Do you want to help us transform lives through reading and writing?

We are looking for an enthusiastic administrator with excellent communication and organisational skills to join the Early Years team at Scottish Book Trust.

Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. A love of reading inspires creativity, improves employment opportunities, mental health and wellbeing and is one of the most effective ways to help break the poverty cycle. We work towards a Scotland where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive through literacy.

Among many other programmes, Scottish Book Trust delivers Bookbug, Scotland’s national early years book gifting programme, which provides a free, high quality, book bag for every baby, toddler, three-year-old and primary 1 child in the country and is funded by Scottish Government. We also provide Bookbug training to all local authorities in Scotland.

The Training Administrator provides reliable and efficient administration to support the smooth running of the Early Years programme, with a particular focus on organisation of training.

scottishbooktrust.com/bookbug

Since 2012 Lyra has been building a community of children and artists who create and produce world-class live performance and art together in Greater Craigmillar, Edinburgh. Lyra is based in the heart of the community, our home is Artspace, a 116-seat theatre and flexible studio space. Artspace is a wing of the commercially let SPACE building with a rich history and strong connection to the local community. Every week during term-time Lyra offers free afterschool and Saturday classes to local children in theatre, music and dance. Each session is led by an artist and supported by a Facilitator and a Youth Arts Worker. Groups work together to create performances for the annual ‘Bright & Wild’ festival each summer. Lyra also creates and tours performances for young audiences as well as special events and projects. Our venue is also hired out to other arts companies for rehearsals, workshops and performances. We’re a small, friendly, caring team who look out for and support each other.

The Administrator Receptionist is the welcoming face of Artspace, Lyra’s professional arts venue in Craigmillar. We want our building to feel like a home to everyone who uses it and you’ll be a welcoming host to everyone who comes inside. This is a busy role, welcoming and helping visitors and making sure everything is in place for them to have a brilliant experience at Lyra. We’re looking for someone who is energetic, enjoys being organised, can spin many plates at once and is able to prioritise and be a calm, reassuring presence, even in an emergency. The role is responsible for its own list of administrative tasks that can be fitted around taking care of the day-to-day needs of Lyra’s users.

Hours, Working Pattern & Holidays

The Administrator Receptionist will work five hours each day on a regular rota to provide duty management cover for Lyra’s core programme of activity each week during school term-time. For August 2022 to June 2023 the shifts will be 1-6pm on Mondays, 2.15-7.15pm on Tuesdays, 1.15-6.15pm on Wednesdays & Thursdays and 1-6pm on Fridays.

Following the City of Edinburgh Council’s term-time dates the Administrator Receptionist will commit to working at least 39 weeks per year during which times holiday cannot be taken. In line with all Lyra staff, you will receive 6.4 weeks annual leave allowance which must be taken during school holidays. The contract is offered either as 39 weeks sessional or year-round basis.

Salary and Pay

• Year-round contract: The annual salary will be pro-rated to 25 hours per week and you will be paid £1222.22 on the 26th of each month. You will be entitled to 6.4 weeks holiday each year to be taken during school holidays.
• 39-week sessional contract: You will be paid for the 39 weeks you work plus the 6.4 weeks annual leave you are entitled to with the remaining 6.78 weeks unpaid. Your annualised hours will be split evenly across the year, and you will be paid £1063.41 on the 26th of each month. There may be an opportunity to work additional hours at certain points of the year for which you will be paid an hourly rate of £11.28 (plus £1.36 holiday pay). As a sessional worker your continuity of service remains unbroken during the school holidays.
• In addition, Lyra will contribute 3% on qualifying earnings to our workplace pension scheme (NEST).

Main Tasks/Responsibilities

The Administrator Receptionist is responsible for:

Reception

• Be the welcoming face of Artspace, Lyra’s professional arts venue based in the heart of the Craigmillar community, promoting a vibrant and welcoming environment for both community and professional service users
• Liaise with reception/managers and other tenants of the Space building that Lyra is housed within
• Act as first point of contact for all internal and external enquiries by phone, text, email and in-person
• Tidy and prepare spaces each day so that they are ready for use
• Order/maintain stock of stationery, cleaning supplies, food/drinks, first aid supplies and project
• materials
• Respond to venue hire enquiries, update room booking calendars, send hire agreements and invoices
• Keep track of all keys to the building
• Lead venue inductions and orientation with new staff members and visiting artists and companies
• Act as Duty Manager – being the emergency first point of contact, leading fire evacuation and giving first aid (training will be provided)
• Arrange Duty Managers for out of hours activity

