ROLE:Hackney Foodbank Administrative Assistant

ROLE:Hackney Foodbank Administrative Assistant

BASED AT:Florence Bennett Centre, Cherbury St, N1 6TL

SALARY:£10.75 per hour at 16-18 hours per week.

CONTRACT LENGTH: 3 months initially, with renewable contract

Hackney Foodbank is an independent Christian charity affiliated with the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks in the UK. Working with front-line care professionals from over 200 organisations in the borough of Hackney, we support people in crisis situations with 3 days’ worth of emergency food supplies. Since opening in September 2012, Hackney Foodbank has fed approximately 11,000 individuals in the borough, distributing over 90 tonnes of food. We are passionate about ensuring no member of our community need go hungry in a time of crisis, and we believe in working together as a community across social and denominational boundaries to make it happen.

Hackney Foodbank operates four distribution centres per week. Our current distribution centres are spread over the borough of Hackney in Hoxton, Stoke Newington, Hackney Central and Upper Clapton. Our warehouse and office is currently located in Hoxton.

Purpose

The post-holder is the first point of contact for Hackney foodbank, responsible for supporting the Project Coordinator and Business Development Managerin maintaining awell-run officethroughout the year and during our busy Harvest and Christmas season, joining a team of 2 staff and over 50 regular weekly volunteers. The post holder will flexibly support the existing staff as needed in ensuring the smooth operation and sustainability of the foodbank. Working hours will be set at the time of offer, and will need to fit in with the needs of Hackney Foodbank’s key operations and busy times of day. Our operational days are at present Monday to Thursday but there are occasions when working on Fridays and Saturdays may be required for example at Supermarket Collection time. This is a great development opportunity for someone with an interest in communications.

Main Duties

To manage the front line communication of foodbank, act as a first point of contact and maintain the administrative processes of Hackney foodbank to ensure the effective and efficient management of the work. Main responsibilities will be to:

• Field phone calls and emails appropriately and respond to general enquiries about the foodbank
• Welcome visitors, including volunteers, to the foodbank distribution centre and provide hospitality
• Maintain the website, facebook and twitter accounts, as well as partner organisation/stakeholder/volunteer updates, as determined by the Communications Strategy
• Set up and maintain a master foodbank schedule of allkey operations and events
• Manage the influx of volunteer and referral agency applicants
• Maintain streamlineddigital and paper filing system
• Organise and undertake printing of materials for the warehouse and distribution centres
• Organise all post and correspondence
• Support the Finance Administrator with updated records of finances including outgoings (invoices, expenses, petty cash, etc) and incomings (donations, grants, etc.)
• Accurately maintain the volunteer databasesto ensure best volunteer management
• Assist the project coordinator as needed with a variety of organisational tasks related to Supermarket Collections, Harvest, Christmas and other events and projects
• Support project coordinator, volunteer warehouse coordinator and warehouse teams by ensuring smooth operation of warehouse
• Troubleshoot and resolve a variety of issues as and when they arise

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisation.

Person Specification - Essential

• Exemplary telephone manner, providing accurate and helpful information, signposting where necessary
• Able to manage expectations of the public and a wide range groups of people making various enquiries
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead as necessary, gate-keep graciously in accordance with our policies and deal compassionately with people in difficult situations.
• Experience of office administration/management in a small office with specific budget constraints
• Demonstrate organisational skills suitable for a busy multi-faceted office operation
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Familiarity with web/mobile-based platforms such as facebook/twitter or a willingness to learn
• Self-motivated and able to work independently or as part of a team, as required
• High level oral and written communication skills
• Able to manage conflict, work with a variety of people with different beliefs and values whilst maintaining confidentiality
• Has an excellent attention to detail working with a high level of accuracy while under pressure
• Is able to effectively manage a large and varied workload, juggle competing priorities and maintain deadlines
• Agree with the ethos,vision, mission and goals of The Hackney Foodbank
• Committed to The Hackney Foodbank Equal Opportunity Policy
• Honesty and integrity
• Able to manoeuvre boxes of food weighing up to 15kg

Person Specification - Desirable

• Experience of volunteer management
• Experience of working or volunteering in a Social Action/Justice environment
• Personal connection to Hackney or involvement in a Hackney-based worshipping community

Private and confidential

APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT

POSITION APPLIED FOR: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Return this form to on or before 5.00pm Wednesday 11th October 2017 to be considered for the post. Late applications will not be accepted. Interviews will be held week commencing Monday 15th October. You are strongly encouraged to submit an application as early as possible due to the urgency of this role as we will accept a strong candidate. Please ensure you have carefully read the Job Description and can demonstrate you meet the essential criteria for the role in your application.

Are there any restrictions on you taking up employment in the UK?

Yes [ ] No [ ] (If Yes, please provide details)

Introductory Statement

Education

Other Training

Current driving licence?

Yes [ ] No [ ] Groups: ______Expiry date : ______

Details of endorsements:

Employment history: Please complete in full, adding additional blocks or deleting as necessary, listing your most recent post first. Where there is a career break or gap in employment please note the reason as best as you can.

Current membership of professional bodies

References:Please note here the names and addresses of two persons from whom we may obtain both character and work experience references. We will not contact references until after an interview. Please note that at least one reference should be from a former employer.

Additional Information

Have you ever been convicted in a Court of Law and/or cautioned in respect of any offence? YES/NO (delete as required). If YES, please give details.

Employment is dependent on the following:

1) Proof of identity – birth or marriage certificate (where appropriate) and passport (if available)

4) Two satisfactory written references

5) That you will supply a photograph of yourself for retention in your records

Declaration (Please read this carefully before signing this application)

1. I confirm that the above information is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give my employer the right to terminate any employment contract offered.

2. I agree that my previous employers may be approached for references. I understand that should I fail to do so, or should the reference not be satisfactory, any offer of employment may be withdrawn or my employment terminated.

Signed: ______Date: ______

Hackney Foodbank | Florence Bennett Centre, Cherbury Street, London N1 6TL

07570 862937 | | | @HackneyFoodbank

Reg Charity No 1149896 | Reg in England & Wales