Reception Team Leader

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

What is the role?

Being responsible for five reception areas and eight receptionists within our head office, reporting into the Head of Reception and working in collaboration with the second Reception Team Leader. Creating a warm and inviting environment and helping the team maintain and deliver a five-star customer service experience.

What will you be doing?

• Lead by example – Leading the team as you yourself would like to be lead whilst maintaining clear boundaries.
• Assisting the Head of Reception with conducting monthly one to ones with the team.
• The training and development of new receptionists and giving continuous support throughout their tenure.
• Ensure all five reception areas are consistently maintained to a high standard, liaising with the cleaners when necessary.
• Rotating between the 14th floor and ground floor reception desks, working either an opening or closing shift in tandem with the second Team Leader.
• Motivating and leading the team where appropriate.
• Meet and greet clients and visitors in a professional manner and ensuring they are well looked after whilst in our offices.
• Working as part of dynamic reception team, helping to maintain a high level of service to all clients.
• Booking on the day meeting rooms via the Condeco meeting room booking system as and when needed.
• Liaising with the Hospitality team on any changes to catering bookings on the day.
• Managing the booking of couriers for domestic and international deliveries.
• Ensuring seamless communication is in place between the Hospitality and Reservations teams regarding any hospitality requirements or room bookings for all meetings and internal events.
• Ensure that all visitors sign in and are issued with a visitors pass, keeping records up to date of all visitors in the building and any temporary passes assigned and returned or deactivated if not returned, liaising with the Front of House Coordinator.
• Maintaining an open line of communication with the CRES (facilities) team and reporting any issues as soon as known.
• Supervising the completion of the weekly temporary and event pass audit when working on the ground floor.
• Understanding that some tasks may be asked of you outside of your daily tasks and proceeding without issue.
• Maintain a high level of understanding of the company’s policies and procedures and applying them to everyday work.
• Assisting the hospitality team in ensuring that all client meeting rooms on the 14th floor are reset after every meeting.
• Maintain a polished appearance, ensuring your uniform is well kept.
• A requirement of being Fire Marshal trained, with the option of becoming a First Aider.

What are we looking for?

• Must have previous experience of working in a similar corporate reception role with a medium to large team, where you have gained excellent interpersonal skills to deliver high quality face-to-face contact with clients and visitors.
• Previous experience leading a team.
• Maintaining a positive attitude towards your role and the work it entails.
• Flexible and adaptable to respond to differing client needs.
• Confident, enthusiastic and motivated to lead a team and deliver great service.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to deliver high quality face-to-face contact with clients and visitors.
• Maintain a professional manner when answering the telephone.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent communication skills, in both verbal and written English.
• Good time management, with ability to prioritise and multitask.
• Intermediate level of knowledge for all Microsoft Office suites.
• Experience of working in the service industry desired.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges.

And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new.
• We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges.
• We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond.

We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

Our sustainability promise

We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It's a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can.

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.