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Accommodation Officer

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Closing date
Feb 21, 2019

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Job Details

Job Purpose

Student Accommodation is part of the Hospitality and Accommodation Services directorate at the University of Birmingham. The majority of student accommodation has been developed or refurbished over the last 10 years at an investment in excess of £100m. The University of Birmingham currently provides accommodation for c6000 students who are predominantly 1st year undergraduate and postgraduate students, the vast majority of 2nd and 3rd year students live in the neighbouring community in private sector housing.

Further information on Student Accommodation can be found on our website at www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/accommodation.

The Accommodation Officer will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive accommodation service to all students and staff members of the University of Birmingham. You will be joining the Living team who are based in a shop and office called Living which is located in the retail area of campus. The Living team is responsible for the delivery of an efficient accommodation service at the University of Birmingham, and work closely with colleagues across Student Accommodation. The team play a major role in ensuring that university owned and managed bed spaces are fully occupied and that excellent customer care is provided at all times, with Student Accommodation often being the first point of contact a prospective student has with the University. Living also provides advice, information and support to students living in the private sector and is a liaison point for matters relating to the local community.

We are looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic team player who can adapt quickly to support the Living Team with the allocation of university owned and managed bed spaces. The post holder will deliver a number of functions within the service, including accommodation allocations and the management of bed spaces, liaising with our partner providers of accommodation, dealing with transfer applications and responding to customer enquiries. The person appointed will also provide support for special group bookings, and will represent Accommodation Services at Open Days and Applicant Visit Days. This is an exciting time to join Living as we look to continually improve the student experience and deliver an excellent customer service to all our customers.

Hospitality & Accommodation Services (HAS)

Employing approximately a thousand staff, the Hospitality and Accommodation Services (HAS) team is made up of a group of diverse and dynamic, forward thinking individuals, contributing towards enhancing the student, staff and visitor experience at the University of Birmingham. HAS provides round the clock services, including sports facilities, catering, cleaning, conferencing, day nurseries, student housing, transport and security.

Our team is fully committed to delivering excellent customer service. We believe that it is not just about what you do, but the way in which you do it that is vital to our success. At the heart of our team are these behaviours: Communication Going above and beyond Delivering results Personal effectiveness Empowerment Teamwork

Joining our team means you'll be making a real difference to the student and staff experience at the University. For this role in particular, the successful candidate will need to demonstrate the following key behaviours:

  • Communication
  • Personal effectiveness
  • Delivering results
  • Teamwork

 

Person Specification

  • Experience of, or strong ability to learn how to use accommodation management software such as StarRez
  • Experience of using databases and creating reports Strong ability to learn/pick up the use other systems as and when required
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and ability to adapt to a diverse range of customer groups (students, parents, departments and schools, academics and employees, including senior managers)
  • Excellent customer service skills, with experience of providing customer service to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds
  • Strong Excel skills and competence in the use of other IT tools, including Word, PowerPoint and Outlook sufficient to perform the functions of the role as described in the job description
  • Proven ability to work as part of a team and independently
  • Minimum GCSE (or equivalent) Grade B in English and Mathematics
  • Strong team player who is highly professional, customer focused and welcomes a challenging environment
  • An understanding of the sensitive nature of some of the work undertaken and the ability to respond to this in an appropriate manner
  • Well-developed organisational abilities, accuracy and ability to plan and prioritise own work
  • A proactive and innovative approach to problem solving, with an ability to adapt to changing requirements and escalate issues where needed
  • Excellent time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines and mange conflicting priorities
  • Use of initiative to work efficiently and effectively
  • Ability to develop good relations with a range of internal and external colleagues
  • Experience of working within a housing or other similar environment
  • Understanding of the UK system of Higher Education and the application process
  • Confident in telephone and in-person engagements, including in the delivery of presentations
  • Proven ability to work professionally while under pressure to meet strict deadlines, and to be adaptable and flexible when faced with change
  • Approachable and friendly with the ability to deal with challenging circumstances calmly and professionally when they arise
  • Ability to work with and understand the needs of a wide range of people from culturally diverse backgrounds, including having an understanding of equality and diversity
  • Awareness of basic marketing principles and understanding of the concept of brand identity and values
  • Able and willing to work flexibly, office hours will be from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, however some evening and weekend work will be required.

 

Contact

Informal enquiries to Carol Li, Accommodation Administrator - c.y.li@bham.ac.uk

Company

Global Academy Jobs works with over 250 universities worldwide to promote academic mobility and international research collaboration. Global problems need international solutions. Our jobs board and emails reach the academics and researchers who can help.

"The globalisation of higher education continues apace, driving in turn the ongoing development of the global knowledge economy, striving for solutions to the world’s problems and educating a next generation of leaders and contributors."

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