Location
Romford, London Borough of Havering

Hours
Part Time - 15 hours per week

Salary
£29,436 - £31,158 pro rata (including London Weighting allowance)

About the Role
The Hostels and HMO Team at London Borough of Havering currently manages 3 hostels and a Mother and Baby Unit, providing support to homeless adults, children, and young people across the borough. We are an innovative team committed to achieving positive outcomes and reducing risks of harm by working closely with families to support necessary positive changes.

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic receptionist/administrator to be the first point of contact and assist the Hostels Team in supporting families living in homeless accommodation. This busy and fast-paced role requires someone who can work reactively with a diverse client group, providing a high-quality service to residents with sometimes complex needs.

Key responsibilities include managing appointment diaries for Hostel Officers, adapting to the changing needs of residents and the service, maintaining excellent communication, working closely with partnerships and stakeholders, delivering outstanding customer service, and supporting a multi-agency environment. Additional duties involve administrative tasks such as maintaining Excel workbooks, updating records, handling post, booking appointments, ordering office consumables, cleaning products, and hostel furniture items, as well as ensuring hostels remain presentable.

Strong written and spoken communication skills are essential for letter writing, face-to-face contact, and email correspondence. A good level of numeracy is also required to confidently handle calculations. This role plays a key part in delivering a highly effective and growing service within the borough.

Experience
Applicants must demonstrate knowledge and experience of working with both adults and children in a front-facing role. Experience working reactively with a diverse client group is essential. Experience of working with the public and in a multi-agency setting is required.

About You
You should be empathetic with good listening skills, able to work on-site Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (hybrid working is not offered). Flexibility to travel to various sites within the London Borough of Havering is necessary; therefore, having a car and a valid driving licence is desirable. You must be able to manage a busy and variable schedule, work well as part of a team, and maintain a professional, customer-focused approach at all times.

Qualifications
A good level of written and spoken communication skills is required, demonstrated through work experience, GCSEs, or NVQ qualifications. A good level of numeracy is also necessary. No specific formal qualifications are mandated beyond this, but a positive attitude and commitment to the role are essential.