Reception Administrator in Hitchin

Salary: £25,185 progressing to £25,583 per annum (pro rata for part time)

Hours: 26.5 (term‑time only, 39 working weeks per year)

Location: Hitchin

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate: Childrens Services

About The Team:

For over 40 years Hertfordshire Music Service has successfully delivered musical opportunities to generations of young people throughout the county. The service is now one of the largest in the country with many thousands of young people involved in our weekly musical activities, supported by over 400 teachers. We receive funding from the Department for Education through the Arts Council England, as well as generous support from Hertfordshire County Council to provide world class music tuition to the residents and families of Hertfordshire.

Our vision for 2020-30 is that all Hertfordshire’s children and young people, regardless of background or circumstances, have the opportunity to discover or develop their unique musical voice and express themselves through the language of music. Our 11 music centres across the county are local musical community hubs with the ambition of providing engaging, life‑long music education as well as a wider variety of activities including music technology, music production and youth leadership opportunities.

HMS is a team of passionate musicians, teachers and educators who care deeply about enabling young people to experience the benefits of a high‑quality music education.

About The Role:

• Provide high quality customer service face to face, by email and on the telephone to all users of the Music Centre.
• Provide high quality administrative support to the Regional Business & Admin Manager, Regional Manager and/or Music Development Lead in charge.
• Be confident with lone working within a busy office.
• Control entry access to the centre and ensure all safeguarding requirements are satisfied.
• Provide information and guidance to customers about the different musical activities of the centre and signposting of appropriate instruments and progression routes.
• Ensure all rooms are set up appropriately and take an active part in setting up the rooms as required.
• Manage pupils arriving for activities until the teacher is available to take charge.
• Ensure registration paperwork is completed for new members.
• Support the teaching staff with operational requirements to manage their schedules, i.e., delivering and quality checking completion of lesson registers, message taking and contacting pupils as required.
• Ensure that all staff and visitors are signed into the centre.
• Support the Regional Business & Admin Manager to ensure centre health and safety responsibilities are fulfilled and communicated to site users, including supporting with the management of evacuation and first aid requirements in case of emergency.
• Support concerts, celebration events and music making days at the centre and other venues such as churches and concert halls for Music Centre concerts.
• Deal with all appropriate administration including all payments associated with the event.

About You:

• Experience of delivering consistently high customer service and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for students, families and staff.
• A good standard of literacy, numeracy and IT skills are important to deliver the role and to be able to support other staff and customers in their use of Music Service systems and procedures.
• A competent administrator with experience of using Microsoft Office and customer relationship management systems.
• A confident, first point of contact for both customers and managers, displaying good written and verbal communications skills.
• Excellent time management skills and an ability to strategically prioritise key tasks at peak workload points.
• Self‑motivated, professional and approachable as well as an excellent team member.
• A keen eye for detail, particularly when managing sensitive or confidential information and ensuring data is handled securely in line with GDPR rules.
• Good problem‑solving skills, able to apply learning from any previous experience.
• Willing and able to learn new skills and adapt to the changing needs of the role and service.

• A keen interest in music and education is desirable.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

Benefits:

• Rewarding Challenges: In this role, you’ll encounter diverse challenges daily. From managing inquiries to coordinating schedules, you’ll develop problem‑solving skills and adaptability.
• Career Development: As a Reception Administrator, you’ll gain valuable experience in administration, customer service, and communication. This role serves as an excellent stepping stone for future career growth within our organisation.
• Impactful Role: Your work directly contributes to the success of our music programs. By efficiently handling administrative tasks, you’ll support teachers, students, and parents, ensuring they have a seamless experience.

This job role is within the Business Support Services, level BUS4 job profile.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Jo Smith (jo.smith@hertfordshire.gov.uk).

How to apply:

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert/job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Disability Confident:

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding:

This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

English Fluency:

The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.