RECRUITMENT PACK BUSINESS SUPPORT ADMINISTRATOR

RECRUITMENT PACK BUSINESS SUPPORT ADMINISTRATOR Chief Executive: Rick Henderson Chair: Ann Skinner Charity Registration No. 1089173 Company Registration No. 4313826

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION... 3 2. ABOUT HOMELESS LINK... 4 3. ROLE DESCRIPTION... 5 4. PERSON SPECIFICATION... 6 5. GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION FORM... 8 PLEASE READ THE GUIDANCE NOTES CAREFULLY BEFORE COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 9am Monday 15 th September 2014 with interviews and testing likely to take place on Thursday 25 th September 2014. 2

1. INTRODUCTION Thank you for your interest in this post. This pack will give you some more information about the role. Please feel free to contact us if anything is not clear or you have further questions. We believe we can tackle homelessness and ensure that everyone has a place to call home. Homeless Link is the national charity supporting and representing organisations working directly with homeless people. Across our 500 member organisations and more widely, we work to make services for homeless people better and campaign for policy changes that will help tackle homelessness. Our member agencies range from the smallest of homelessness organisations to the very largest and they deliver a wide variety of services; hostels, day centres, street based work, resettlement support. They work with all kinds of homeless people and every day face enormous challenges in helping people move forward in their lives. They look to us to make sure the government knows what is affecting their work and to help them share problems and solutions with each other. We give information, advice and a fresh perspective; connecting organisations and people. We listen and seek out solutions. We have an exciting opportunity for a Business Support Administrator. We are looking for someone to operate a welcoming, customer focused reception and provide hands-on support to the whole office team. Being the first point of contact to visitors to the office and telephone callers, you will act as the public face of the organisation. You will be well presented, friendly, have an excellent telephone manner and great people skills. You will demonstrate initiative, be pro-active and willing to contribute to the excellent support services provided by our Central Services team. The Business Support Administrator is a full time, permanent post based at our head office in London. The starting salary is 21,146 per annum (including inner London weighting) with salary progression up-to 22,889 across 5 years. Additional to this is a generous package of benefits, including 30 days annual leave per year, flexible working and a contributory pension scheme. Please note, it is our policy for new appointees to commence employment at the starting salary. Finally, we are actively seeking to increase diversity within our organisation and would greatly welcome interest from people with direct experience of homelessness, from a black or minority ethnic background and/or with a disability. I look forward to hearing from you. With best wishes David Asafori Head of Finance 3

2. ABOUT HOMELESS LINK Homeless Link supports homelessness organisations that work directly with homeless people. We help to improve how they work by sharing information, providing training and consultancy, providing one-to-one support for organisations, and publishing resources and online tools. We also collate accurate and up-to-date information from homelessness organisations and use it as we represent them among national and local government. Through every aspect of our work, Homeless Link seeks to end homelessness in England. HOMELESS LINK WORKS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS Improving services for homeless people We recognise we can only end homelessness through great collaboration. We look for really effective practice in organisations working directly with homeless people that helps other organisations to be as effective as possible. We organise visits between organisations, provide advice and one-to-one support through nine regional offices to help organisations solve their problems, and we provide the tools and information they need to improve the way they work with homeless people. Changing policy for the better Homeless Link is in a unique position to influence local, regional and national government on policies that affect homeless people. Our authority is based on genuine knowledge of what s happening on the ground among our members and other organisations. We take what we ve learned about what s working and what isn t and use our strong links in government to bring about change. Forum for debate Homeless Link is the national hub for debate and policy development among organisations working directly with homeless people in England. We have the capacity to bring hundreds of organisations together to develop practical answers to the organisation s most challenging issues. Our quarterly magazine, Connect, and our series of national and regional conferences and networking events, help to encourage new ideas and debate on more effective policy and practice. Information for change Homeless Link is the national knowledge centre for up-to-date and accurate data on homelessness and organisations working directly with homeless people, as well as on issues which can lead to homelessness. We maintain the national database of all services and collect other information and statistics on homelessness. This data enables agencies and local authorities to better meet the needs of homeless people, while enabling decision makers to design better policies. Practical tools and resources Homeless Link publishes handbooks, resources and online tools that enable organisations to work with homeless people more effectively. They include best practice guides, databases, directories and toolkits. We produce resources independently and also for service providers, local authorities and government departments. Changing public perceptions Homeless Link offers an honest, but forward looking picture of homelessness in the media. Through our communications, we aim to change public perception of homelessness and homeless people. More sympathetic public attitudes towards homelessness make it easier for government to improve policies on homelessness and for organisations to work with homeless people at a local level. 4

