Administrative Assistant in Manchester

Established in 2018, Austen & Blake creates made-to-order diamond jewellery with the support of talented craftspeople, bringing more than 200 years of experience to the realisation of our customers’ dreams.

Our teams translate customers’ stories into beautifully crafted jewellery through an exceptional, consultative experience.

Role Summary

As Store Admin, you will provide efficient, accurate back-of-house support to enable a premium in-store experience and smooth operational delivery.

This is a non-selling role.

You will manage inbound customer service contact, support service appointments (collections and drop-offs), maintain data quality, and run key operational processes including aftersales repairs, dispatch/receiving, order checks and stock-related controls.

You will use store systems (including Proximity, DFE, Hi Bob, Repair Pilot and Thrive) and ensure records are accurate, complete and compliant with processes.

• Key Accountabilities
• 1) Customer Service Contact and Enquiry Management

You will support the store by managing inbound customer contact and ensuring queries are resolved or routed quickly and professionally.

You will

• Actively manage inbound calls during your working hours.
• Handle customer service-related calls directly (e. g., order queries, collections/drop-offs, repairs updates, aftersales questions) where within scope.
• Triage and route sales-related calls to the appropriate colleague, or transfer calls where a customer requests a named colleague.
• Escalate complaints or complex issues promptly to the Store Manager/AM/SSC (you do not own complaint resolution).
• 2) Proximity Administration

You will support store operations through disciplined use of Proximity within your defined scope.

You will

• Manage your own Proximity emails/tasks and respond within expected timescales.
• Action any Proximity tasks/emails allocated to you by the SM/AM/SSC where appropriate to your role.
• Confirm and update service appointments (collections and drop-offs) in Proximity, ensuring records are accurate and up to date.
• Maintain high standards of data quality (customer details, notes, outcomes, and next steps).

Scope and permissions (important)

• Your Proximity use is focused on s ervice appointments and admin tasks, not sales consultation booking or selling activity.
• 3) Aftersales Repairs Management (process ownership in-store)

You will manage the in-store administration of repairs, ensuring correct processing, documentation, dispatch and receipt of items.

You will

• Receive repair handovers from Sales Consultants following drop-off appointments.
• Check and process repairs correctly on DFE, including ensuring the repair envelope/paperwork is complete and accurate.
• Follow the correct dispatch procedure to send repairs to the Operations team.
• Track repairs appropriately and support customer updates (where required), escalating delays or issues to management.
• Receive repairs back into the store, complete the required receiving process, and ensure items are ready for customer collection (including necessary checks).
• 4) Orders Receiving, QC Support and Dispatch

You will support the smooth receipt and onward handling of customer orders, ensuring systems processes and quality checks are completed to standard.

You will

• Receive incoming orders/shipments and follow the correct system process on DFE.
• Complete appropriate QC checks in line with process and record outcomes accurately.
• Prepare items for customer collections and manage relevant service appointment updates.
• Dispatch items weekly (or as required): packaging, courier booking/labels, tracking, logs and customer notifications within process.
• Escalate discrepancies, damages, missing items, or process concerns immediately to the SM/AM.
• 5) Stock Control Support and Operational Accuracy

You will support the store’s stock control and operational discipline through accurate administration and adherence to process.

You will

• Participate in monthly stock take in line with company guidelines.

• Support ongoing stock controls including

• stock tally / stock check activity
• aged orders monitoring
• in-transit reviews
• tray/box location accuracy checks
• Maintain accurate records and report variances/issues promptly to the Store Manager.

Cash/banking

Store Admins do not complete banking/cash handling processes; these remain management responsibilities.

6) Aged Orders Monitoring and Escalation

You will help protect customer experience and operational performance by monitoring aged orders and prompting action.

You will

• Regularly review aged orders (e. g., 30–60, 60–90, 90+ days where applicable).
• Flag and escalation orders that need management attention (customer contact required, operational delays, missing steps, fee implications).
• Maintain clear records of what has been checked and what has been escalated.
• 7) Ways of Working: Systems, Records and Learning

You will support accurate documentation and continuous improvement in the store’s administration routines.

You will

• Maintain accurate records in Proximity/DFE and any other required logs.
• Complete relevant Thrive learning and adopt changes to process or policy quickly.
• Maintain confidentiality and good data protection practice: record only what is necessary and keep customer data secure.
• What Success Looks Like (outcomes)
• Inbound customer service queries are handled promptly, professionally, and routed correctly when outside scope.
• Service appointments (collections/drop-offs) are well managed and accurately updated in Proximity, with strong data quality.
• Repairs are processed accurately end-to-end: correct DFE steps, correct dispatch/receipt, minimal errors, and issues escalated early.
• Orders are received, QC’d and with strong attention to detail and clear records.
• Stock processes are supported reliably (stock take, in-transit, tray/box accuracy, aged orders checks), with timely escalation of risks.
• The store’s admin workload is organised, predictable, and supports a calm, premium customer experience.

Skills, Experience and Behaviours

• Previous administrative experience (retail, hospitality, office admin or customer service admin).
• Confident telephone manner and ability to communicate clearly and professionally.
• Strong attention to detail and comfort working with systems and process steps.
• Organised and proactive: able to manage tasks independently and prioritise workload.
• Strong data accuracy mindset; understands the importance of correct customer and order records.
• Calm under pressure and able to handle competing priorities during busy periods.
• Team player: works well with Sales Consultants and management to support store performance.
• Experience in order processing, aftersales/repairs, dispatching or stock control.
• Confidence using CRM/booking tools and operational systems.
• Experience in a premium or appointment-led retail environment.
• Competitive salary/hourly rate
• Company discount
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme
• Training and development (systems/process and customer service standards)
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