ASK Team Leader

ASK Team Leader

25052017

Job Title / ASK Team Leader
Faculty/ School/Department / ASK
Responsible to: / Queries Manager
Responsible for: / ASK Advisers
ASK Student Associates
Job Purpose
Team Leaders are responsible for managing the team of ASK Advisors and ASK Student Associates, who provide a customer focussed front-line enquiry service to students. As well as all the day-to-day running of the ASK service. They will be accountable for the quality of the service, keeping oversight of waiting times, ensuring that customers are provided with the information that they need in a timely manner, deploying the team appropriately to manage changing levels of demand for the service and dealing with any unforeseen problems or difficult customers. Plan activities to ensure appropriate allocation of work, effective management of busy periods and compliance with deadlines. Manage performance of staff, including the identification of training needs, and attendance issues.
Work closely with other managers and colleagues within BCU to ensure that people and processes deliver an outstanding service, and are proactive and responsive to the needs of internal and external customers.
Provide a professional, proactive and confidential support service to the Queries Manager.
Main activities and responsibilities
1.  Provide high quality service for students through effective team leadership focused on meeting objectives and excellent customer service.
2.  Provide a professional, proactive and confidential support service to the Queries Manager.
3.  Manage and develop the ASK team: contributing to recruitment; providing, or identifying the need for, training and development; managing performance and conducting individual performance reviews (IPRs).
4.  Manage attendance, addressing issues of concern in a timely manner
5.  Ensure that staff are effectively and flexibly deployed to deliver consistently high standards of support and customer service.
6.  Plan and manage team resources to meet seasonal demands and ensure that deadlines are met.
7.  Participate in the recruitment and selection process for new staff and lead in their training and induction.
8.  Provide day-to-day management of the Advisers, addressing performance and development issues as necessary.
9.  Participate in the recruitment and selection process for Student Associates and deliver training on policies, procedures and systems. Co-ordinate and supervise their work on a day-to-day basis.
10.  Arrange staffing provision, organise leave and holiday arrangements, ensuring that consistently high levels of performance are maintained and customer expectations are met.
11.  Provide support for a range of formal and informal meeting (including committee support if required). Identify agenda items, produce agendas, draft papers and reports, collate and circulate meeting papers, produce minutes and identify and monitor follow up actions arising.
12.  Contribute to continuous improvement of processes and procedures. Look for opportunities to improve and streamline processes and encourage the team to come up with new or better ways of doing things.
13.  Keep a watching brief on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the service during shift, deploying staff appropriately to manage peaks and troughs across the services and ensuring that lengthy queues and waiting times do not develop.
14.  Ensure the provision of a professional, friendly and efficient front-line service to students, staff and any visitors who make enquiries to the ASK service.
15.  Resolve a range of enquires from students face-to-face, by telephone or through the online helpdesk. Provide timely, accurate information on a wide range of student support issues, knowing where to refer students when unable to answer specific queries directly. There is a key requirement to refer accurately and effectively to a wide range of University support services.
16.  Assist students to access relevant University information, services and resources that support the delivery of an excellent student experience.
17.  Produce guidance documentation and other resources for students.
18.  Where enquiries are judged to be complex, make referrals for specialist support using the appointment booking process.
19.  Work with the Queries Manager, other Advisers and ASK Student Associates to develop, update and maintain information resources and lead service improvement projects when required.
20.  Liaise with other Advisers and Student Associates to ensure that the ASK knowledge base, Frequently Asked Questions and other materials are updated and accurate, following established protocols for updating shared information resources.
21.  Operate a range of ICT systems including the iASK online helpdesk, SITS student record system, Outlook calendars, intranet and internet and undertake general administrative processes associated with the effective and efficient delivery of the service.
22.  Receive cash and card payments and process these in line with the University financial procedures.
23.  Maintain current working knowledge of financial requirements (both University and legislative) to ensure sound money handling procedures are in place, taking into proper account money laundering and bribery regulations.
24.  Log all enquiries, advice given and enquiry outcomes and assist with collecting and compiling a range of management information relevant to the Student Enquiry Service.
25.  Maintain a good general awareness of current issues in student administration and support and maintain a good understanding of new initiatives and developments.
26.  Ensure that the physical and technological environment of the ASK Service is maintained to a high standard.
27.  Assist in major events such as open days, clearing, welcome week and graduation.
Additional Key Requirements:
Communication
Frequent need to communicate effectively with students, visitors and colleagues. There is a requirement for good interpersonal skills, and the ability to flex communication style in order to overcome barriers to understanding.
Managing people and resources
Lead a team in delivering the enquiry service and maintaining high quality standards.