Administration

• Take minutes and note action points at weekly staff and project meetings
• Generate and send contracts and letters of agreement as directed
• Assist with the collection of data from participants, families, staff/freelancers and board of directors
• Manage and maintain Lyra’s office and administrative procedures and systems
• Process Disclosure Scotland applications and administrate training for new staf
• Input invoices, crosscheck amounts against budgets and set up bank payments to suppliers
• Input credit card payment receipts/expenses claims as directed
• Keep stationery, tuck shop and first aid supplies stocked up
• Book tickets for Lyra performances, respond to guest enquiries and send confirmation emails/texts
• Assist in coming up with solutions to problems that may arise during your day such as staff absences

Communications

• Send daily reminders to parents/participants about upcoming activity, respond to questions and pass on relevant information to session facilitators
• Support excellent communication within the organisation and with external stakeholders, assisting with company and event communications (to include but not limited to liaising with staff, participants, local community, partners, schools, invited guests and funders and other stakeholders as needed)
• Update Lyra’s website and social media as and when required
• Maintain confidentiality and deal with sensitive information appropriately

Other relevant duties as and when requested by your line manager

Person Specification

The team at Lyra aim to create a world-class environment for artists and children to create together and the Administrator Receptionist is key to making this happen. We’re looking for someone who is a naturally welcoming host, enjoys taking care of people and gets pleasure from seeing everything working smoothly and people having a nice time. Lyra is here for the children and young people of Craigmillar, Niddrie and Greendykes so we want a Administrator Receptionist who shares our values of patience, acceptance, curiosity and empathy when interacting with children and young people.

Essential

• Great with people; caring, understanding and friendly
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Well organised, able to prioritise and take responsibility for managing/completing own workload
• Able to focus in a busy and noisy environment
• Good with computers: Microsoft Office 365, Outlook, Excel, Word, social media and web-based systems
• Good eye for detail
• At least one year of experience in a similar role

Desirable

• Previous experience of working within an arts organisation
• Experience of duty management
• Experience of working for a small company
• Experience of working within a community setting
• Knowledge of professional performing arts for children and young people
• Knowledge of the effects of social disadvantage on young people

Personal Attributes

• Enjoys being organised, able to spin many plates at once, to prioritise
• A strong team player who can work flexibly as part of a small team within a growing organisation
• Calm and reassuring in difficult situations
• Able to relate to people of different ages and backgrounds

Equality & Diversity

• Lyra is an Equal Opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds.
• To tackle under-representation, if you identify as Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Colour and meet the essential criteria you will be guaranteed an interview.
• Lyra is a member of the Parents and Carers in Performing Arts Foundation Programme and is sensitive to the needs of those with caring responsibilities.

We’re looking for freelance trainers to work in our Early Years team, with a strong background in delivering face-to-face & online training & the ability to develop the skills & enthusiasm of others.

Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. A love of reading inspires creativity, improves employment opportunities, mental health and wellbeing and is one of the most effective ways to help break the poverty cycle. We work towards a Scotland where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive through literacy.

Due to the pandemic and social restrictions, and subsequent pressures on staffing and venues, the number of Bookbug Sessions has fallen drastically. For many families, this means no Bookbug Session in their local area, or limited access to a session place.

Creative Scotland’s Cultural Recovery Fund allows Scottish Book Trust to increase our training capacity in 2022-23, in order to re-establish and strengthen Bookbug Sessions in every local authority in Scotland.

We will establish a group of freelancers who will deliver Bookbug session leader training from October 2022 to April 2023 (contract to begin in July/August). There is the potential for between 0.5 day to 4 days per week depending on trainer availability, demand for training and location. It would be beneficial to have at least one trainer based in the North East of Scotland.

We are looking for confident, enthusiastic freelance trainers to join our Early Years (Bookbug) team. Candidates should have a strong background in delivering face-to-face and online training and the ability to develop the skills and enthusiasm of others.

Bookbug is Scotland’s universal early years book gifting programme. The post holder will deliver a range of early years training to professionals from a broad range of sectors and partner agencies.

Please note that Scottish Book Trust delivers training for adults who work with children and families. This role does not involve direct work with children.