Receptionist in Oxford

Join us at the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), where we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, policy makers, and entrepreneurs to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change & Managing CO₂, and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.

This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society.

Your Role:

We are seeking confident, professional, and customer-focused Receptionists who thrive in fast-paced corporate environments. Our Receptionists are the welcoming face of EIT to everyone that walks through our doors. This is a pivotal role where you’ll create a positive first impression for clients, visitors, and colleagues while ensuring our front-of-house operations run seamlessly. We have multiple full-time openings to accommodate the opening of new buildings at EIT and wish to start our Receptionists as soon as possible.

Your Responsibilities:

• Be the first point of contact: Greeting visitors and clients in a warm, friendly and professional manner, assisting with queries, and directing them to the right person or department.
• Maintain a professional reception area: Ensuring cleanliness, security compliance, and a welcoming atmosphere.
• Handle communications: Answering calls, managing email inquiries, and relaying messages accurately to employees throughout the institute.
• Support office operations: Assisting with calendar management, document preparation, deliveries, and inventory of supplies.
• Coordinate events and meetings: Assisting with the organisation of conferences, presentations, and special events, including refreshments.
• Travel arrangements: Assisting staff with booking travel when needed.

Requirements

Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrable experience within a corporate or hospitality reception environment.
• Refined written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organised, with an ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment with exceptional attention to detail.
• A strong sense of professionalism, always acting with discretion when handling sensitive information and a polished, customer-centric approach.
• Self-starter, proactive and collaborative across departments and with team members.
• Always acting on initiative and suggesting efficient ways of working.

Physical Requirements:

• Comfortable sitting for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 15 lbs for office supplies.
• Quick and efficient assistance for visitors.

Benefits:

We offer the following salary and benefits:

• Salary: £28,000 - £32,000 (dependent on experience) plus travel allowance and bonus.
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme

Working Together – What It Involves:

You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford and can commit to being onsite. Standard working hours are 08:30 - 17:30 with an hour's lunch break. During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.