Reception Administrator

Job title
Reception Administrator (Tours and Exhibitions) – Admin & Clerical
Employment type
Temporary
Number of people required
1
Target start date
31 Jul 2026
Duration
12 Weeks

Hours per week
18.5

Rate
PAYE: £13.47 per hour

Job location
Donegall Square, Belfast, BT1 5GS, United Kingdom

Main purpose of job

To be responsible to the Team Leader for:-

the provision of an effective front-of-house operation for the council�s Tours and Exhibitions reception throughout the hours of operation, including evenings and weekends;

providing a reception and visitor service for all users, including Members, staff, customers, contractors, tourists and the general public to the City Hall exhibition area;
operating the retail area and all systems and services in relation to bookings, ticketing, refunds, deposits, issue/return of headsets, merchandising etc;
assisting in the wider work of the Civic HQ Unit; and
ensuring a high quality image of the council is always maintained by providing the highest levels of professionalism and customer care in dealing with visitors.
Summary of responsibilities and personal duties

To carry out the relevant duties at the exhibition reception desk on the basis of the rotas developed by the Unit and to provide the highest levels of professionalism and customer care to tourists, visitors, the public, Members of Council and staff.
To provide an initial point of contact for visitor queries, most notably in relation to:
having responsibility for �meeting and greeting� all visitors;
acting as a single point of contact for all exhibition and tour enquiries and general visitor enquiries; and
providing general information on the exhibition themes, tours, the City Hall building and other local tourist attractions.
To be responsible for the handling and security of cash, cheque, voucher, credit and debit card payments relating to personal sales and transactions, and assisting as required in cashing-up, reconciliation and banking procedures.
To be responsible for the issuing, monitoring and control of exhibition headsets and for ensuring that sufficient supplies of headsets are available to meet demand.
To keep under review the exhibition infrastructure and to ensure all the displays are presentable and that all systems and services are fully functional, and to report any faults promptly to the Team Leaders or management team.
To promote retail items for sale such as hiring of multi-lingual headsets, merchandise, souvenir booklets and mobile apps etc with the aim to maximise customer spend in the exhibition area.

To deal with all reception desk enquiries, including the display, holding and issuing of relevant council information, and as required to issue information on special council events and initiatives.

To promote the merchandise areas, including assisting in the display, sale, rotation, replenishment and stock-taking of merchandise.
To operate any software and information systems supplied, including the point-of-sale and booking systems.
To provide a customer ticket sales and information service in person, email, post, and by telephone using the box office system including the issuing of tickets, reservations, refunds and exchanges and to aid patrons with special requirements.
To work in conjunction with tour service to deal with group bookings for the exhibition and tours, including any associated administration or invoicing.
To assist in recording all visitors entering and leaving the exhibition and to issue and receive passes using all approved systems provided.
To record statistical information and carry out other administrative duties as required.
To assist with the wider operations of the Civic HQ Unit as required, including reception cover, general administration and the provision of a telephone-answering service.
To assist in the provision of a range of routine business-related administrative activities including but not restricted to customer support, data input and extraction, compilation of relevant statistical information and general administration tasks as required.
To compile and update relevant information on services provided by Belfast City Council and external bodies and provide this on request to tourists, visitors and members of the public.
To assist in monitoring customer numbers and behaviour informing the management team of any potential situation or incidents which may require restricting access or the removal of visitors etc.
To assist in the emergency evacuation of the area if so required.
To report accidents, liaising with AED/First Aid Providers ensuring casualties are assisted quickly and effectively.
To maintain a clean and tidy public reception and exhibition area and to liaise as required with the Cleaning and Portering Unit in order to ensure high standards are maintained.
To carry out any other relevant duties as directed by members of the Civic HQ Management Team.
To participate in all induction and in-service training provided by Belfast City Council and in the induction and support of all newly appointed staff and other human resource management policies and procedures, as appropriate, including, absence management, disciplinary and grievance procedure.

To act in accordance with the council and departmental policies and procedures including customer care, equal opportunities, health and safety, safeguarding and any pertinent legislation.

To undertake the duties in such a way as to enhance and protect the reputation and public profile of the council.

To undertake such other relevant duties as may from time to time be required.

This job description has been written at a time of significant organisational change and it will be subject to review and amendment as the demands of the role and the organisation evolve.  Therefore, the post-holder will be required to be flexible, adaptable and aware that they may be asked to perform tasks, duties and responsibilities which are not specifically detailed in the job description but which are commensurate with the role.

Essential criteria

Experience

Applicants must, as at the closing date for receipt of application forms, be able to demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples, at least one year�s relevant experience of:

the provision of excellent customer service support in a reception-oriented role to a varied clientele including foreign visitors for whom English is not their first language, and dealing effectively with members of the public including difficult customers in person or over the telephone;
ticketing, cash handling, merchandising sales and individual and group bookings; and
the competent use of ICT systems and services, preferably including dedicated booking and point-of-sale applications.
Special skills and attributes

Applicants must be able to demonstrate evidence of the following competencies which may be tested at interview:

Communication skills:  The ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with members of the public and internal and external customers.

Customer care skills:  Good presentational skills and the ability to deal effectively with both internal and external customers including those for whom English is not a first language, and to create a good impression and enhance and protect the image of Belfast City Council.

Organisational and work planning skills:  The ability to prioritise workloads to achieve team objectives.

Team working skills:  The ability to make decisions about their own work or methods of working.  To be able to work effectively both independ