Fixed Term Scout (Housekeeper) - 31 Hours

Brasenose College, University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension OSPS

Meals

Annual leave

Travel pass loan

Cycle to work

University Card

Job summary

Brasenose College is seeking a dedicated Fixed Term Scout (Housekeeper) for 31 hours per week. The role covers cleaning across college sites in central Oxford, including student rooms, offices, and conference spaces.

You will wear provided uniform, manage keys, and ensure safe, high-quality cleaning services for residents and staff. The post requires weekend flexibility, the ability to work independently, and adherence to college policies.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate with customers in English.
• Ability to achieve College cleaning standards.
• Strong customer service mindset and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Clean residential rooms, kitchens, offices, and corridors to standard.
• Assist with duty rotation and cover for colleagues as needed.
• Report faults and hazards to housekeeping management.

Skills

English communication

Cleaning standards

Customer service

Teamwork

Weekend flexibility

Education

NVQ in Cleaning

COSHH training

Manual Handling

Job description

Fixed Term Scout (Housekeeper) - 31 Hours

Department: Housekeeping

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Part Time

Location: Professional & Support Staff

Compensation: £22,285 / year

Description

Scouts are responsible for providing a consistently high standard of cleaning service to students, staff and visitors to the College and its annexes. Brasenose College has four sites; College main site and three accommodation sites (Frewin Annex, St Cross and Hollybush). Scouts must be willing to work at any of the College sites in central Oxford.

General responsibilities

• To check keys in and out of Lodge personally each day.
• To wear the uniform provided and any protective clothing supplied and follow directions on safe working methods.
• To provide holiday and sickness cover for colleagues, as required by the demands of the service to residents and visitors at various locations.
• To be familiar with, and work in accordance with, all College’s policies and procedures.
• To promote a safe, healthy and secure environment.

The post holder will be expected to undertake any other duties or tasks as reasonably directed or requested by the Head Housekeeper and Deputy Housekeepers.

Job Description

General daily duties - (all sites)

• Cleaning of residential areas (student rooms, fellows teaching rooms and fellows living quarters, guest rooms).
• To clean the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen areas, teaching rooms and corridor/stairwells in the designated work areas as directed by the Housekeeper/Deputy to the specified standard.
• In sanitary areas, to scrub and de-scale baths, tiles and showerheads where necessary, to clean basins, plugholes, toilets, shower cubicles and around light switches and door handles etc., vacuum and mop floors.
• To empty bins and to ensure adequate supplies of toiletries, clean towels etc. for guests and residents.
• Cleaning of sills, walls, doors, floors, shelves, desks, lamps, coffee tables, chairs.
• At the end of each term to ensure all cupboards, drawers, wardrobes are clear and clean of belongings from previous residents e.g. food stuff, shampoos, clothes etc. ensuring that items that may be of value to a student are given to the housekeeper for safe storage.
• To report any defective lighting, plumbing or heating problems to Maintenance. To report any broken equipment such as vacuum cleaners.
• To report to the Housekeeper/Deputy any student absence and any damage to property including any pictures/posters that are fixed directly to the walls with tack or similar fixture.
• Report any unauthorised electrical goods.
• To ensure all cleaning equipment is kept in good working order by cleaning after use and carrying out tasks, e.g. emptying vacuum bags, cleaning filters. Leaving all mop heads, washing cloths and dusters in the locker room so that they can be taken to the laundry room for washing.
• The cleaning of stairwells and removing cobwebs.
• To carry out periodic/seasonal duties as directed by the Housekeeper/Deputy.

Student kitchens - (Frewin, Hollybush Row and St Cross)

• To empty bins, clean worktops, sink, inside microwave, wipe any spillages/splashes on tiles, walls, cupboard fronts, inside oven and inside fridges, vacuum and mop floor, in accordance with specified standards.
• To thoroughly clean ovens, microwave ovens, refrigerators and freezers, inside cupboards and storage, in accordance with specified standards.

Offices - (on main site and teaching rooms at Frewin)

• To vacuum, dust and empty bins, clean brass on doors and around fires. Replace tea towels and hand towels.

Conferences and B&B Accommodation - (College and Frewin, Easter and Summer)

Ensuring rooms are thoroughly cleaned after students vacate for holiday and are prepared for the arrival of Conference and Bed and Breakfast guests. Rooms must be serviced daily changing bed linen and towels.

Person Specification

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the criteria set out in the section below and candidates should ensure that their application form provides evidence of how they meet these criteria.

Essential criteria - skills and competencies

• Ability to communicate with all customers and have a good level of spoken English.
• Ability to work to identified cleaning standards.
• Possess excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and offer flexibility to cover for absence of colleagues.
• Flexibility to work weekends.
• Reliable, trustworthy, capable of using own initiative.

Essential criteria - physical qualities

• Capable of doing physical work which involves bending, lifting and climbing stairs.

Desirable criteria - knowledge and experience

• Experience of paid cleaning work in similar environment.
• NVQ in Cleaning, COSHH and Manual Handling.

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Appointment

This appointment is offered as a part-time, fixed-term contract. There will be an initial probationary period of three months. We may, at our discretion, extend the probationary period. The appointment will be conditional on verification of the successful candidate’s ‘Right to Work’ checks and subject to the receipt of satisfactory references and medical clearance through the University’s Occupational Health Services.

Hours

31 hours per week, following a shift pattern of Mondays and Tuesday’s, 7:00am – 2:00pm, with a 30 minute unpaid break. Wednesdays – Fridays, 7:00am – 1:30pm with a 30 minute unpaid break.

This may also include working additional hours or days at the start and end of each term as directed.

The College will endeavour to provide staff with as much notice as possible of the requirement to work at weekends. Occasionally short notice requests may be made, for example to cover sickness absence.

You may be required to work additional hours when authorised and as necessitated by the needs of the College.

£22,284.57 per annum (College Grade 1) inclusive of the Brasenose Oxford Weighting. The full time equivalent salary for the post is £25,160 per annum.

Application close date

Benefits

• Pension: Eligibility to Brasenose College's pension scheme OSPS (Oxford Staff Pension Scheme). The successful candidate will be entered into this scheme automatically on joining, but on-going membership of the scheme is optional.
• Salary Exchange Scheme: Staff who are eligible for OSPS, and who join our pension scheme will be enrolled into the Salary Exchange Pension Contributions Scheme on or around three months after joining Brasenose. This scheme is financially advantageous both to the employee, and the College as the employer.
• Meals: Employees are entitled to take lunch free of charge in Hall each day they work when the kitchen is open.
• Annual Leave Entitlement: The paid holiday entitlement for an equivalent full-time contract for a year is six working weeks (30 days) of annual leave (5 days to be taken over Christmas break when College is closed) plus 8 Statutory Bank Holidays. Annual leave shall be taken at mutually convenient times agreed in advance with the Head Housekeeper. Bank Holidays which fall within the full terms of the University of Oxford are normally worked, for which compensatory time- off in lieu will be given. The holiday year begins on 1 January and ends 31 December. For part years of service, the entitlement will be calculated as 1/12th of the annual entitlement for each completed month.
• Welfare Support – Employee Assistance Programme – a free confidential telephone helpline and online medical guidance.
• Free annual flu jab.
• Travel Pass Loan - a discounted travel scheme is available with monthly deductions from salary
• Cycle to Work Scheme/Bike Loan – monthly deductions from salary
• Sports Facilities – Access to the University Sports club
• University Card - for discounts in shops, cafes and restaurants and University leisure facilities.

Other Information

No smoking is allowed in any part of the College, except the designated smoking area.