Front of House Manager in Durham

A little bit about us: EMG Solicitors is an award winning Legal 500 law firm with offices across the North but acting nationally, specialising in Court of Protection, Deputyships, Mental Health Law, Family Law and Mediation, Residential Conveyancing, Dispute Resolution, Education Law and Wills, Trusts & Probate services. Our mission is to provide the legal support our clients require in order to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams and everything in between.

What are we looking for? We are looking to recruit an experienced Front of House Manager who will be responsible for ensuring that our clients and staff receive excellent customer service when visiting or working in our offices.

Where will you be based? This role can be based from our Durham office, but will oversee all the FOH staff so will be expected to travel to other sites as required.

How many hours will you be working? This is a full-time role which is 35 hours per week, however at EMG Solicitor we work flexibly, it’s not a 9 to 5 role, but we do expect the work to be done, when you do it can be largely up to yourself, your Team Leader and the requirements of your clients.

A brief overview of the role: The Front of House Manager is critical in ensuring EMG Solicitors provides a professional, customer focussed front of house service across all our offices. This role is also key in ensuring the day-to-day provision of health & safety management at our offices, working closely with the other colleagues in the workplace team to ensure workplace statutory compliance, workplace standards, contractor coordination, and colleague wellbeing. The postholder will conduct site inspections, maintain H&S records, assist with training, and help deliver continuous improvements across the firm’s estate. Regular travel between sites will be required.

What will we expect from you:

• Lead and line manage the FOH team providing guidance, training and support to ensure a happy and motivated team across all sites.
• Manage colleague levels within the FOH team to ensure adequate levels are adhered to in the event of any holidays or sickness.
• Take an active lead in recruitment of new FOH colleagues across the firm.
• Monitor and review all our current standards and procedures, whilst implementing improvements to ensure best practice at all times and ensure regular updates as and when they are required to the reception manual.
• Ensure that all incoming calls are dealt with in a professional and friendly manner.
• Review switchboard operations and suggest ways to improve this service.
• Being a first aider and fire warden for the Durham office, responsible for ensuring all FOH staff are trained first aiders and fire wardens.
• Responsible for booking all contractors onto sites, reviewing paperwork and obtaining paperwork/updates before they leave site.
• Daily office workplace & H&S checks.
• Overseeing the workplace helpdesk and following up with contractors as required and closing out tasks.
• Co-ordination & set up of meeting rooms, ensuring meeting schedules run smoothly and are catered for in terms of any set up requirements for clients, legal teams and management teams.
• Overseeing catering and refreshments for all internal and external client meetings.
• Support the wider workplace team supporting in the post scanning team/workplace team as required from time to time.
• Monitor client areas and ensuring all areas of reception and meeting rooms are kept to a high standard cleanliness.
• You will manage all contracts with local office suppliers, including the cleaner, milkman, coffee machine, parking eye and anything else.
• Ensure the fire alarms and emergency lighting in all offices are tested on a weekly basis, stationary is ordered and all refreshments in both colleague kitchens and client rooms are topped up.

Undertaking work You should be passionate about:

• Operational excellence
• Exemplary client service
• Continuous improvement, reviewing processes & increasing efficiency

To be able to perform this job you will need:

• Previous experience of managing FOH operations ideally in a legal or professional services business.
• Excellent understanding of customer service.
• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent would be desirable, but this can be discussed as part of the training we provide for the successful candidate.
• First aid or fire warden training is desirable but this can be discussed as part of the training we provide for the successful candidate.
• Understanding of UK Health & Safety best practice.
• Strong people management, organisational and communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly across EMG’s offices.
• Project management experience or a sound understanding on change management principles.

A little bit about the colleague we’re looking for: We’re looking for a colleague who aligns with our core values of:

• Cooperation - we proactively support our clients and each other.
• Courage - we are ambitious and think big.
• Excellence - we deliver excellence.
• Integrity - we are open and transparent.
• Kindness - we value people, communities, having fun and being happy.

We want someone who will work proactively to deliver exceptional client service through the knowledge and skills they bring to the role. We want someone who will go the extra mile for both their clients and their colleagues, so we can all achieve anything from our basic needs to our wildest dreams and everything in between.

What you can expect from us:

• Firm wide annual bonus scheme, in addition to a competitive salary.
• 4% Pension employer contributions offered through Standard Life.
• 25 days holiday entitlement per year (FTE) with an additional three days off at Christmas.
• 5 extra days paid leave on your 5-year anniversary – (and every 5 years thereafter).
• Life Assurance providing your loved ones with a 3x salary death in service benefit.
• Employee Assistance Program – a Freephone number you can call 24/7 for personal, legal and financial issues; to arrange counselling and a GP helpline.
• Free annual flu injection.
• EMG Rewards – Vivup well-being & Tastecard apps offering discounts across a large number of retailers & restaurants.
• £50 Gift card on your birthday as well as a late start or early finish.
• £50 Gift card at Christmas plus Christmas closure (subject to variation).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme.
• Fruit and refreshments in each office.
• If you want to take the family or friends out, we have two passes for Beamish open air museum which you can book out and take up to 10 people.
• Opportunity to join EMG working groups, such as our Green Team, Better Health at Work Team, Justice, Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion Team (JEDI) & our Community Team.
• Regular surveys to understand issues our team care about.
• Includes regular guest speakers on a wide range of topics.

EMG Solicitors are an equal opportunities employer. To apply for this role you must have the right to work within the UK.