Do you want to join a committed and supporting team in raising awareness and changing things for the better for everyone with Down’s syndrome right across Scotland?

We are looking for an individual to run FriendZ Space, our popular, online programme for adults with Down’s syndrome, The ideal candidate would have experience in planning sessions, facilitating groups (in person and online) for young people and adults with learning disabilities.

You will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of our joint Head Office and Scottish Braille Press reception at Robertson Avenue and providing an excellent level of customer service to colleagues, visitors and external contractors who visit or work within the building as well as those contacting Sight Scotland by post, email, or telephone. As well as coordinating front desk activities you will also be responsible for general office administration and facilities management tasks. You will also act as lead Fire Marshall and a nominated First Aider for the building.

We’re looking for an experienced Office Manager with a passion for diversity and inclusion to join our team. Could that be you?

Who are we?

Deaf Action is a deaf-led charity, supporting and celebrating deaf people. We were established in 1835 and work with deaf people across Scotland and the South of England. Our work is geared towards empowering all deaf people to achieve their potential and fully participate in society, with equality of rights, access and opportunity.

You can find out more about us at deafaction.org.

About you

You will be an experienced Office Manager (minimum 2 years) with excellent IT and organisational skills, and meticulous attention to detail. You will be confident and knowledgeable in office systems and processes, including health and safety. You will often be the first point of contact at Deaf Action’s Head Office and will work across several teams and services, also providing support to our other locations where required. You will be an integral part of ensuring that Deaf Action deliver quality services to all of our clients, guests, and staff and that everyone who visits our headquarters has a positive experience. Strong customer service skills are essential.

You will be someone who takes pride in maintaining high standards, with the ability to:

• maintain efficient day-to-day routines as well as responding to the unexpected
• manage a budget and identify the most cost-effective solutions
• support the Receptionist team to triage and record any incoming enquiries and direct these to the most suitable service
• observe strict confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information, preferably with a strong knowledge of GDPR rules (additional training will be provided)

Excellent communication skills are essential. The ideal candidates will be fully committed to our values, which can be found on our website. Experience of working with the deaf community and/or knowledge of BSL will be advantageous.

The role

Our headquarters are both a place of work and an important community hub. Maintaining a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment is critical to our success. The Office Manager role is integral to achieving these objectives. We are looking for someone to be an integral part of our team, responsible for leading on all aspects of running the office day-to-day to enable our staff to deliver great work. The role reports to the HR Manager and will line manage our receptionist and administration support staff.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

Customer Service, IT, HR & Data Management

• support the HR Manager with administration for the recruitment process and other staff processes and documentation as required
• act as the first port of call for any IT issues and liaise with external IT supplier for support to resolve
• support the receptionist to manage all incoming enquiries and correspondence and ensure these are directed appropriately and recorded on our database
• ensure all visitors have a positive experience and are supported with the right service at the right time
• ensure the contact database is maintained effectively
• keep management informed regularly via performance reports

General Office

• oversee day-to-day office activities as main point of contact for all employees and visitors
• maintain supplies of office materials and other essential items, manage vendor relationships, and coordinate deliveries
• manage all aspects of space/infrastructure planning (e.g. moves, additions, changes to workstations)
• support the onboarding and induction of new staff and ensure all IT needs are met
• oversee mail room function to ensure incoming and outgoing mail and parcels and managed effectively
• manage the Bar Coordinator to ensure they provide excellent customer service to clients in an efficient manner and according to proper procedure and bar regulations
• manage the Fringe Festival venue

Health & Safety

• ensure maintenance and cleanliness of all spaces, instructing routine repairs as required
• oversee health and safety compliance, ensuring the safety of our employees and visitors at all times
• carry out spot-checks and audits to comply with insurance requirements
• maintain security and develop a plan for out of hours office access arrangements for all user groups
• organise First Aid training and oversee First Aid response, including responsibility for the accident logbook

What’s on offer?

• Occupational pension scheme with employer contributions of 6%
• 32 days leave pro rata (inc bank holidays)
• Day off for your birthday
• 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Programme provided by Health Assured
• In-house Mental Health First Aiders
• Death in Service benefit
• Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and IT Voucher Scheme
• Ongoing support for learning and development through our PDR process
• BSL Lessons if required

Autism Initiatives works positively alongside autistic people, their families and carers to provide specialist services tailored to each individual.

As Receptionist you will act as the first point of contact, providing a friendly and professional service to all callers and visitors. In addition you will assist in a variety of administrative duties to support the smooth and efficient operation of Head Office Scotland.

Benefits of working with us include:

• 31 days pro rata Annual Leave, including Bank holidays
• Your birthday off every year, to treat yourself!
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Medicash Healthcare Plan
• Eligibility to become a Blue Light Card Member for online & high street discounts

Ideally you will have a working knowledge of reception duties including Microsoft Office packages. At times you will be dealing with multiple callers and visitors therefore you must be able to adapt your communication style and use your own initiative to problem solve. You must also appreciate the need to respect the confidentiality of individuals and their information.

This is a job share vacancy. You must be able to commit to the days and working hours required. Ideally you will be able to provide holiday cover on occasional Mondays and Tuesdays.

The successful candidate will be required to apply for a Basic Disclosure check from Disclosure Scotland. Autism Initiatives will cover the cost of the application.