Job Description. Role/Job Title Receptionist/Concierge of Plassey House Grade. Reporting To Line Manager on behalf of Campus Life Services.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Job Description. Role/Job Title Receptionist/Concierge of Plassey House Grade. Reporting To Line Manager on behalf of Campus Life Services."

John Watkins
5 years ago
Views:

2 Job Description Plassey House is the original house of the Plassey estate which now forms part of the University of Limerick campus. A house of Palladian design, it has been preserved as an important venue for meetings and events and it is where the President and his immediate staff are located. Role/Job Title Receptionist/Concierge of Plassey House Grade Reporting To Line Manager on behalf of Campus Life Services. This is a job share position Plassey House is open Monday Friday from the end of August to the end of July yearly. The morning shift is from 7.30am 12.30pm and the afternoon shift is from 12.30pm 5.30pm. On occasions (evening and weekend events) a concierge will be required on duty and these will be advised in advance of the hours required. The key to the success of the functioning of the house is the core staff. This comprises two part time receptionists/concierges who work closely with the resident caterer and his team. Together all these staff are responsible for the efficient running of the house for meetings, lunches and events. Job Purpose To undertake duties of a hospitality and administrative nature to ensure Plassey House runs smoothly and efficiently for all guests/users and for working colleagues. The concierge works as part of the Plassey House team, and their primary role is to create a positive first impression of Plassey House for guests or visitors, and to endeavour to meet requests or requirements to make the visit more comfortable. Key Working Relationships and Contacts The Plassey House catering staff is employed by Brian Nolan Catering. A number of part time staff work for functions and events as required. The key to this successful working relationship is that all parties exchange information on events and happenings in Plassey House.

3 The Line Manager for Plassey House reports to Campus Life Services and is the liaison person between Brian Nolan and Campus Life Services. Job share staff will report directly to the Line Manager and both staff will attend a monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of every month with the Line Manager. Other key working relationships and contacts include the President s Office, Buildings Team, HR team, Corporate Affairs, Plassey Campus Centre, Quality Office and the Corporate Secretary s Office and any other users of Plassey House. External contacts include visitors to the President s Office and the University of Limerick including dignitaries, Ambassadors, Politicians, Media and Interviewees. Job Boundaries The role of Receptionist/Concierge of Plassey House is a job share position. Using one s initiative to make decisions on the job is extremely important and communicating these decisions to other members of the team is critical. Following procedures when looking after key contacts internally and externally is of utmost importance and it is a position where discretion is valued. It is important to interact with all visitors and staff in the house in a pleasant and efficient manner maintaining the level of reserve which is appropriate to the delivery of the service required. Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Expertise The Receptionist/Concierge position in Plassey House requires a variety of qualifications, skills and expertise. Knowledge and experience in the hospitality/catering sector is important and a qualification in this area is necessary. Knowledge of the University of Limerick, Plassey House and the Art Collections in Plassey House is important. The ability to work alone, work as part of the team and work with other teams is important. The most important skills needed are communication and discretion. Skills that are required for the role include good IT skills (word, excel, outlook and PowerPoint) and excellent communication skills (written and oral). Multi-tasking skills are also important as the concierge must be able to do several things with constant interruptions. The concierge will face all kinds of problems and issues and must readily solve these to the satisfaction of guests.

4 Competencies Planning and organisation are key components to the smooth running of Plassey House. The Receptionist/Concierge of Plassey House needs to be extremely well organised and be able to plan ahead for all eventualities (e.g. double booking in meeting rooms, guests running late for lunch/meeting etc). At the start of each shift the bookings diary and handover diary should be checked and instructions from colleagues must be followed. Priority must be given to the immediate tasks of the day and work needs to be prioritised to ensure a smooth handover for the co-worker with his/her shift commences. Attention to detail, the ability to think ahead and use initiative to solve problems are key competencies. The Receptionist/Concierge team should meet the Catering Team weekly (with Line Manager) to discuss and plan the work for the week and to highlight any events/areas that might need addressing. Decision Making and Problem Solving The Receptionist/Concierge in Plassey House will face all kinds of problems and issues and must readily solve these to the satisfaction of guests. Decisions will have to be made promptly (e.g. issues with heating, double booking in meeting room, parking problems etc). Problems can be solved by you in consultation with your catering colleagues and if required your Line Manager. Communication As the first point of contact many people have with the University of Limerick effective communication is probably the most important element of the position. You should provide information and support each visitor to ensure they have a pleasant visit to Plassey House and University of Limerick. Discretion is critical as many visitors are attending for interviews/disciplinary hearings/meetings. Visitors and colleagues should be made feel welcome while interaction must be discrete and lengthy conversation should be avoided. Role of the Receptionist/Concierge Welcome guests to Plassey House, take coats, ensure they are welcome and that anything they require is provided (take charge of left property) Advise catering staff that guests have arrived to meeting rooms/for lunch Organise taxis etc., for guests if required Answer telephone and check s Send out s regarding changes in service from Plassey House address

