Receptionist

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) delivers world-class research, learning and teaching that transforms the knowledge, action and leadership needed for more equitable and sustainable development globally. The Facilities Department are a multi-disciplinary team providing front of house, security, maintenance, housekeeping and catering services.

We are seeking to recruit a full time Receptionist to join the Facilities team working five days per week, 9 am to 5 pm at our institute based in the University of Sussex campus, Falmer, Brighton. They will be highly visible in the institute, welcoming all staff, students and visitors, answering the IDS switchboard telephone and undertaking a range of other tasks.

Applicants will need to have proven relevant experience of coordinating / working in front of house services. They will have exceptional customer service and communication skills and professional experience in a broad range of administration in an office environment. They will have prior experience of handling money, demonstrating accuracy and attention to detail. All members of the Facilities team must have a positive and flexible approach, willing to work flexibly across the team to provide cover during staff absences.

Responsibilities

• Managing our front of house provision; welcoming all visitors, residents, staff and students to IDS in a courteous and helpful manner, signposting and providing a variety of information efficiently and professionally.
• Answering the main IDS switchboard telephone, providing information and redirecting calls.
• Coordinating the IDS stationery store and online stationery recharging system; stocktaking, placing stationery supplier orders, managing internal recharges.
• Day-to-day management of the IDS Reception and general IDS e-mail accounts, redistributing as required to IDS staff, resolving queries where possible.
• Overseeing external post and courier arrangements; organising national and international courier deliveries and collections and arranging internal recharges for those services.
• Franking post and assigning recharging codes.
• Receiving and distributing incoming courier and postal deliveries to staff.
• Keeping up to date with changing courier service options and providing advice on best value / timely options.
• Creating, modifying, and deleting door security access cards (using specialised access control software).
• Processing payments, refunds and updating online records for cashless printing system.
• Responsibility for cash and card transactions taken via reception; cashing-up and reconciling the reception till, handling floats securely, taking secure credit card payments and recording and providing sales total information to the Finance department.
• Occasional reprographic services; bulk printing tasks and binding, and recharging for those services, bulk ordering paper and consumables.
• Issuing and assigning student lockers, taking deposits, issuing refunds and logging in Excel database.
• Placing occasional orders, proofing and distributing IDS business cards and stationery, recharging appropriate departmental codes as required.
• Ensuring that first aid incidents in the building are recorded and reported to HR.
• Booking taxis or airport transfers for staff and visitors.
• Managing the handover between the day shift and evening shift, briefing the Evening Supervisor on specific evening tasks they should undertake, such as assisting with events, or room set-ups for the following day.
• The Receptionist may be called upon to help cover other tasks normally carried out by others, including the Facilities Coordinator during periods of annual leave including; overseeing the Facilities team e-mail inbox and ensuring that reactive maintenance and other support tasks are allocated.
• Ad-hoc assistance preparing rooms for teaching sessions and events, printing room schedule calendars, printing / laminating documents, helping to respond to building emergencies.
• The Receptionist may be called upon in quieter times to provide administrative support for other departments.
• Any other duties within the general area of Facilities and hospitality which may from time to time be required.

The Facilities team must provide a continuous level and service and support whilst the building is open. All Facilities team personnel would therefore be expected to work with a degree of flexibility, occasionally covering selected tasks usually undertaken by others during busy periods or team absences. This would always accord with their abilities, training and contracted hours.