General Assistant

General Assistant 25k – 28.5k pa Mersea Island Trust are seeking a full time General Assistant to support the provision of a sheltered housing service to its residents. The Trust has two sheltered housing schemes on Mersea Island. We are seeking an enthusiastic and flexible person to join the small team of staff managing the properties and supporting the safety and wellbeing of our residents. The role is varied and involves working with residents, staff, contractors, and Trustees. We are looking for someone with experience of working in an office environment, managing finance, working with older people and a basic knowledge of building maintenance. Responsible to the General Manager, you will be in contact with tenants living in sheltered housing, Trustees, Mersea Island Trust staff, contractors, partner agencies, external organisations and members of the public. The purpose of the role is to deliver a professional service to support the General Manager in the delivery of a sheltered housing service for Mersea Island Trust. Principal Accountabilities: ➢ Undertake general administrative activities to ensure compliance with the Trust’s policies and procedures. ➢ Prepare reports relevant to post, take minutes, prepare agendas and maintain accurate electronic records for all committee meetings and AGMs and providing the relevant papers. ➢ Administer and distribute the Trust’s mail, alerting relevant Trustees or staff to issues arising. ➢ Respond to enquiries made by post, email, face to face or telephone, adhere to MIT policies and record responses. ➢ Undertake general bookkeeping duties including daily, weekly and monthly reconciliation of bank balances, rent accounts, preparation and prompt management of invoices, monitor payments by direct debit and standing order paid via the Trust’s bank accounts, ensure quotations are received and filed electronically in accordance with the Trust’s policy. ➢ Administer petty cash payments, maintain accurate records and provide reconciliation of transactions. ➢ Order, record and supply goods as requested. Maintain accurate records for reconciliation with budgets. ➢ Maintain accurate records and ensure compliance with licensing legislation in relation to tenants and building access to television, film and music making and administering payments as necessary. ➢ Prepare, administer, and send the relevant electronic file to the accountant for the payment of staff wages. Keep accurate records for audit purposes and distribute wage slips to staff. Raise any disputes with General Manager and Trustees. ➢ Ensure that all relevant insurance, and Health and Safety information is displayed in relation to the Trust in each building. ➢ Maintain records and electronically file contractor insurance and registration details. ➢ Coordinate and facilitate the sign up of new tenants, arranging that relevant paperwork, fobs and keys are available for the new tenant/s. Alert staff to any change in tenancy and move in date. Maintain accurate tenant records ensuring that all documents are scanned and filed in accordance with the Trust’s data storage policy. ➢ Ensure that all tenants receive notification of rent charges each year. ➢ Record, report and manage routine repairs requests received from tenants and staff alerting the General Manager to any health and safety issues. ➢ Assist with weekly alarm tests within each sheltered housing scheme and provide cover for colleagues as and when required. ➢ Assist with the preparation of annual accounts, audit reports, and any other statutory paperwork that requires submission advising the General Manager and Trustees when submissions are due. ➢ Maintain up to date information on the Charity Commission website. ➢ Administer, contract compliance in relation to utilities each quarter, mobile phone usage monthly, file and submit and report any discrepancies to the General Manager. ➢ Provide a high quality of service and contribute towards continuous improvement within the organisation. ➢ Maintain accurate, complete, consistent, and up-to-date records which are to be available as and when required for performance, or auditing purposes. ➢ Ensure that a high standard of customer care is provided at all times. ➢ Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant legislation in respect of role. ➢ Attend relevant training as required. ➢ Undertake other duties to support the smooth running of the organisation as required. Note: A Job Accountability Statement will be issued as a guide to help you to understand the duties of your job. It may be varied from time to time to meet new working requirements. It does not form part of a Contract of Employment. Personal Specification: Essential skills and attributes sort: Knowledge Needs of older people Use of Xero accounting software Health and Safety Office Procedures Customer Service and knowledge of facility management Education Good level of numeracy and literacy to Level 3 IT skills, MS Office – Word/Excel/Outlook Previous Experience Administration Bookkeeping Managing budgets Special Skills Have integrity Respect for older people Be organised Calm in stressful situations Professional in approach Act with tact and diplomacy Be accountable and have financial awareness Be able to plan, monitor and prioritise change Other Able to visit both schemes The post is subject to a satisfactory DBS check Must be available to attend site in an emergency Desirable skills and attributes sought: Knowledge of admin systems, safeguarding, web management and social media Experience in report writing First Aid qualification, Fire Safety Awareness and AAT qualification Applications for the post need to include an explanation of how you meet the job specification