Venue Services Coordinator - The Exchange - 96973 - Band 500

Position Details

The Exchange - Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £24,291 to £26,094, with potential progression once in post to £30,207

Band 500

Part Time, Permanent

22 hours a week. Working across Monday to Saturday for approximately 3 shifts per week between the hours of 06:00 - 00:00

Closing date: 6th February 2022

Our offer to you 

People are at the heart of what we are and do. 

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.  We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. 

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.  With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. 

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.  We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. 

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.  In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries. 

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.  On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens. 

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham   

Job Summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated team player to coordinate and deliver our Venue Services. You will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of an excellent experience for all our visitors, customers and building users. 

You will enjoy providing proactive and friendly customer service. You will create a comfortable and welcoming environment for all our visitors and building users and ensure the highest standards of safety for the venue and its contents. 

Reporting to the Deputy Venue Manager, you will have responsibility for the day-to-day operational delivery and supervision of our events and activities, site security, reception and front-of-house in The Exchange (Centenary Square, Birmingham) and, where required, at other venues on the University’s Edgbaston campus.  

You will have prior experience of delivering and coordinating a wide range of events, preferably in a public-facing cultural and/or educational venue, and a proven track record of delivering excellent, and continuously improving, customer service. You will possess first-class communication, inter-personal and organisational skills. 

Main Duties

People Management 

• Supervise a small team of core Venue Services staff, along with a pool of casual staff, working with the Deputy Venue Manager to carry out annual reviews and proactively managing leave, absence and performance in line with the University’s procedures 

• Train Venue Services staff to ensure a high level of professionalism and a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring at all times that communication messages are concise, consistent and positive. 

• Respond proactively to any last-minute staffing changes and additional requirements. 

• Engage with the work of contractors and feedback appropriately to the Deputy Venue Manager.  

Customer Service 

• Coordinate Venue Services teams, overseeing the delivery of outstanding customer service for all events and activities 

• Deliver continuous improvement in customer service, using data and feedback to enhance experiences for visitors, customers and building users 

• Able to signpost to student support and wellbeing services available and follow safeguarding procedures if required. 

Event Management 

• Contribute to planning meetings, tours and client show-arounds in a highly professional manner, with a view to maximising sales and exceeding customer expectations 

• Liaise closely with the campus-based Conferences & Events team and the venue’s catering team to ensure a seamless booking, planning and delivery experience for all customers 

• Provide support for the day-to-day smooth running of all events and activities in the venue, leading by example, collaborating with other venue staff and event teams and providing on-the-floor cover 

• Provide Health & Safety briefings to venue and event teams and ensure risk assessments are produced and adhered to for all events and activities 

• Ensure all room set-ups and furniture moves are planned and in place for all events and activities in the venue, working closely with all venue teams and colleagues to ensure the highest standard of presentation 

• Provide all day-to-day venue security and first aid requirements. Source additional services, such as security, first aid, front-of-house, cleaning, as necessary for specific events and activities, ensuring costs are communicated to customers and recharged to specific events as appropriate 

• Ensure all spaces are kept clean, tidy and presentable at all times. Where required by line managers, personally ensure all spaces and activities comply with the government’s Covid Secure or similar guidelines. 

• On shift, be visible in public areas carrying out regular building patrols ensuring the building complies with premises licence and statutory regulations. During the end of day close down complete a thorough lockdown of the building.  

• Ensure all accidents and near misses are reported, escalated and investigated if appropriate 

• Primary lead on site during emergency evacuation procedures  

Finance & Administration 

• Ensure Venue Services Teams provide venue-wide (and, where required, cross-venue) administrative, marketing and finance support in line with University of Birmingham’s policies and procedures 

• Provide professional mobile reception, box office and a front-of-house meet and greet services  

• Ensure all administration and finances related to events and activities in the venue are accurately recorded and managed in the event management databases (e.g. Kinetics and SRO), liaising with the Conferences & Events and catering teams as required  

• Contribute to regular building and equipment checks and maintain accurate records 

Other Requirements 

• Work at all times with regard to the University’s and industry standard Health & Safety practices 

• Assist with facilities management as directed by line managers 

• Deputise for the Deputy Venue Manager as requested 

• Champion sustainability, resourcefulness and green initiatives set by the University of Birmingham as directed by line managers 

• Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post 

• This post is employed on an annualised hours contract, and therefore the post holder must be capable of working flexibly (including weekends, evenings and bank holidays) based on the programme of events and activities in the venue 

• Work at The Exchange in Centenary Square, Birmingham, and at the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Campus and other such sites as directed by line managers 

Person Specification

Essential 

Qualifications 

• First Aid at Work (FAW) qualification or willingness to undertake appropriate training 

• Security Industry Association (SIA) qualification or willingness to undertake appropriate training 

• Certificates in Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams) or equivalent experience 

People Management 

• Experience of supervising teams in a customer-facing role in a public venue 

• Proven track record of motivating teams to continuously improve venue and customer services 

• Plan recruitment and induction for casual team members 

• Ensure the effective planning of the Venue Services rotas, ensuring appropriate staffing levels for all venue services, including evening, weekend and public holidays where required 

Customer Service 

• Able to build productive and respectful relationships and to communicate with a diverse range of people in a friendly, helpful and confident manner 

• Excellent clear communication skills, including the ability to deliver written and verbal instructions and briefings to teams 

• Excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills, including first-level complaint handling and conflict resolution 

• Experience of providing excellent customer service for customers with access requirements 

• Experience of delivering training sessions for venue staff in health and safety, accessibility, diversity and customer service 

• Ability to recognise the importance of presentation, both personal and environmental, with the resourcefulness to ensure all public areas of the venue are presentable 

Event Management 

• Experience of security and health and safety legislation (including preparing risk assessments) in the context of event and venue management 

• Experience of coordinating venue emergency and evacuation procedures 

• Experience of seamlessly delivering a wide range of successful events from start to finish, within set budgets 

• Collaborate with the IT/AV Technicians to ensure all Venue Services staff have a basic knowledge of AV systems in each space 

Finance & Administration 

• Excellent attention to detail with high standards of accuracy 

• Experience designing, implementing and improving administrative processes 

Personal Attributes 

• Positive and pragmatic approach and ability to problem-solve 

• Ability to prioritise and manage own time and workload effectively 

• Adaptability, passion, willingness to learn 

• Ability to adapt to change easily, positively influencing colleagues to embrace continuous improvement 

• Act as an ambassador for The Exchange and the University of Birmingham 

Desirable 

• Experience of organising and delivering security services  

• Experience of using an event management system 

• Experience of using a box office system 

• Experience of organising virtual and/or hybrid conferences and events 

Informal enquiries to Fiona Innes, email: [email protected]

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.