Sport & Fitness Receptionist

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Birmingham is seeking a receptionist for their Sport & Fitness department. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing an excellent first impression and exceptional customer service. This role requires strong communication and organizational skills, along with proficiency in Microsoft Office. Ideal candidates will have experience in a customer service role. The position is full time and permanent, with a starting salary ranging from £25,618 to £27,126.

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy customer service or reception role.
• Ability to handle issues from beginning to resolution.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide a welcoming reception for all customers and visitors.
• Deliver customer service in line with internal guidelines.
• Maintain knowledge of products and services offered.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Organizational skills

IT skills

Education

GCSE grade A-C in English and Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £25,618 to £27,126

Grade: 3

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 22nd February 2026

Background

Campus Services (CS) employs over 900 staff with a turnover exceeding £65m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University’s sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, Portering, post, branded and own-brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House & Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses. Sport & Fitness is responsible for operating the University of Birmingham's extensive sport and recreation provision. It caters for the whole sports continuum from elite athlete to beginner; it supports 6,500 members, 40+ performance clubs, over 50 sports scholars and offers an extensive participation and intra-league programme. It stages big events for a number of British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), national governing bodies and external groups, with spectator numbers reaching 3,000 for an individual event and has recently hosted the Commonwealth games for Hockey and Squash competition as well as swimming and athletics training venues. It serves the many different user groups drawn from the University – societies, medical school, groups of friends and departments, and the city – athletic, swimming, football, rugby, hockey and gymnastics clubs, as well as many schools, local authority groups and the more commercial providers.

Role Summary

At the University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness, we pride ourselves on delivering outstanding service to students, staff, and members of the wider community. Guided and supported by our Reception Team Leaders, you will play a key role in creating a welcoming and professional first impression for everyone who walks through our doors.

Main Duties

• You will be responsible for providing a professional and friendly “meet and greet” first point of contact for all customers and visitors to Sport & Fitness.
• You will deliver excellent customer service at all times, in line with internal guidelines.
• You will maintain complete and current knowledge of all products and services provided by UB Sports.
• You will answer incoming calls, positively, and warmly. Accurately directing the caller to the appropriate people courteously and professionally.
• You will be able to respond to and resolve the vast majority of queries you receive without needing to escalate, although you will judge when this is appropriate. This will include complaint handling, and resolving where possible.
• Promptly report any system failures which have been reported to reception (such as IT, Door access, fire alarms, phone system) to the relevant department or supplier, chase progress and escalate as necessary. This may require requisition orders to be raised. Where this is the case the postholder will ensure goods are received and invoiced checked and paid.
• Take and deliver accurate phone messages, with call back numbers, area codes, and names legibly written, and promptly relays messages via email to the proper person.
• Maintains office and other supplies in stock, and reorders on own initiative.
• Maintains a neat and tidy reception area, replenishing marketing material clearing up any clutter on an ongoing basis, and maintains a professional, clean and welcoming atmosphere.
• You will ensure the successful delivery of a 12‑month user engagement programme that enhances customer experience. You will also carry out administrative duties such as word processing, photocopying, laminating, filing and data inputting.
• You will achieve and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set for customer satisfaction, query resolution, and service delivery standards.
• You may be involved in organising outgoing bulk‑mail projects.
• Receive monies or take card payments as set out in the cash handling procedure.
• Complete sales and the onboarding of new members.
• May be asked to support others in administrative duties.
• You may occasionally be asked to supervise temporary or casual staff.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• GCSE grade A-C or level 3 qualification in English and Maths. Where no equivalent qualification is held, relevant work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role will normally be required.
• Experience of working in a busy customer service or reception role.
• Experience of handling issues from beginning to resolution.
• Ability to prioritise own work, work unsupervised and own initiative as required.
• Good communication skills, including tactful and confident telephone manner.
• Articulate, confident and competent in the use of electronic communications.
• IT skills – proficiency with Microsoft office programmes including Word, Excel, and Outlook. Good organisation and administrative skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Fast and accurate working with close attention to detail.
• Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect own area.

Dimensions

• This role does not directly manage others but may check work of others.
• This role does not own a budget.

Planning and organising

• You will be working mainly in response to customer enquiries but you will be required to prioritise duties within your overall objectives.
• You will need to maintain an awareness of how your work links with the department and the activities of the department.

Problem solving and decision making

You will complete day to day duties on your own initiative, and will be able to prioritise tasks within your workload. You will be able to resolve day to day queries. Complex queries will be referred elsewhere.

Internal and external relationships

• Internal - Team members, Line manager, Senior managers, colleagues from other departments, students.
• External – External bodies e.g., prospective students, parents, customers.

Informal enquiries to Mandy Griffiths, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here.

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone.