Casual Night Lodge Receptionist; Porter

Department: Casual Workers (Department)

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Part Time

Location: Casual Workers

Compensation: £14.24 / hour

The Lodge is the first point of contact for all guests and visitors to the College making this a key public-facing role providing a professional yet friendly welcome. The delivery of exemplary customer service is paramount to creating a positive impression and to the successful operation of an efficient and effective lodge reception. The Lodge is open round the clock, 365 days a year.

The Casual Night Lodge Receptionist will be responsible for assisting in the day-to-day operation of the Lodge and fulfilling the daily tasks as per departmental procedures; reporting to the Head Porter in the first instance, and Security and Safety Manager in their absence.

The Casual Night Lodge Receptionist role will include, but is not limited to, the following tasks and responsibilities:

Customer service:

• Provide a warm, friendly and professional welcome to the College, ensuring visitors are acknowledged quickly and helped in a timely fashion;
• Be sympathetic to the support and welfare needs of the student body; providing a friendly, approachable and safe environment for students to get information or signposting to the appropriate support resources;
• Dealing with a wide and varied flow of people at different levels. Professionalism, tact, diplomacy, discretion and a friendly approach are required at all times, as well as an awareness of the need for confidentiality where circumstances dictate;
• To act as a point of information for College members during term time, to conference & events guests during vacation and to visitors throughout the year. Able to quickly provide, or know where to find information, and to be knowledgeable about the College history, the local area and tourism attractions;
• Handling telephone calls to the main switchboard, displaying a warm and professional welcome by phone and able to competently handle enquiries, deal with any requests yourself, where possible or, if unable to assist, then to probe for further information and direct the caller to the appropriate person. Taking and communicating messages where required;
• Ability to work proactively, to foresee any potential issues and to think strategically about contingency plans and communicate them effectively; able to comprehend the ‘bigger picture’ and how the activities and interactions of a busy College operation relate to the Lodge operation;
• To deal with any unforeseen situations calmly and be able to use your own initiative to resolve minor issues confidently, but be aware of limitations and know when to elevate. To effectively communicate to the guest, in the first instance, and also to relevant departments as required;
• To be confident in handling complaints. Able to remain calm and composed to resolve the guest complaints quickly and to ensure all relevant departments are made aware of both the issue and the action taken to resolve it;

Safety and Security

• Supporting the Head Porter to ensure a continuous safe and secure environment - highlighting any potential risk and impact on the College to the Head Porter;
• Night lodge staff are required to carry out security patrols and deal with any security or behavioural issues appropriately and professionally. Being vigilant at all times and able to confidently, but tactfully and politely challenge anyone who appears to needs assistance;
• The post holder should be fully conversant with the College Security systems and procedures. Able to deal with any emergencies in a swift and prompt manner following the College Fire and other emergency plans;
• Responsible for providing written incident reports in line with College policy;

General Operational Duties

• Ensuring the Lodge area is clean, tidy and organised and promotes a professional and welcoming first impression of the college, sorting post, delivering parcels and assisting with luggage;
• To be IT proficient, particularly in the use of MS Office and be able to use the college booking system;
• To act as an information point and communicate relevant information across the appropriate departments, ensuring accurate and detailed handovers between shifts;
• As directed by the Head Porter, assist the Dean, Domestic Bursar and Junior Deans in the enforcement of College Rules, ensuring that noise disruption is kept to a minimum and that procedures for managing noise or behavioural issues are…