5 Prepare and send weekly booking list (every Monday) to your Line Manager Check the building for any maintenance issues and advise buildings maintenance accordingly put details in report book Assist visitors/tourists who come into the house, provide them with brochures on University of Limerick (Art Tour, UL Links etc) Check the notice board and change notices Liaise with Campus Life Services for stationery order Water the floral arrangements/plants Meeting Rooms Duties (ongoing throughout the day) Check the reservations book for any changes from previous day Service all meeting rooms with fresh water and glassware Set up meeting rooms as required Ensure flips charts are clean and in working order Check meeting room after guests vacate, tidy and replace glasses/water Check rooms again and replace water /glasses Check all rooms and confirm when they will vacate Set up rooms for afternoon meetings or (following) morning meetings When the catering staff leave, take all telephone bookings for catering and meeting rooms Provide Tea/Coffee (which is normally pre-arranged) for the meeting rooms Food and Beverage Duties (ongoing throughout the day) Collect papers/ groceries as required, deliver papers to offices (morning) Put on coffee machine and prepare coffee Set out sugar and milk for morning coffee in the East Room and put on music/lay out newspapers Serve coffee in the East Room from 10.30am, top up, and clear away and leave East Room ready for lunch service Welcome diners, take coats, direct to their tables and offer menus Clear away lunch crockery from meeting rooms or outside the meeting rooms Assist where possible the catering staff clearing the East Room after lunch Place tea/coffee cups (30approx) in the East Room for following mornings coffee (after lunch is cleared away) Plassey House Security and Maintenance One of the key responsibilities of the receptionist/concierge is to ensure the building and art exhibitions are secure, that Fire Alarms are adhered to and that the maintenance of the house is maintained to the highest standard. You play a key role in coping with fires or other emergencies, ensuring that help is called promptly and guests evacuated safely.

6 Security of Building Open up Plassey House every morning including the basement external back door. Check and ensure that link corridor doors are unlocked. Doors should be unlocked by security. Monitor people entering and leaving Plassey House. Monitor any equipment leaving Plassey House. At close of business before leaving Plassey House, ensure that front door is closed and that shutter at the basement external door is closed. Ensure all lights are off in meeting rooms. For Out-of Hour functions ensure that the basement door is opened and secured at the end of the function. Before leaving the building contact security to inform them that function is over. Art exhibition Carry out a visual audit of all the art work on display at least twice daily and immediately report anything missing or interfered with to Art Administrator, security and Buildings and Estates office. On activation of Art Alarm system, go to Art Alarm panel, read alarm display on the panel, carry out inspection of the alarm unit in Alarm and report cause to Art Administrator and Security. Reset Art alarm panel. If incident is false alarm. If genuine alarm situation. Fire Alarm Carry out of Fire Evacuation warden on activation of fire alarm system. On Activation of Fire Alarm sounders, carry out a sweep of ground floor of Plassey house to ensure everyone has vacated the floor to the assembly point. Report to the assembly point Marshall the floor is clear. Building Maintenance Report any maintenance issues to Buildings and Estates office

Venue Emergency Response Plan (VERP)

Venue Emergency Response Plan (VERP) Event: Venue: Date: Event Manager: Safety Officer: Who has responsibility for ensuring volunteers have been trained on this plan? Have Event Team volunteers been trained