Sports Assistant Team Leader

Job content

Job Description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £22,050 to £23,535, with potential progression once in post to £28,631

Band 400

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 26th April 2023

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Role Summary

The Team Leader Sports Assistant will be operating as part of a team; they will support the Duty Manager in the maintenance of excellent customer services and the day-to-day operation of Sport and Fitness, including cleaning, maintenance, and preparation of areas and equipment for sessions as appropriate. Sport & Fitness is responsible for operating the extensive sport and recreation provision of the University of Birmingham. It caters for the whole sports continuum from elite athlete to beginner; it supports 6,500 members, 40 performance clubs, over 40 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 services 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 provider.

Main Duties

Customer Service
To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the range of products/services offered deal with difficult customers and situations with the assistance of the duty manager if required

• Fulfil all reasonable requests from customers to ensure their comfort, satisfaction and safety
• Welcoming and directing any customers of Sport & Fitness
• Provide first aid provision whilst on duty
• Ensure Health & Safety and EAP procedures are adhered to
• The post holder is expected to answer queries from customers and to solve problems that arise from those queries as a matter of good customer service. The post holder is expected to provide a quality and professional service, as errors in judgment or failure to carry out a particular task could negatively affect the reputation of Sports & Fitness

Management

• Leading by example, training & developing team members on a daily basis
• To cover for the Duty Manager in their absence
• Provide a safe environment for staff and customers based around an understanding of the Quality Management
• System that underpins University of Birmingham Sport (UBS) business
• The post holder should be able to operate with minimum day-to-day supervision
• The post holder may occasionally experience more unusual problems/issues, where there is no formal guidance or trouble shooting. In these cases, the post holder is required to interpret past precedents and apply their judgment to determine an appropriate course of action or where resolution is not straightforward to refer to the Duty Manager for guidance/advice.
• The post holder is expected to keep up to date with internal changes, programmed activities and events so that accurate information is communicated across the team
• Assisting the duty manager in briefing the operations team at the start of the shift on a daily basis, ensuring all facilities are fit for use according to the timetabled activities

Other duties

• Support all UBS departments to promote services and facilities during University Open Days and other events
• Actively participating in team briefings and any other staff meetings as required
• Assisting with training other departments on Operational procedures
• To provide feedback on sports assistants performance which will contribute to their personal development review (PDR)
• Wear uniform and be of a smart appearance at all times also ensuring the presentation of the team they are leading
• Any other duties that could be within the banding of this post where assistance is required

Health and Safety

• As part of a team, the post holder is responsible for maintaining a safe environment within Sport and Fitness Centre by complying with the necessary Health and Safety requirements and ensuring that users are aware of the guidelines in place
• The post holder is also responsible for providing poolside supervision and performing water-based rescues
• Errors in judgement or failure to carry out a particular task could result in damaged equipment or risking the personal safety of those using the facilities within the Sports & Fitness
• The post holder is expected to process all payments, including credit/debit cards and cash and will take responsibility for the cash under their control, under the guidance of the Duty Manager; they will also take responsibility for opening and closing the Sport & Fitness facilities

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience in motivating and training staff
• Friendly and approachable
• Experience of working within the leisure industry
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• The ability to work unsupervised
• The ability to think creatively in approaching solutions and identifying opportunities
• Commitment to flexible hours, including working outside normal office days and hours
• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel as well as experience of working with a comprehensive leisure management system
• Ability to work as part of team
• National Pool Lifeguard qualification

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Sport and Fitness industry
• Able to deal face to face with customers
• Experience of working in a fast passed environment. Responds appropriately & co-operatively to change, challenges & conflicting demands. Experience of using a till and cashing up
• First Aid at Work Qualification
• Swimming Pool Technical Operator Certificate

Dimensions

• May have formal vocational qualifications, but knowledge is also founded on substantial practical experience

Planning and organising

• Has access to advice, but extensive work without supervision
• May manage a small team
• Prioritises own workload
• May organise events/ be involved in project management.
• Decides the response to complex or sensitive questions e.g. difficult applications, but within procedural guidelines
• Initiative and independence required to react to changing priorities

Problem solving and decision making
i) without reference to others

• Implementation of general UBS policies and procedures.
• Health & safety issues / incidents of a moderate nature that need further investigation.
• Can identify problems from past practice or coaching from colleagues
• Breaks problems down & analyses them
• While there are still clear general processes and procedures, problems arise which call for choice based on an element of judgement
• Solutions to problems are mainly clear from received practice or precedent, but there is some scope for choice and judgement
• Considers quality improvements in own service area as a response to complaints
• Handle less usual and more complex correspondence
• May be involved in budget monitoring, or costing and pricing proposals

(ii) After consulting others

• Dealing with performance issues updating performance logs in the absence of the duty manager
• Rolling replacement plan within own areas

iii) or that would be referred to someone else
Ongoing disciplinary issues, requiring further support (ii)after consulting others

• Minor project delivery.
• Decisions having wider implications on the local team.
• Any serious / major health & safety incidents or concerns.

iv) or that would be referred to someone else.

• Any major financial commitment/purchase
• Incidents of a major disciplinary nature

Internal and External relationships

• As a key communications point, generally answers enquiries & handles issues from initial contact to resolution
• Has contact with members, students, staff and community, as senior member of team expected to set a tone in communications.
• Both receives and handles enquiries which require a factual response and explanation, or reference on to others.

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £22,050.00-£28,631.00 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Bristol, B15 2TT: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: One location

Application deadline: 26/04/2023