Operations Assistant

Fire & Security Ltd; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A&E Fire and Security Ltd in Cheltenham is seeking an Operations Assistant to support the operations team, coordinate fire risk assessments and training, and convert completed engineer work into invoices and customer paperwork, protecting the company’s cash flow.

The role demands excellent attention to detail, strong organisational and diary management skills, and the ability to handle a high volume of tasks in a busy, fast-paced environment. This is a full-time, on-site role, 39 hours per week.

Qualifications

• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy with figures, spelling and grammar.
• Strong organisational and diary management skills, with the ability to work through a high volume of tasks to deadlines.
• Confident on the phone and in writing with customers, assessors, engineers and colleagues.
• Experience of invoicing, scheduling or administration in a busy office.
• Knowledge of fire safety, fire risk assessment or BAFE SP205.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for FRA and training customers, resolving enquiries quickly and professionally.
• Book fire risk assessments and training courses, managing diaries to minimise travel between appointments.
• Process FRA and training paperwork including quotations, reports and certificates.
• Ensure FRA and training work is invoiced promptly and at the correct value.
• Brief Fire Risk Assessors and Trainers with needed information ahead of appointments.
• Support administration of our BAFE SP205 accreditation, including audit preparation.

Skills

Attention to detail

Diary management

Customer communication

Phone communication

Written communication

Organisational skills

Problem solving

Tools

Uptick

Sage

Xero

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are recruiting for an Operations Assistant in Cheltenham to join A&E Fire and Security.

A&E Fire and Security Ltd is a specialist in the fire and security industry installing and maintaining fire and security equipment and systems to a wide variety of new and existing customers throughout the Southwest, Midlands, South Wales and M4 Corridor to London.

We pride ourselves on being a committed team who strive to deliver an excellent customer service that exceeds our customer’s expectations. It is extremely important to us to provide a service that protects our customers and their organisation, and protects their property, colleagues, friends and family from the devastating effects of fire.

Operations Assistant

Role Purpose

The Operations Assistant provides consistent, year-round support to the operations team, coordinating our fire risk assessment and training work and turning completed engineer work into accurate, timely invoices and customer paperwork. A job only becomes revenue once it has been booked, completed and processed correctly, so this role directly protects the company’s cash flow and margin. It also gives the Operations Manager reliable cover across the team, so that work keeps moving during absences and busy periods.

Key Responsibilities

FRA and Training Coordination

• Act as the first point of contact for fire risk assessment and training customers, resolving enquiries and queries quickly and professionally
• Book fire risk assessments and training courses, managing assessor and trainer diaries so that travel between appointments is kept to a minimum
• Process FRA and training paperwork, including quotations, fire risk assessment reports and training certificates
• Ensure all FRA and training work is invoiced promptly and at the correct value
• Brief Fire Risk Assessors and Trainers so that they have the information they need ahead of each appointment
• Support the administration of our BAFE SP205 accreditation, including preparation for the annual SSAIB audit

Processing and Invoicing

• Process completed engineer job reports daily, producing accurate customer invoices and certificates
• Check invoice wording, pricing and parts against the job, the contract and any quotation, ensuring work is invoiced at full value
• Process installation invoices
• Support the annual implementation of price increases

Job Control and Reporting

• Monitor open jobs and chase their closure, including tasks awaiting return visits, stuck jobs and old jobs
• Raise new jobs promptly for return visits, accepted quotations and additional work requests
• Keep customer and job records on our systems accurate and up to date
• Provide processing figures and FRA and training activity reports when requested

Customer Administration and Team Support

• Upload certificates, inspection records, quotations and equipment lists to customer portals and bespoke customer systems
• Answer the phone and respond to emails professionally, resolving queries or passing them to the right person
• Provide cover across the operations team during absences and busy periods, so that work keeps moving
• Work closely with the Service Coordinators, Key Accounts and Finance teams, and flag pricing errors or recurring issues to the Operations Manager

Skills and Experience

• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy with figures, spelling and grammar
• Strong organisational and diary management skills, with the ability to work through a high volume of tasks to deadlines
• Confident on the phone and in writing with customers, assessors, engineers and colleagues
• Able to spot when something does not look right and follow it up
• Confident with Microsoft Office and quick to learn new systems
• Able to work on-site in Cheltenham, Monday to Friday
• Experience of job management or accounts software, such as Uptick, Sage or Xero
• Previous experience in invoicing, scheduling or administration in a busy office
• Knowledge of fire safety, fire risk assessment or BAFE SP205

The candidate must be used to working in a busy, "quick response" environment and must be able to be a reliable and assertive member of a busy operational team. Accuracy matters as much as speed. In return the company is offering a stable, fun and professional working environment with career progression opportunity for committed and proactive candidates.

This is a full-time, permanent, on-site position working 39 hours per week, Monday to Thursday 8:30am until 5:00pm and Friday 8:30am until 4:00pm.