Training Homeless Link hosts a national training programme for organisations working directly with homeless people, offering national and regional training. We aim to improve both how organisations operate and how they work with homeless people. In-Form In-Form is a web-based client recording and service management system developed for the homelessness sector based on Salesforce (https://www.salesforce.com) customer relationship management software. Homeless Link works in partnership with the Salesforce Foundation to offer Homeless Link members discounts and other benefits. More than 6000 staff in 50+ agencies in the homelessness and other sectors use the system. For more information Visit our website www.homeless.org.uk 3. ROLE DESCRIPTION PURPOSE To ensure Homeless Link has efficient and well maintained facilities and office services. To operate a welcoming, customer-focused reception. To support the Head of Finance with HR processes and line managers with recruitment To work alongside the IT manager and external IT support services and suppliers to ensure office IT equipment is well maintained and staff needs are being met. To support the appointed Health and Safety person to ensure the office environment is safe and compliant with health and safety regulations. To manage and be accountable for relevant office management budgets ACCOUNTABILITY The post holder is a member of the Central Services team and will report to the Head of Finance. Key relationships are Director of Strategy and Partnership, IT Manager, Finance Officer. RESPONSIBILITIES To ensure Homeless Link has efficient and well maintained facilities and office services To hold overall responsibility for office facilities and services, liaising with contractors and suppliers as required. To proactively identify and implement developments to the office environment and services to ensure a positive experience for all staff and visitors. To work with staff to ensure office environment is kept clear and tidy To work with Homeless Link s Green team to reduce Homeless Link s environmental impact, adopt ethical supplies approach and promote same to staff. To operate a welcoming, customer focused reception To be the first point of contact for telephone, email and personal callers to the London office, ensuring they feel welcome and tended to. To deal with incoming and outgoing post. To ensure the reception area is tidy and welcoming for visitors as well as working with staff to ensure the meeting rooms are kept clear and tidy. 5

To support staff, as required, in setting up meetings in the office To compile monthly joiners and leavers data for the Finance Officer for payroll purposes. To support the Head of Finance with HR processes and assist line managers with recruitment, induction, performance management, attendance and leave management To administer the Homeless Link HR system on Salesforce. To keep the HR database accurate and up-to-date. To administer the annual leave records, sickness records and time sheets. To ensure HR policies and procedures are methodically stored and available to all staff. To participate in staff induction, mainly in Health and Safety, office procedures and equipment usage. To regularly update staff phones numbers and organisational chart. To work with the PA to the Chief Executive to maintain equal opportunities monitoring records. To manage, support and develop the Homeless Link Salesforce CRM To be the Salesforce Administrator for the Homeless Link Salesforce CRM To provide daily support and administration of the Homeless Link Salesforce CRM including user management profiles and page layouts. To promote the adoption and usage of Salesforce CRM across Homeless Link. To produce dashboards, reports and processes to help Homeless Link. To keep abreast of new Salesforce features and functionality and identify areas for development of the Homeless Link CRM. Full Salesforce administration training will be provided to the successful applicant. To work alongside the IT manager and external IT support services and suppliers to ensure office IT equipment is well maintained and staff needs are being met. To be a second point of contact for staff experiencing IT issues liaising with external IT support services and suppliers to actively solve these issues. To manage loaning of IT resource to staff. To ensure that all printers, photocopiers and fax machines are well maintained. To support the appointed Health and Safety person to ensure the office environment is safe and compliant with health and safety regulations. To be alert to any potential hazards and respond quickly to address these. To work with the appointed Health & Safety person to ensure that health and safety regulations are met. To support the Health & Safety Officer in the implementation of emergency arrangements. To ensure staff emergency details are kept up to date. To manage and be accountable for relevant office management budgets To be accountable for office management expenditure as agreed with the Head of Finance To sign off invoices assigned to agreed budgets 4. PERSON SPECIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE FOR THE ROLE Essential A minimum of 5 GCSEs including English and Mathematics Ability to fully utilise PC with a working knowledge of software packages such as Microsoft Office to provide advice and support to colleagues A working knowledge of websites and web-based applications/systems to support colleagues Ability to produce accurate and timely reports 6

