SUSSEX COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Job Description:

Project Assistant

Advice & Information

Reporting to: Advice & Information Services Team Leader

Work pattern: 16 hours per week based in Newhaven

Salary: £14,463 - £15,227 per annum pro rata

(Actual: £6,254 - £6,584 per annum pro rata)

The Organisation

In December 2013 Newhaven Community Development Association (NCDA) changed its name to Sussex Community Development Association, to better reflect its work.

NCDA was founded in 1997. Its main aim was to develop sustainable community-based regeneration initiatives addressing the economic, environmental, and cultural and community needs of Newhaven, particularly addressing the needs of those most vulnerable in the community.

SCDA runs a range of projects aimed at supporting the involvement of the whole of the community. Funding has been secured from a range of sources including European, Lottery and charitable trusts as well as contracts to deliver services and run projects in Newhaven and elsewhere in East Sussex. These include:

Employability – supporting unemployed people across East Sussex, specialising in those who find it hardest to find and sustain paid work.

Advice & Information Services - offering access to a range of specialist advice provision through partners, and signposting and information services via Community Navigators and a pool of trained volunteers.

Inclusion – delivering a variety of services aimed at promoting inclusion for BME communities and supporting people at risk of anti-social behaviour and hate crime.

Health & Wellbeing – delivering a range of services around food; green and open spaces; promoting physical activity and mental health and wellbeing in the community.

Community Development – delivering targeted and general Youth provision locally; raising the profile of communities in which we work through regular community events; offering a suite of Family Learning and Inclusion activities for parents and carers of Under 5’s. We also manage Denton Island Nursery which Ofsted has registered as ‘Outstanding’.

Care & Support – SCDA’s newest work area which offers high quality day care, activities and other services for older people both referred via East Sussex County Council Adult Social Care and self-referred.

SCDA has a strong track record in partnership working and in the quality of service delivery to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in the community: helping the community help itself.

The context of the job

The organisation, though fairly small in terms of staff with approximately 128 employees, continues to grow - especially geographically. SCDA values teamwork and supporting colleagues and expects all members of staff to demonstrate flexibility within their specified job role, and offer support to other team members as and when required.

Job Purpose

The purpose of the role of Project Assistant, Advice & Information, is to provide project & general administrative assistance to the Team ensuring the smooth running of the service and contract compliance.

Main tasks

Project administration & support:

  • Answeringthe telephone and taking messages from partners/clients/advisors
  • Meeting and greeting clients
  • Booking and coordination of client appointments within staff outlook diaries and other booking systems
  • Producing and sending letters and emails to clients
  • Booking rooms for visiting advisers and project staff
  • Maintenance of confidential client filing systems and alldata bases including data entry onto our new database
  • Handling requests for travel expenses/queries from volunteers
  • Handling and reconciling petty cash
  • Supporting external/staff meetings by producing minutes and distributing to attendees
  • Supporting the team with their general admin duties
  • Adding visitors, clients and volunteers onto the car parking system
  • Ordering office supplies, stationary and leaflets for the service
  • Assisting with marketing and publicity for the project
  • Any other administrative and clerical duties as required within the office
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Sussex Community Development Association is working towards equality and has policies relating to the equality of opportunity in employment and service delivery. All staff are expected to comply with these policies.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All staff have responsibility to maintain the health and safety of themselves and others within the performance of their duties in accordance with SCDA health and safety policies and to undertake specific health and safety responsibilities as necessary.

This job description will be reviewed from time to time or as necessary and may be amended to meet the changing needs of the organisation. It will also be used as the basis for the determination of objectives and the content is subject to annual review.

Signed by post holder:...... Dated:......

Person specification

Desirable qualifications:

  • Educated to minimum GCSE level or equivalent.

Experience:

  • Customer service experience, both internal and external customers
  • Office administration and ability to multi-task
  • Telephone answering and relaying clear messages
  • Responding to queries in a timely and accurate fashion
  • Computer literacy, particularly MS Word, Excel and working with data-bases
  • Some experience, and sensitivity to working with people from disadvantaged backgrounds

Skills:

  • Computer literacy
  • Organisational and workload management skills
  • Experience in communicating effectively with a wide range of people

Essential personal qualities:

  • A flexible and positive approach to work and challenges
  • Ability to work with minimal supervision but as part of a team
  • Capacity to work on own initiative
  • Ability to deliver work to specified deadlines
  • Understanding of or willingness to learn about the needs of a wide range of socially excluded people and the benefits system
  • Conscientious and able to prioritise and manage time well

Circumstances:

  • Able to undergo DBS check at enhanced level & health check as necessary.

Advice & Information ServicesProject AssistantJan 2018 Page 1