R2R105035 - 132162 - Receptionist and Signposter Family Centre

Your New Organisation

Southend on Sea City Council is a Unitary local authority, providing vital services to meet the needs of the local community. We employ around 1,800 staff who are working alongside our partners and local communities to deliver the city vision and make lives better for the people of Southend. Working for Southend on Sea City Council offers a challenging and rewarding career in local government within a collaborative and innovative environment, with the benefit of flexible working practices to support a positive work life balance. As a Unitary Authority we are responsible for all local government functions ranging from social services, transport, public health and parks through to planning, trading standards, community safety and education, so we offer a wide range of career opportunities. The diversity of our economy and communities and investment in a number of exciting regeneration projects makes our Council a great place to work, learn and make a difference.

Your new role

Join Southend-on-Sea City Council's Family Hub team, providing a welcoming reception service, assisting visitors and families, and delivering essential administrative support across our Family Hub network. This is a part‑time (20 hours), 18 months fixed‑term contract.

• To provide a warm and friendly telephone and reception service, responding to calls and visitors in a sensitive and helpful manner.
• To provide an empathetic approach to supporting families and to be proactive in own ongoing professional development, taking an active interest and participate in any training required to carry out the role and responsibilities.
• To input data and provide administrative support to the Family Hub team, to be mobile to cover other sites when needed and to work with management to help with tasks.
• To resolve customer complaints by clarifying the complaint, determining the cause of the problem, selecting the best solution to resolve the problem, expediting the resolution, whilst maintaining effective relationships with all stakeholders involved.

NB: The advertised salary will be pro rata.

What you'll need to succeed

• 4 GCSEs at A-C including Maths and English.
• High standard of typing and excellent word processing and computer skills and substantial experience of using Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Outlook, and databases.
• Experience of customer facing services.
• Experience of inputting and cleansing data systems and running reports.
• Demonstrable ability to organise and prioritise work and to carry out routine tasks accurately.
• A good knowledge of services in the community that families can be signposted to.
• Ability to drive and be available to work in any of the eight sites when needed, to be able to work evenings and weekends.

What you’ll get in return

When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training. The full list of benefits provided by Southend Council can be viewed on the "Why Work For Us?" tab.

All applicants for this role will require an enhanced DBS check. The Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications, regardless of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, age or religion or belief.