Reception Team Leader

Science and Technology Facilities Council
Salary: £36,650 (plus a responsibility allowance of up to 10%, dependent on skills and experience)
Contract Type: Open-ended
Hours: Full-time (flexible working available)
Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX
Closing date: 18th May 2025

Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown and turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. Whether it’s sending probes into space or finding new ways to treat cancer, everyone here plays a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

Come and discover how much you can achieve when you’re surrounded by world-leading experts, encouraged to constantly learn and empowered to explore your curiosity.

Key accountabilities

The Reception Team Leader’s core role is to manage the day to day running of R75 and R100 Receptions, ensuring the team provide professional visitor related service, delivering high levels of customer service with staff, tenants, contractors and visitors.

Working with STFC staff, tenants, contractors and visitors providing a proactive, professional, and efficient visitor management services to all, ensuring the customer’s expectations are managed and appropriately actioned.  

The role holder will have the ability to maintain quality, challenge and develop work and operating processes along with managing and motivating a team to ensure professional and efficient customer service is always delivered.

There will be a requirement to interrogate and analyse system data to identify trends taking a proactive approach to resolving issues, always looking at ways to improve performance and efficiency.

The role holder will be self-motivated with an excellent customer focused approach, with an interest in STFC and Estates functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Line management of the reception team, including dealing with any first line employee queries and overall performance management.
• Coach, develop staff and support team building to ensure consistency of quality of customer service.
• Facilitate the development of the reception function and activity, to include standard operating processes and practice to ensure consistency.
• Align and develop practice with other sites in relation to visitor management practice and procedure.
• Manage rota and cover of R75/R100 Reception areas and Site Pass Office to cover planned and unplanned absence.
• Overseeing the management of STFC hosted Events with the Reception Team and liaising with hosts of the Event, ensuring processes are followed and met.
• Actively engage and implement Estates communication channels to provide customers with accurate and timely information which may impact on their day-to-day operations. 
• Update web intranet pages to reflect services available and the customer processes to access them.
• Oversee management for the allocation of STFC Parking Permits, ensuring associated Permit policy is kept up to date.
• Ensure activities are delivered and managed in line with STFC SHE (H&S) Codes.
• Oversee management of Access Control System (C Cure), assigning access to personnel, deal with queries and report faults to Vindex/Estates.
• Build effective working relationships with all STFC managers and staff.
• Address and resolve complaints seeking to learn lessons or provide constructive feedback to colleagues accessing visitor related services.
• Proactively look for ways of improving procedures and processes within the reception areas.
• Attending appropriate training to support the role and service delivery.
• Adhering to all GDPR procedures in the managing of sensitive / personal information.

Essential shortlisting criteria

• 5 GCSE level passes (or equivalent or vocational experience), subjects to include English and Maths (grade 5 min)
• Experience of leading and delivering customer service / reception support in a busy environment.
• A proficient user of Microsoft Office packages including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and SharePoint, able to learn new IT systems and processes quickly.
• Demonstrate ability to analyse and work accurately with data. 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Organisationally effective with ability to manage competing deadlines and switch between multiple workflows.
• Confidence and experience to effectively resolve difficult situations.
• Evidence of contributing and engaging in continuous improvement in the workplace.
• Outstanding customer focus and professional attitude to service.
• Experience in recording, maintaining, managing and extracting data from IT systems.

STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side?

Join us and discover what’s possible by submitting your CV and covering letter which outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified, along with your motivation for STFC and the role.

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y

We reserve the right to close the role early due to high volume of applicants