Sales Assistant - Campus Services - 104608 - Grade 2 in Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £24,097 to £25,203

Grade: 2

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 13th August 2026

Our offer to you:

People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide‑range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Background:

Campus Services (CS) employs over 1,000 staff and recorded turnover exceeding £65m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University’s sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, Portering, post, branded and own‑brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House & Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses.

The Food, Beverage, and Retail team run over 25 retail outlets on campus, at The Exchange, Winterbourne and Vale Village, alongside all hospitality and delivered catering for the university. From hairdressers to bookshops, opticians, and supermarkets, we manage a diverse range of shops and services that cater to the daily needs of students, staff, and visitors.

As part of Campus Services, the Business and Operations department offers a variety of outlets to staff, students and visitors across campus and also in student accommodation from small coffee shops to large restaurants. We also provide hospitality services for conferences and events held on campus and further afield.

Role Summary:

You will play a key frontline role in delivering an excellent customer experience within a busy university‑run food supermarket. You will support daily store operations, including till service, stock replenishment, product merchandising, and maintaining clean, safe, and well‑presented retail areas. The role requires strong customer service skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively as part of a wider team in a fast‑paced environment. You will follow store procedures, support compliance with food safety and health & safety standards and contribute to the smooth running of the store.

Main Duties:

• Customer Service: Greet and serve customers in a professional, responsive, courteous, and friendly manner, including answering queries and dealing with situations that arise, to deliver the highest level of customer service. Building rapport with customers whenever possible and encouraging customer feedback. Maintain a professional working relationship with all colleagues. Resolve routine customer concerns, escalating more complex issues to a supervisor or manager. Operate tills, self‑service machines, and payment systems accurately and responsibly, whilst maintaining queues and service areas to ensure an efficient checkout experience.
• Stock Replenishment & Merchandising: Replenish stock across ambient, chilled, frozen, and fresh food areas following planograms and store standards. Rotate stock and check date codes to ensure product quality and reduce waste. Support delivery processing: unloading cages, sorting stock, and moving products safely. Assist with merchandising seasonal and promotional ranges. Maintain a clean, tidy, and well‑organised shop floor and stockroom.
• Compliance, Safety & Operational Standards: Follow all food safety, hygiene, and health & safety procedures including HACCP routines, temperature checks, manual handling, COSHH (where required), and cleaning and sanitisation tasks. Report hazards, equipment issues, or safety concerns to a manager promptly. Ensure tills, fixtures, and customer areas meet daily cleaning and operational standards. Ensure compliance with the sale of alcohol and all age restricted products.
• Teamwork & Communication: Actively seek opportunities to increase sales by upselling products and make recommendations as directed by your manager. Work collaboratively with supervisors, team leaders, and colleagues to support smooth daily store operations. Participate in any training and development activities as required. Be supportive to colleagues. Attend all team briefs/training and departmental meetings as required. Be actively involved in an annual personal development review with your line manager/supervisor. Undertake any other reasonable duties or requests (other than those stated in the job description) as requested by a senior member of staff including driving UoB vehicles when required (if you hold a clean driving licence). Treat everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity.

Operational Requirements:

Contracts are annualised and based on 35 hours per week (or pro rata), across a 7‑day operation, inclusive of weekdays, weekends, regular bank holidays and closed days on a rota basis, including evening work activities. Additional hours during peak trading periods (e.g., term start, events). Operational windows will vary by business unit/activity. Hours will be defined in your contract of employment. To undertake works activities across all UoB campuses as requested that are commensurate with the grade and role activities to support the Division and wider UoB activities.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience:

• Experience and knowledge of working in a busy, customer facing role, with previous experience of working in a food and beverage environment being an advantage.
• Experience in retail, customer service, or hospitality beneficial; training provided.
• A commitment to providing a quality service.
• Positive communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong customer service skills with a positive, helpful attitude.
• Ability to work on own initiative or as part of a team.
• Good organisational and time‑management skills.
• Ability to follow instructions, procedures, and safety guidance.
• Reliable, punctual, and able to work as part of a team.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and excellent service.
• Ability to maintain a high standard of personal appearance. Some parts of a uniform is provided for this purpose.
• Work patterns may vary so a flexible approach to working hours and days is essential.
• Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect own area (e.g., dietary requirements/dress code).
• Full clean driving licence desirable.

This role is concerned with providing a quality customer service in the provision of food and beverages.

Planning and Organising:

The post holder will follow instructions from their supervisor in terms of day to day focus, working in response to customer orders or to planned activities in preparation areas or kitchens. They will need to maintain an awareness of how their work links with others, and to ensure certain activities are completed within a shift.

Problem Solving and decision making:

The role will undertake a variety of activities that are very similar in nature, with most problems arising being ones that have been seen before, with the role holder knowing how to resolve it from experience, but will refer to a manager if assistance is required.

Internal and External relationships:

This role will be a customer facing role and will be expected to be polite, responsive, friendly and courteous at all times, dealing with enquiries in a professional manner that leaves customers feeling well treated.