Senior Receptionist and General Admin Assistant

We are looking for a Senior Receptionist and General Admin Assistant to be the first point of contact for all visitors, staff and students at Harris Academy Orpington. You will assist in the management of the reception area as well as providing administrative support to the Principalship Team in order to contribute to the smooth running of the academy.

The working hours for this role will vary in term time and holiday period.

7:30am-4:30pm Term Time

8:00am-4:00pm Holiday Periods

About Us

Harris Academy Orpington opened in September 2016, joining the highly successful Federation of Harris academies in London. We are on our journey to outstanding, we are ambitious and looking forward to an exciting future. We believe that every student can and should achieve their full potential and our commitment is one of ensuring our students develop a love of learning, a passion for enquiry and a dedication to being the best that they can be. We aim to ensure that every student is inspired and supported to achieve his/her personal best and learning comes first. Our motto is “Together We Can” and if you are interested in joining us, we would be very pleased to meet you.

Main Areas of Responsibility

• Responsible for the day-to-day supervision of Reception and associated functions ensuring they are carried out in accordance with agreed procedures, protocols and timescales, reporting to the Head of Academy’s PA as necessary.
• To present the professional and welcoming face of the Academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers.
• To ensure all visitors are signed in to the academy in accordance with safeguarding procedures.
• To respond to queries from parents/carers and the general public with exemplary professionalism, ensuring that any messages or complaints are immediately dealt with, forwarded to the appropriate member of staff or escalated as required.
• To ensure the overall appearance of the reception area is tidy, professional and presentable at all times.
• General administrative duties such as typing, photocopying, filing, collation and distribution of post.
• In liaison with appropriate academy staff, to contribute to the maintenance of academy information databases and filing systems relating to pupils, ensuring confidentiality is observed at all times and records are accurate and up to date.
• To assist academy staff in all aspects of academy life, including contacting parents and pupils where necessary.
• To provide general administrative support to the academy as required, including preparation of documentation, and administrative duties relating to specific areas such as academy calendar maintenance, extra-curricular activities, school trips, school meal arrangements.
• Provide an efficient message and record keeping system for staff when taking telephone messages.
• Maintain appropriate records of incoming visitors and outgoing staff from the Academy.
• Implementation and maintenance of a visitor notification system which is effective for staff to use.
• Sign for deliveries and inform the appropriate recipient to arrange collection of goods.
• Ensuring meeting rooms are cleared on a regular, kept tidy and organised ready for use and order appropriate refreshments.
• Provide a high level of service when receiving
• parents/carers, company representatives, Governors, interview applicants etc; contacting relevant member of staff and directing visitors to waiting areas.
• Assisting with distribution of internal and external post.
• To assist in the development of appropriate resources.
• To contribute to the Academy’s Improvement Plan and its implementation.
• To attend all appropriate meetings.
• To type Academy letters, liaise with relevant staff and ensuring the checking process is smooth and effective; provide the required letters and sending notifications as necessary.
• To line manage the Receptionist/Administration Assistant ensuring that the appraisal process is followed through and strategic discussions including Reception standards, process, tasks etc.
• To oversee the Reception responsibilities as a whole and delegate tasks to other reception staff.
• To contribute to the whole Academy’s planning activities.
• Manage the Academy’s info@ email account forwarding and redirecting messages and tracking of incoming complaints.
• Raising Purchase orders through internal system and approving related admin invoices.

Qualifications & Experience

• Educated to A level or equivalent
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Packages
• Good level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a good standard of written and spoken English
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks appropriately
• Commitment to delivering excellent level of professional customer service
• Ability to remain calm and deal with challenging callers or visitors in an appropriate manner
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy of work
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team;
• Ability to be resourceful and proactive, in particular where unexpected issues arise
• Ability to work effectively with people across a wide range of levels and responsibilities
• Ability to maintain confidentiality; having tact and diplomacy where necessary.
• Previous experience in an administrative or front office/reception role
• Demonstrable customer service experience

Rewards & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.