Ability to accurately take and record minutes of meetings Willingness to cover other tasks in Central Services as an when necessary Ability to work well with others as part of a team and contribute to the objectives of Homeless Link by contributing to Central Service s work plan Willingness to take ownership of assigned duties and ability to work on own initiative Well organised and able to plan and prioritise own work and to demonstrate good time management and organisational skills Commitment to constantly improve own knowledge and performance Desirable Record of similar role in a homeless charity/voluntary organisation Previous knowledge/experience of Salesforce CRM Understanding of the challenges faced by homeless persons EXPERIENCE AND TRACK RECORD Essential Experience in administration role Experience of dealing with people on the phone and in person in a work context Experience in compiling HR statistical data to a high standard Experience of IT troubleshooting Experience of managing a small administration budget Evidence of flexible approach to work and ability to adapt to change Desirable Experience of office facilities management Experience of contract negotiations Experience of managing relationship with suppliers Previous experience of using HR software Previous experience of providing low level IT support GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ROLES AT HOMELESS LINK Essential Commitment to bring into the work the views and needs of people with direct experience of homelessness Willingness and ability on occasion to work outside normal office hours and to travel within the UK Willingness and ability to operate in accordance with the values and policies of Homeless Link Willingness & ability to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements Desirable A sound understanding of the causes, consequences and solutions to homelessness based on direct experience 7

KEY COMPETENCIES Please note that these are for your information only at this stage. You do not have to address them in your application. We will look for evidence of these during the interview and testing stage if you are shortlisted. Personal Contribution Personal effectiveness: Motivated, perseverant and reliable Organised: organises own work effectively and systematically Communication: Concise and accurate Self Development: Capacity for continuous learning. Ability to assimilate and apply learning from experience. Working with others Team member: Committed and reliable member of team and understands impact of role on others Customer relations: Relates to others with sensitivity and respect Working relationships: develops and maintains good relationships with range of people Organisational contribution Systematic: uses and contributes to organisational systems accurately and with attention to detail IT: Able to use IT effectively 5. GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION FORM Please read these notes carefully. They have been written to help you make the best of your application. The decision to shortlist you for interview will be based solely on the information you provide on the application form. Please do not send us your CV. EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED Role description - Gives details of the duties of the post. Use this as a guide to decide whether or not you think the job would suit you. Person specification - Lists the criteria, which will be used to assess your application & covers the qualifications, specialist knowledge, experience and track record that we are looking for. Key competencies - These are for your information. We will look for evidence of all these during the interview and testing stage if you are shortlisted. WORK EXPERIENCE Include all relevant work experience including part-time or voluntary work, particularly if you have not been employed on a full-time basis before include any previous posts you may have had with your current employer. EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES This is where you make your case for the job. The criteria in the person specification are listed in the application form - demonstrate your capabilities in relation to each of these points under the relevant headings (It is unlikely that you will be shortlisted if you do not address each of these points). You may also make some comments about the criteria in the General requirements for roles at Homeless Link although this is not essential and we may ask you about these at interview. SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Homeless Link is committed to improving its employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Please let us know if you have a disability we should take into consideration in this section. If you require support, modifications, adjustments, or special equipment to assist you with the 8

recruitment process, please also include brief details about this. The line manager for the role will contact you to discuss your requirements if you are shortlisted. SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS As part of Homeless Link s commitment to support people with experience of homelessness, we have committed to giving feedback to applicants who have experience of homelessness. If you are happy for the panel to know if you have had experience of homelessness and you would like to contact us for feedback on your application, please tick the yes box in this section. All applicants are able to request feedback following the interview stage. REFEREES One of the referees that you provide should be your present or most recent employer. If you have not been employed, or have been out of employment for a period of time, you may wish to give the name of anyone who knows you sufficiently well to confirm the information that you have given and to comment on your ability to do the job. NOTIFYING YOU ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION Please note we are not able to acknowledge receipt of individual applications or notify applicants individually if you have not been shortlisted. We will notify shortlisted applicants within 5 working days of the closing date. Unfortunately, Homeless Link is generally not able to give feedback on applications that have not been shortlisted. SENDING IN YOUR APPLICATION Please complete the online application form and equal opportunities monitoring form by following the link posted on the jobs page of our website. You can save your online application by creating a username and password. Once submitted, you will receive an email confirming we have received your application. Applications received after the published closing date will not be considered.. For any queries about the post, please call 020 7840 4430 quoting the job title. 9