IT/AV Technicians to ensure all Venue Services staff have a basic knowledge of AV systems in each space. Work with a single team mindset with the catering and hospitality staff to deliver events and activities in the venue, including exhibitions, installations, conferences, meetings, talks, drinks receptions, buffets, wedding receptions and dinners. Contribute to Venue Services team meetings and report to the Venue Services Coordinators as required. Act as an ambassador for The Exchange and the University of Birmingham, and encourage the Visitor Services teams to promote to visitors the activities of The Exchange and the University of Birmingham.

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.