Organise staff rotas and the deployment of staff on shift to ensure that customer expectations of service standards and waiting times are consistently met.
Teamwork
It is expected that ASK Team Leaders will have a keen customer focus and work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that a responsive and effective enquiry service is provided within the University. This may include a degree of flexibility to work across different areas support colleagues at times of peak demand or to help cover holidays and other absence.
Initiative, problem solving and decision making
Solve a variety of problems within own and the team’s area of work determining the teams priorities and supporting a team in delivering a service and maintaining high quality standards.
Work environment
Be aware of the risks in the work environment and their potential impact on their own work and that of others.
Person Specification
·  A degree or equivalent professional qualification. Equivalence may be accepted in lieu of formal qualifications through demonstrating comparable skills and ability to:
o  Make decisions and solve problems in a complex environment.
o  Assemble, evaluate and analyse information to inform sound judgements.
o  Communicate effectively.
o  Adopt a proactive and self-managing work style.
o  A high level of literacy and numeracy.
·  Experience of providing high quality customer focused administrative services in a complex environment.
·  Excellent IT skills including advanced knowledge of information systems, word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software packages, preferably Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With confidence to use a variety of systems and demonstrate to others.
·  Strong information management skills with the ability to organise and communicate detailed or complex information in a simple and understandable way.
·  Excellent team working skills with the ability to work collaboratively and co-operatively with colleagues
·  Ability to successfully manage relationships with a wide range of contacts both internal and external to the University.
Able to demonstrate:
·  Excellent organisational skills and the ability to resolve operational problems, often at minimal notice.
·  Good time management skills and the ability to prioritise work appropriately.
·  Ability to produce effective and well-organised operational work plans and manage team performance against these plans.
·  Ability to manage, motivate and develop staff, individually and in teams.
·  Good written and oral communication skills including the ability to adapt to different audiences.
·  Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate, persuade and influence.
Experience of successfully dealing with difficult customers.
Experience of supervising and training staff.
Experience in organising and managing staff rotas is desirable.
Excellent customer service skills with a strong commitment to delivering a user focused, professional service.
Awareness of data protection and freedom of information legislation.
Awareness of student finance issues is desirable.
Demonstrable understanding of equality and diversity and appropriate professional conduct within a student support environment.
Adaptable approach and good problem solving skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure and respond sensibly to the unexpected.
A self-managing work style and the ability to work independently, without supervision.
Special requirements
The ASK Service has extended opening hours at peak times in order to meet customer demands. Flexibility in working hours is therefore required. Staff may be employed on full-time or part-time contracts and a range of working patterns will be available. It is anticipated that longer hours will be required at the start of term (September, October, January) and during exams (May/June), with reduced hours during student vacations.
Ability to undertake duties at different premises including any University campus is required.
Expectations of all staff
Professional standards
All staff employed by Birmingham City University are expected to exhibit high professional standards which promote and demonstrate the University’s core values of Excellence, People Focused, Partnership Working, Fairness and Integrity.
Equal Opportunities
All staff are expected to understand and enact the University’s commitment to ensuring equality and diversity in all activities. This commitment is enshrined in the Equality Statement and core values.
Dignity at work
Every member of staff has a responsibility to ensure colleagues are treated with dignity and respect.
The University is committed to creating a work environment for all staff that is free from harassment, intimidation and any other forms of bullying at work, where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and professional courtesy.
Health and safety
The arrangements for meeting the University’s health and safety objectives are contained in the Birmingham City University Health and Safety Policy. This includes the responsibilities of key staff and procedures covering the main activities of the University.
All staff are expected to take reasonable care of themselves and those that may be affected by their actions.
Dress code
The University does not operate a formal dress code for its employees, other than for those who are provided with uniform and/or protective clothing. However, employees must ensure that their dress is professional, reasonably smart and appropriate for the situation in which they are working. All staff should ensure that they present a professional image and one that reflects sensitivity to customer perceptions. This may reflect their ethnicity and lifestyle, but should not be provocative or cause offence to those with whom they have contact.
Citizenship
All staff are expected to adhere to good citizenship, being generous with help and support to others, collaborating with colleagues and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. In particular working to provide a positive student experience and achieving excellence in all the University’s activities.
This job description indicates the expectations of staff at this level. Job descriptions are not exhaustive and you may be required to undertake other duties of a similar level and responsibility.