Receptionist
Post Introduction
WE ARE HIRING FOR A RECEPTIONIST
Lambeth Palace Library, founded in 1610, is the historic library and record office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Following the merger with the Church of England Record Centre in 2020, it is now the principal repository for the archives not only of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but also of the National Church Institutions in London.
The vision of Lambeth Palace Library is to collect, preserve and make accessible the memory of the Church of England, so its cultural and religious history can be enjoyed by all. Designed by award-winning architects Wright & Wright, our new building will safeguard the future of the library and increase the accessibility of its world-class collection. Further details can be found on the Library’s website: www.lambethpalacelibrary.info
The purpose of this role is for the ideal candidate to support the vision and mission of the Library by providing a welcoming, knowledgeable and warm welcome to colleagues and visitors to the Library. As a vital member of the Operations Team the post-holder will assist with other operational activities, including telephone reception for the National Church Institutions and Lambeth Palace.
Summary of main responsibilities
- Greet visitors, provide relevant information, and direct them to the appropriate person or resource, this including acting as a tour guide.
- Manage incoming calls, emails, and other correspondence in a professional and timely manner.
- Handle transactions using cash and card payments for merchandise and donations.
- Receive, sort, distribute and send mail and deliveries.
- Assist with office inventory and order supplies as needed.
- Perform general clerical duties, such as photocopying and data entry.
- Book readers into the Library Reading Room and register new readers.
- Support meetings and events in the Library through room-bookings, room and AV set-up and liaison with catering services.
Key role requirements
- The post holder is required to work 5 days a week from the primary office location - Lambeth Palace Library with occasional evenings and weekend working (specifically on Saturdays). On a rota basis, the post holder may be required to work up to 12 evenings and 12 Saturdays per year to accommodate the Reading Room opening hours, currently until 7.30pm on Thursdays and one Saturday a month.
About You
The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.
You will need to be/have a:
- Previous experience working with the public in a receptionist role.
- Excellent people skills, enabling good working relationships with visitors and Library teams.
- Able to juggle competing priorities within a restricted deadline.
- Ability to work well under pressure.
- Able to demonstrate multitasking and time-management skills
- Ability to be resourceful and proactive when issues arise.
- Experience supporting or coordinating events and meetings (Desirable).
- Experience working in an arts, heritage or cultural organisation (Desirable).
- Enthusiasm for heritage collections, especially libraries and archives (Desirable).
- Interest in history (Desirable).
Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification.
What we offer
Your Salary
- A salary of £30,430 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.
Your Benefits
- 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro-rated if working part-time).
- We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case-by-case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
- We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.
- Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
- Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus-one guest.
- Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
- Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.
ABOUT NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS
The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.
We Include. You Belong.
Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.
Living out our values in all that we do, we:
- Strive for Excellence
- Show Compassion
- Respect others
- Collaborate
- Act with Integrity
We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.
Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.
Closing date for Internal Applications - 06 April 2025
Closing date for External Applications - 20 April 2025
