Cleaning Assistant in Harwell

Overview

To adhere to cleaning specifications and schedules, carrying out all required duties to a high standard, including housekeeping responsibilities in a fast-paced office environment. This includes preparing and setting up areas for breakfast and lunch service, and ensuring all supplies are fully stocked, organised, and readily available at all times. A proactive approach is expected to continuously develop and improve quality standards. To take a direct interest in the health and safety of yourself, your colleagues, and others who may be affected by your work activities.

Responsibilities

• To Carry out cleaning duties, including window cleaning, in line with correct specifications and health and safety standards.

• Perform housekeeping tasks to support daily office operations, including preparing kitchen and dining areas for breakfast and lunch service.

• Ensure food preparation areas, crockery, and equipment are clean, organised, and ready for use at all times.

• Monitor and replenish supplies such as food items, beverages, cleaning materials, and consumables to ensure availability in a fast-paced environment.

• Update the supervisor on any changes on-site.

• Liaise with supervisor/line manager to review sites and allocated work via the Jobber system.

• Be punctual and attend duty as requested.

• Deliver the highest standard of work with a positive team spirit.

• Continuously develop and improve quality standards.

• Meet manager, client, and company expectations.

• Respond to any reasonable request from the company or client.

• Ensure products, equipment, and materials are properly maintained and stored.

• Use initiative to resolve problems where appropriate.

• Maintain professional appearance and conduct, wearing appropriate clothing/PPE at all times.

• Communicate any unresolved cleaning or housekeeping issues.

Knowledge and Experience

Experience

The job holder will be required to have experience within cleaning.

Interpersonal Skills

When dealing with client personnel and at all levels, the job holder must use tact and diplomacy in order to get co-operation from client personnel and when dealing with visitors.

Responsibilities (Continued)

Responsibility

Human Resource Management

The job holder is responsible for checking on the quality of their work and supervising less experienced staff when required.

Physical Resource Management

- The job holder is responsible for the care of tools, complete as appropriate, whilst in their use, whether the property belongs to the client or Pareto.

- Confidentiality is required on all matters that relate to Pareto and the client.

Communication

Communication is oral / written and mostly internal with the site manager and client’s staff. Communication is generally straightforward. From time to time the job holder will liaise with contractors working inside the client’s sites or areas of responsibility, and at times with visitors.

Liaison

The client’s image can be affected by the job holder’s dealings with visitors and the media. While in dealings with the client’s personnel at all levels, the client’s costs and operational efficiency are influenced, the post holder also has a requirement to liaise with inspectors and governing bodies that may come to the client’s sites or areas of responsibility.

Mental Demands

Judgement and Decision Making: Work is allocated to the job holder who, in most cases, decides how to tackle it, sometimes with the help of specifications. There is consultation within the team regarding the work plan. From time to time the job holder is requested to change work priorities. Routine decisions are made daily, based either on personal experience, own initiative or following discussions with the client’s appointed contact.

Original thought and problem solving: Many tasks involve original thought. Common problems arising are usually technical in nature and are solved independently using past experience and knowledge and sometimes there is a need for design. On occasion, help will be sought from the Site Manager or the Client’s appointed contact regarding unusual problems.

Concentration: There is a need to be alert at all times, with a particularly high level of concentration required when working on machinery and specific detail needs to be paid to Health & Safety guidelines.

Flexibility: Tasks cover a wide range of activities. The number of interruptions daily is very variable. These are always from internal sources, usually the Site Manager or other Pareto staff. Depending on priorities, the job holder will either respond immediately or deal with the matter at a later date. The post holder may be asked to carry out tasks outside of their general duties.

Working Conditions

The job holder is required to work in a variety of conditions; these may be outside, in adverse weather conditions. The post holder is therefore responsible for assessing any personal risk (especially with machines), noise (e.g., machinery) and pollution (e.g., dust) in such conditions.