Optical and Administrative Assistant

Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

An established academic institution is seeking an Optical and Administrative Assistant to join a dynamic team in the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences. This role offers an exciting opportunity to be the first point of contact for patients while providing essential administrative support. You will engage with a variety of stakeholders, handle inquiries, and assist in the smooth operation of the clinic. If you are organized, self-motivated, and eager to learn, this position is perfect for you. Join a vibrant organization that values diversity and offers opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Living wage supporter benefits

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively and courteously.
• Experience in using Microsoft applications and learning new software.
• Ability to carry out a variety of administrative tasks.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for the School's Clinics.
• Provide administrative support to Clinic Managers and team members.
• Handle inquiries professionally from staff, students, and the public.

Skills

Effective Communication

Administrative Skills

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)

Organizational Skills

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

iClarity

Job description

20068BR

School of Optometry & Vision Sciences

Administrative Support

Advert

Optical and Administrative Assistant (Receptionist)

School of Optometry and Vision Sciences

We are looking for an Optical and Administrative Assistant (Receptionist) to join a small, supportive and welcoming team in the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences.

In This Role, You Will

• Act as the first point of contact for the School's Clinics, dealing with those that you meet in a polite, efficient and effective manner.
• Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with key contacts in support of continual improvement to service levels.
• Take an active role in providing administrative support to the Clinic Managers and other team members including training of new team members.
  
  

We'd like to hear from you if you:

• have the ability to communicate with people effectively, courteously and with respect face to face, over the phone and online.
• have the ability to record information clearly and accurately to pass on to others.
• have experience of using Microsoft applications, including Word and Excel, and have the confidence to learn new software.
  
  

We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression. We are a proud living wage supporter.

Working in partnership with another Administrator/Optical Assistant, you will help run our reception desk, responding to a wide range of queries in person, via phone and email as well as undertaking basic optical pre-screening tests to support the clinic.

If you enjoy active and varied reception roles and consider yourself to be self-motivated with good organisation skills, this role is for you. If you don’t have optical experience, do not worry, our clinic team can provide you with all the training and support that you need.

Please contact Carline Beaumont ([e-mail]) for an informal, confidential discussion about the role.

This position is fixed term for 3 years, 35 hours per week (Monday to Friday).

Salary: £23,176 - £23,414 per annum (Grade 2)

This is an on-campus role based in the School’s teaching/NHS clinics.

We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression. We are a proud Living Wage supporter.

Date advert posted: Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Closing Date: Wednesday, 21 May 2025

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Provide an administrative service to the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, completing a range of routine tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements, ensuring the Optometry team is supported and key duties undertaken.

As the biggest University in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Duties And Responsibilities

Key duties

• Handle enquiries from customers such as University staff, students and members of the public in a professional manner.
• Act as the first point of contact for the School's Clinics, dealing with those that you meet in a polite, efficient and effective manner.
• Deal with both simple and more complex enquiries from internal and external customers in a professional manner, following established procedures, referring complex enquiries to relevant team members, ensuring all relevant facts and information needed are recorded and communicated correctly.
• Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with key contacts in support of continual improvement to service levels.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the team and School such as gathering and to update administrative databases (iClarity) with accurate information.
• Contribute to the success of the team, leading others by example.
• Take an active role in providing administrative support to the Clinic Managers and other team members including the training of new team members.
  
  

Specific Duties

• Dispense spectacles, conduct pre-screen tests and demonstrate to patients how to fit contact lens.
• To carry out frame styling and give patients advice on their options.
• In line with practice policy, manage clinic diaries and book appointments, ensuring the accuracy of patient records are maintained and that the appointment slots are booked in the most efficient manner for optometric staff. Anticipate any changes in circumstances and ensure any potential waiting times are communicated and reduced, wherever possible.
• To respond efficiently and effectively to patients, staff, students and visitors via all manners of communication (written and oral).
• Advise patients of relevant charges, accept payments and issue till receipts.
• In consultation with the Clinic Managers, complete end of day banking, resolving and/or escalating discrepancies, where appropriate.
• Assist in the processing of NHS paperwork, ensuring accuracy and working to NHS deadlines.
• To assist with orders, tracking spectacle and contact lens orders and receipting deliveries.
• Organise meetings, if/when required.
  
  

General Duties

• Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
• To take care for the health and safety of yourself and of other persons who may be affected by your act(s) or omissions at work in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, EU/UK Directives and the University’s Safety, Health and Environment Policies and Procedures and to cooperate with the University on any legal duties placed in it as the employer.
• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Any other duties not included above and are consistent with the role.
• Uphold the Professional Services Values and Behaviours or local equivalent.
  
  

Person Specification

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criteria as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below each sub-heading. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (eg. 1234BR) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.

We want to employ people with a wide variety of experiences. We welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We are particularly seeking applications from candidates who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented at the University, including people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

We are looking for a team player who will work with colleagues to provide a great service to staff and students. You don’t need to have worked in administration or for a University before; this is an opportunity to show your potential and start or continue your career at Cardiff University.

Your application will be assessed against the following essential and desirable criteria for the role. Please copy and paste this section into a new document and give clear examples of how you can evidence meeting each criteria by writing under each one. You can draw on elements from any aspect of your life (e.g. work, home, education/qualifications or community life) as long as you focus on their relevance to the role.

Please save your supporting statement in a separate document with the title [YOURNAME-BR NUMBER-JOB TITLE] and attach it to your application in the recruitment system, available here.

Please note that these are also the criteria shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g. a skills test).

Essential Criteria

• Ability to carry out a variety of administrative tasks, including writing accurately, clearly and concisely.
• Ability to communicate with people effectively, courteously and with respect face to face, over the phone and online.
• Ability to record information clearly and accurately to pass on to others.
• Ability to apply confidentiality and discretion in an office environment.
• Experience of using Microsoft applications, including Word and Excel, and have confidence to learn new software
• Ability to carry out general administrative duties such as filing, photocopying, arranging meetings and ordering supplies.
• Ability to work well with your team, knowing how to support colleagues as appropriate.
• Ability to plan and organise your own workload within agreed timelines as set by your Line Manager.
• Ability to identify problems using your own initiative and to solve these by finding and proposing the most practical solution.
  
  

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a receptionist or similar customer facing role.
• Ability to speak/understand Welsh or a willingness to learn.
• Experience of working in an optical practice or similar clinical environment.
• Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.
  
  

Salary Range Min.

23,176

Salary Range Max.

23,414

Job Category

Admin / Clerical

Grade

Grade 2