Services Assistant/Housekeeper

CHESS

Job Description and Person Specification

Job title - Services Assistant/Housekeeper

Grade or salary - £22,308 pro rata

Contract - Permanent

Hours - 30 hrs per week (may increase to 37.5)

Days/Times - Mon – Fri / 9am – 3pm

Line Managed by - Business Support Manager

Responsible for - Volunteers when working together

Job purpose

· To assist in practical aspects of the running of the shelter and other move-on properties. Including clearing rooms, cleaning and maintaining CHESS standards in all properties.

· To ensure donations are sorted, rotated, and stored appropriately.

· To plan meals and order supplies.

Areas of responsibility:

· To ensure rooms are ready to be let (including all relevant bedding, toiletries etc), including disposing of previous residents' belongings if appropriate. This could mean rooms at Hodgkinson House or at any of our other properties in Essex.

· To clean all allocated rooms including furniture, fittings, fabric, carpets (where applicable) and equipment

· Cleaning the bathrooms and toilets with particular attention to guidelines for the control of germs and infestation

· Cleaning duties may at times include dealing with biohazard waste and contamination (training will be given).

· To ensure all properties are kept tidy and clean as necessary. This will include cleaning ovens, fridges, cupboards etc on a rota basis in accordance with the cleaning schedule.

· Ensure that rooms are odour free.

· To take in donations, sort and store them appropriately, including taking them to storage facilities when necessary. Also ensuring stock is rotated correctly to prevent waste.

· To make suggestions on how donations can be utilised effectively

· To create and maintain inventories of donations/food supplies etc.

· To plan and prepare meals as necessary, ensuring ingredients are ready each day

· Shop/order food and other items as required for meals and housekeeping.

· Launder bedding to ensure there is always a supply of clean linen and make up bedding packs for immediate use.

· Make up food parcels for service users and move on bags for those moving on.

· Dispose of waste appropriately including recycling whenever possible.

· Maintain a good level of health and safety in all facilities, reporting issues appropriately. This may include PAT testing of donations and resident items.

· To attend regular team meetings and supervision sessions.

· To undertake learning and development activities as appropriate.

· To support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.

· To ensure safeguarding concerns are identified raised appropriately.

· To work alongside and direct volunteers where appropriate.

CHESS Team values are as follows and we expect all staff members to adhere to them.

Respect - Honesty - Team Player - Solution Focused - Empathy – Enthusiasm

Person Specification

1. Behavioural Competencies

· A proactive, solution focused attitude

· Self-motivated and self-disciplined

· Must be able to work as part of a diverse team in an honest and respectful way

· Tenacity and an innovative attitude

· Must have good interpersonal/communication skills and the ability to empathise with the clients CHESS serves.

· To be able to represent the Charity and its Ethos in the community

· Able to deal with challenging behaviour in a calm manner

· Able to maintain professional boundaries.

2. Experience, Education and Training

· Essential

· Be able to clean effectively.

· Understand the need and have the ability to rotate stock efficiently.

· Excellent, clear communication skills face to face and on the phone.

· Ability to manage difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently, and effectively.

· Good time management and organisational skills.

· Understanding of or experience of working face to face with vulnerable people.

· Experience of applying Health & Safety guidance and ensuring that policies and procedures are adhered to.

· Self-motivated with the confidence to work alone, but also able to work co-operatively and flexibly within a team environment.

· Creativity and enthusiasm for finding positive solutions to best address the needs of the service.

· Willingness to undertake any further training necessary to further your knowledge and become more effective in your role.

· Ability to stay focused and efficient in the face of changing priorities.

· Full UK driving licence.

· Desirable

· Previous charity experience and working with volunteers

· Flexible in working hours according to the needs of the service

This job description is not exhaustive, and you may be required to perform other tasks as required.

Other requirements for the role:

A full driving licence is required for this post to facilitate house and room cleans, trips to storage facilities, attend external meetings as required.

This role is subject to the satisfactory completion of a DBS check and receipt of suitable references.

The ability to bend, lift and carry is essential for this role.

Candidate must have right to work in the UK. Unfortunately we are not able to sponsor work in the uk

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants for this role must be over 18 years old.

CHESS Safeguarding Statement and Equality statement

Safeguarding Statement

CHESS is founded on the principles that people have a right to be completely secure from both the fear and reality of any abuse. The safety and well-being of each service user is of paramount importance.

CHESS intends to create services within which people are safe from abuse, and in which any suspicion of abuse or actual abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to.

Equal Opportunities Statement

CHESS recognises that people with different social and ethnic backgrounds, skills and attitudes, can bring new ideas and perceptions to an organisation.

CHESS is committed to taking positive action to fight unlawful discrimination in every aspect of its work and the services it provides. CHESS believes that everyone has a right to services and employment which are free from direct or indirect discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, creed, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or disability or any other grounds protected by legislation.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Salary: £11.44 per hour

Expected hours: 30 per week

Benefits:

• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Chelmsford, CM2 9AB: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Work Location: In person