Exciting opportunity: Office and Reception Manager
If you are a gifted and experienced administrator with a heart for justice and a
passion for excellence then you could be just the person we need to join our
dynamic team.
We’re looking for the right person for this pivotal role who will support and enable the
team as we work towards ending destitution amongst those seeking refuge in the UK.
You’ll be an administrator and office manager, but also on the frontline, offering a
competent, warm and sensitive reception service. It’s not just a job. If you feel you
have the heart and skills for this role, and supporting some of the most vulnerable
people in our society, please read on.
We hope this application pack will help you understand the role of Office and
Reception Manager, and decide whether this is a role you’d like to apply for. If you
have any unanswered questions please do contact Sarah Beaney, Community
Engagement Manager on 0161 202 1056 or [email protected]
In this pack:

Understanding who we are and what it’s like to work at Boaz

What the role involves and the person we’re looking for

How to apply and when you’ll know if you’ve been successful
Who are we?
The Boaz Trust is a Manchester based Christian charity working with destitute asylum seekers
and refugees. Our vision is ‘life in all its fullness’ for those seeking sanctuary in the UK. Boaz
provides accommodation, food, and practical and pastoral care for destitute asylum
seekers. This enables them to rebuild their lives and work towards a resolution of the situation
that made them homeless. At peak times Boaz accommodates over 70 individuals through
our winter night shelter (men only), shared housing and our hosting scheme.
What’s it like to work with us?
We’re a fairly small staff team (10 people, some part-time) working out of an office in Mustard
Tree’s building in Ancoats. While we may be small in numbers (and space; we’re open plan
and quite cosy) we share a big passion for our work. Boaz was formed as an outworking of
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Dave Smith’s Christian faith and the desire to serve others, particularly the vulnerable. The
team’s strength and motivation is very much drawn from our shared faith, and this faith
underpins all that we do. Whilst we work with a totally diverse range of people, of all faiths
and none, and do not evangelise, our sense of Christian identity is certainly key to how we
tick.
It can be tough to work at Boaz, as we often see people at their lowest and dealing with very
difficult situations, but we keep focused on the positive. It’s hard but definitely rewarding
work. Hearing a client say ‘Boaz has helped me in so many ways. They have helped me put
my life together’ is certainly motivating, and reminds us why we do what we do. We enjoy a
good laugh and it’s a very social atmosphere. One of our values is servant-heartedness, and
this applies to each other as much as our clients. We all muck in if the pressure’s on and
everyone shares in the things that keep the office ticking over, like washing up each day. The
daily times of combined team meeting, sharing and prayer are key to helping the team
function and thrive.
Our clients often refer to Boaz as family, which we regard as a huge compliment. We
constantly strive to keep the balance between professionalism and warmth; treating each
person with dignity and as an individual is vital for us.
We hope you would find this a fun, friendly, challenging and stimulating place to work. If you
share our passion to see destitution ended and positive changes to the UK asylum system,
doing what we can to make life better for those seeking refuge in the meantime, then you
should definitely apply.
The values which define how we seek to work as an organisation are:
Christ-centred (rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, we seek to serve those who society
sees as the least, the last and the lost)
Excellence (we strive for professional excellence with integrity in all our working practices)
Empowerment (we want to see the people we work with (including clients, volunteers, staff
and supporters) equipped and released to discover meaning and purpose in their lives.)
Restless for justice (we shine a light on injustice, especially where people seeking sanctuary
are treated unfairly and we will fight to see change happen)
Servant-hearted (we adopt an attitude of service within the organisation and beyond,
putting the needs of others before our own)
Generosity (we extend a welcome to all we meet, sharing hospitality, kindness and love, and
treating everyone with dignity, regardless of their background)
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About this job
The Office and Reception Manager is an exciting, relatively new role, which we have
created following a restructure within Boaz.
This wide-ranging role is vital to the smooth running and successful operation of the whole
organisation. You will be the first point of contact for clients, volunteers, visitors and callers. This
role will impact all areas of the Boaz Trust, and you will have the opportunity to work
alongside different members of the team. This position combines the routine and
fundamental basics of office management along with responsibility and rewarding client
contact.
You will need to have good interpersonal skills and to be sympathetic to people of different
backgrounds and physical and psychological needs, who may have experienced very
difficult and stressful situations.
We are looking for someone with the experience and ability to hit the ground running. The
Boaz office is a busy and a stimulating place to work. To be successful, you will need to
demonstrate competence, confidence and maturity, along with a willingness to get stuck in.
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Job Description
Job Title:
Office and Reception Manager
Location:
Boaz Trust, 1st floor, 110 Oldham Rd, Ancoats, Manchester
M4 6AG
Salary:
Starting salary £19,190 - 21,000 (salary band £19,190 - £23,230) pro rata
Hours of work:
30 hours per week, over 4 or 5 days
Occasional evening and weekend work may be required
Holidays:
25 days per annum, plus 8 statutory / bank holidays pro rata
Benefits:
Pension scheme and travel expenses
Responsible to:
Community Engagement Manager
Contract length:
Permanent subject to funding
Probation period:
3 months
Main purpose of the job:
In accordance with the Christian ethos and values of the Boaz Trust the Office and Reception
Manager (ORM) will provide a warm and welcoming frontline service to all callers and visitors
as well as fulfilling a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth running of the Boaz office. The ORM
will support and enable the team by providing administrative and practical support, acting
as a filter for calls and visitors and role modelling best practice in systems and processes.
Specific duties and responsibilities:
Reception: key tasks



