The posting
Lettings and Premises Officer
Reporting to: Premises Manager / designated line manager Location: Wembley Multi Academy Trust (based at a designated WMAT school, with flexibility to work across Trust premises) Hours: Full time - 36 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. The working pattern will predominantly be during evening, weekend and school-holiday working to meet premises and lettings requirements. Salary: WMAT Support Staff Scale - SCP 7 to 11
Job Purpose
To support the safe, secure and effective operation of WMAT premises and to coordinate and deliver a professional lettings service. The postholder will support the administration and operation of external lettings, including responding to hirers, maintaining booking information, preparing facilities, overseeing access and ensuring that bookings are delivered in accordance with the Trust-wide Lettings Policy and confirmed SchoolHire arrangements. The role will also undertake routine premises and caretaking responsibilities, including site security, opening and closing, inspections, minor maintenance, contractor access, health and safety checks and ensuring that school facilities remain safe, clean, secure and fit for use. The postholder may act as the principal WMAT representative on site during out-of-hours lettings.
Key Responsibilities
Lettings Administration & Customer Service
- Act as a key point of contact for prospective and existing hirers, providing a professional, responsive and welcoming service.
- Respond to routine enquiries regarding facilities, availability, access arrangements and the practical operation of lettings.
- Maintain accurate booking information within SchoolHire and any other systems specified by WMAT.
- Review booking requests for completeness and ensure that relevant information and supporting documentation has been provided before referring bookings for approval where required.
- Coordinate practical arrangements for confirmed bookings, including access times, rooms and facilities required, staffing requirements and site arrangements.
- Ensure that only confirmed bookings are permitted access to WMAT premises and that agreed amendments, cancellations and other booking changes are accurately recorded through SchoolHire.
- Support hirers with site information, induction arrangements and relevant health, safety, safeguarding, fire and emergency requirements.
- Maintain effective and professional relationships with hirers while ensuring compliance with Trust requirements and booking conditions.
- Deal with routine complaints and operational issues, escalating significant or unresolved matters to the Premises Manager or other appropriate manager.
Delivery of Lettings
- Prepare and check facilities before each letting to ensure that they are safe, clean, presentable and ready for use.
- Meet and greet hirers and provide access only to the facilities and areas covered by the confirmed booking.
- Monitor use of the premises to ensure activities remain within the agreed booking, facilities, attendance levels and times.
- Take reasonable action to prevent unauthorised access, unsafe activity, damage, misuse or unacceptable behaviour and escalate concerns where necessary.
- Ensure hirers comply with relevant Trust policies, booking conditions and reasonable instructions.
- Ensure sessions finish at the agreed time and all hirers and visitors have vacated the premises.
- Inspect facilities following lettings and record damage, defects, missing equipment, excessive cleaning requirements, overruns or other concerns, including photographic evidence where appropriate.
- Complete check-in/check-out records, incident reports and other required documentation and ensure rooms and facilities are restored to an appropriate condition for subsequent school use.
Premises, Security & Facilities Responsibilities
- Undertake routine inspections of buildings, grounds and facilities, identifying and reporting maintenance, cleanliness, security, health and safety or safeguarding concerns.
- Carry out minor repairs, basic premises tasks and emergency cleaning within the postholder's competence and training, escalating specialist works where required.
- Maintain the general condition and presentation of the site, including entrances, paths, gates, car-parking areas and other external spaces.
- Undertake keyholding, opening and closing duties, including operating alarms, access-control systems and ensuring buildings and restricted areas are appropriately secured.
- Carry out routine security checks and patrols, responding appropriately to alarms, unauthorised access, security incidents and other site emergencies.
- Support health, safety, fire, emergency and lone-working arrangements, including reporting hazards, accidents and near misses and undertaking fire-warden or first-aid duties where appropriately trained and authorised.
- Maintain accurate premises, maintenance, security and incident records; use relevant systems effectively; communicate promptly with the Premises Manager and other relevant colleagues; and maintain confidentiality and compliance with WMAT data-protection requirements.
Undertake any other reasonable duties and tasks commensurate with the role and grade as directed by the Premises Manager.
Safeguarding & General Duties
- Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people in accordance with WMAT policies and procedures.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and immediately report safeguarding concerns through the appropriate Trust procedures.
- Comply with the Staff Code of Conduct, Trust-wide Lettings Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Data Protection Policy, equality requirements and all other relevant WMAT policies.
- Undertake mandatory and role-specific training, including safeguarding, health and safety, fire safety, security, lone working, manual handling and first aid where required.
- Work flexibly to support evening, weekend and school-holiday lettings and other operational requirements of the school.
- Uphold the Trust's values and provide a professional and helpful service to pupils, staff, hirers, visitors and contractors.
- Undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the role and grade.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Experience
- Good standard of literacy and numeracy.
- Experience in a premises, caretaking, facilities, lettings, security or similar operational environment.
- Experience of working in a customer-facing role.
- Experience of undertaking routine premises inspections and minor maintenance tasks.
- Experience of working independently and dealing with operational issues without immediate supervision.
- Basic IT skills and experience using email and electronic record-keeping systems.
- Experience of online booking or scheduling systems is desirable.
- Experience within a school or education environment is desirable.
- Experience of school lettings or venue hire is desirable.
- Knowledge or experience of alarm, access-control and security systems is desirable.
- First-aid qualification is desirable, or willingness to undertake training.
Skills & Attributes
- Excellent customer-service and communication skills.
- Reliable, trustworthy and able to demonstrate a high degree of personal responsibility.
- Ability to work independently and use sound judgement within established procedures.
- Ability to identify problems, take appropriate practical action and recognise when escalation is required.
- Good organisational skills with the ability to manage competing operational priorities.
- Ability to remain calm and respond appropriately during emergencies or challenging situations.
- Confident and professional when dealing with hirers, contractors, staff and members of the public.
- Good attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records.
- Practical and proactive approach to premises and maintenance matters.
- Ability to undertake the physical aspects of the role, including regular movement around the site and reasonable lifting or movement of equipment in accordance with safe working practices.
- Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings, weekends and school holidays.
- Commitment to safeguarding, health and safety, equality, confidentiality and professional conduct.
- Positive, dependable and solution-focused approach.
