Receptionist and Administrative Assistant

**Summary**
We are looking for a Receptionist Admin Assistant to be the first point of contact for all visitors, staff and students at Harris Academy Rainham. You will assist in the management of the reception area as well as providing administrative support to contribute to the smooth running of the academy.
**About Us**
Harris Rainham Sixth Form is a new sixth form serving the community of Rainham and Wennington. We are a dedicated group of staff who are deeply committed to serving our community and ensuring our students are on the path to the best universities and careers. We have built a school on our core values of Curiosity, Compassion, Commitment. These values are at the heart of our school and all that we do.

**What makes us different**:

- Our values are at the centre of our school and aren’t simply a slogan on a website.
- Our leaders are role models, they lead by example, admit mistakes, welcome opinions and love honest conversations.
- We are a standalone sixth form but work closely with Harris Academy Rainham an 11 - 16 Academy. This gives us the strengths of an 11-18 school and the benefits of a sixth form only environment.
- We are a staff united against educational disadvantage with a fierce determination to show our students the world beyond Havering.

**What we can do for you**:

- Great career progression both within our Academy and the Federation.
- Excellent professional development opportunities. We focus our training on the latest educational thinking and research and we believe our people are our greatest asset.
- Meaningful measures to manage workload - no graded observations, early finish on a Friday, no onerous marking requirements but sensible feedback policies.
- Bespoke support and line management from excellent leaders across the school.
- Opportunities for fantastic professional growth due to our close working relationship with Harris Academy Rainham and other academies across the Federation.

**Main Areas of Responsibility**
Your responsibilities will include:

- Presenting the professional and welcoming face of the Academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers
- Ensuring all visitors are signed in to the academy in accordance with safeguarding procedures
- Responding to queries from parents/carers and the general public with exemplary professionalism, ensuring that any messages or complaints are immediately dealt with, forwarded to the appropriate member of staff or escalated as required
- Ensuring the overall appearance of the reception area is tidy, professional and presentable at all times
- General administrative duties such as typing, photocopying, filing, collation and distribution of post
- Contributing to the maintenance of academy information databases and filing systems relating to pupils, ensuring confidentiality is observed at all times and records are accurate and up to date
- Assisting academy staff in all aspects of academy life, including contacting parents and pupils where necessary
- Providing general support as required, including preparation of documentation, and administrative duties relating to specific areas such as academy calendar maintenance, extra-curricular activities, school trips, school meal arrangements

**Qualifications & Experience**
We would like to hear from you if you have:

- Qualifications to GCSE level or equivalent
- Competency in the use of Microsoft Office packages
- Proficiency in the use of computers and databases
- Previous experience in an administrative or front office/reception role
- Demonstrable customer service experience
- Good level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a good standard of written and spoken English
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Commitment to delivering excellent level of professional customer service
- Ability to remain calm and deal with challenging callers or visitors in an appropriate manner
- High level of attention to detail and accuracy of work

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.
**Next Steps**

**Professional Development & Benefits**
Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.
**Safeguarding Notice**
**Equal Opportunities**

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Ha