To provide a friendly and professional frontline service for incoming calls and visitors,
answering queries, signposting, redirecting calls as appropriate
To assist clients and other visitors when they arrive at the office (hospitality,
signposting, petty cash transactions, booking appointments)
To maintain a tidy and well organised reception area
Office and administration: key tasks



To manage day to day rotas (prayer, cleaning, phones)
To manage Human Resources administration (e.g. recording absences)
To manage the office budget and contracts (e.g. IT, photocopier)
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

To manage the smooth functioning of office support services e.g. IT support, office
supplies like stationery and refreshments and room bookings
To provide administrative support to the team depending on capacity
Client Services administrative and practical support
-
General client services admin and support
 To administrate the referral process for the Boaz accommodation waiting list
 To produce and maintain up to date signposting information for other organisations
and services
 To manage the monthly donations Drop In
 To manage the client text service
-
Night shelter (October- April), working alongside the Night Shelter Coordinator:
 To manage incoming night shelter referrals
 To follow up non-attendees with referring agencies
 To monitor attendance and prepare monthly report
-
Boaz Life- wellbeing programme
 To support Boaz Life activity through liaising with both internal and external facilitators
and ensuring rooms are set up appropriately
 To promote and publicise activities to clients through clear, accessible publicity
 To monitor attendance and produce certificates of attendance
Role and responsibilities within the daily life and working of the wider team

To be committed to and supportive of the Boaz Trust’s values and ethos.

To participate in daily prayers/team meetings, ideally taking turns to lead.

To work collaboratively and communicate effectively with other Boaz staff and
volunteers whenever necessary

To comply with Boaz Trust policies and procedures

To participate in the full life of the team which will include sharing in provision of office
cover and admin tasks, participating in away days and other times of team reflection,
planning and development where appropriate
Note: This role description is not intended to be an exhaustive list, and it is expected that you
will be flexible and willing to participate in duties which are broadly in line with the above
responsibilities.
This job description does not form part of the employment contract and we reserve the right
to review it with the post-holder as necessary.
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Person Specification
JOB TITLE: Office and Reception Manager
Specification
Essential
1. Education/
Training
2. Proven
Experience
A levels (or equivalent)
Desirable
Experience in a comparable administrative
role with sole (preferably) responsibility for
the administration and / or reception
function
Effective team-working, maintaining
effective relationships and contributing
positively to team formation and function
Independent working, using appropriate
levels of judgement and initiative
Experience of working
within a small charity
Experience of working
with volunteers
Experience of working
with disadvantaged
people
Experience of managing budgets and
contracts (e.g. IT support, suppliers)
3. Skills and
abilities
Confident, accurate and sensitive
communication skills in both oral and written
contexts
Able to take a welcoming, sympathetic and
patient approach with all clients, visitors and
callers including in a cross cultural context.
Highly developed organisational and
process management skills and ability to
manage and prioritise own workload.
Able to work flexibly and responsively in a
fluid environment.
Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, email and internet
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Able to use Microsoft
Publisher
An understanding of the
UK asylum system
JOB TITLE: Office and Reception Manager
Specification
Essential
Desirable
4. Attributes
Methodical with excellent attention to detail A practising Christian
Enjoy administrative work and making
systems and processes work for others
Gain satisfaction from carrying out
foundational routine tasks and recognise
their value to the smooth running of the
organisation
High degree of reliability and a positive ‘can
do’ attitude.
Desire to see social justice
Entirely empathetic with the Christian ethos
and values of the Trust
Recruitment process
If you would like to apply for this job, please complete the application form and Equal
Opportunities Monitoring form and return to the Boaz Trust for the attention of Ros Holland
([email protected]) by the closing date (5pm on 8th May 2015). Please note it is especially
important that you give as much information as possible in section 6, “Supporting
Information”. All shortlisted candidates will be informed during the week commencing 11th
May, and interviews are likely to be week commencing 18th May.
Please visit our website to download an application form:
boaztrust.org.uk/Job-opportunities/
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