Front of House General Assistant

About the Role

The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford is seeking an enthusiastic Hospitality Assistant to join their team. This role involves supporting a broad range of hospitality and catering activities within a prestigious university setting. The School hosts diverse high-profile events, from breakfast meetings to formal dinners and international conferences, welcoming students, academics, global leaders, and VIP guests.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve and monitor all food and beverage offerings to clients, visitors, and guests, ensuring prompt service and event cleanliness.
• Maintain cleanliness and presentation standards for furniture, dining areas, and service stations.
• Prepare hospitality requirements, including food and drinks for meeting rooms, various event formats, and receptions professionally and promptly.
• Support a diverse range of events such as breakfast meetings, buffet lunches, drinks receptions, conferences, private dining, and formal dinners.
• Work independently, exercising initiative to efficiently complete tasks without close supervision.
• Deliver excellent guest service with professionalism, speed, and enthusiasm.
• Operate licensed bars and serve alcohol during receptions and evening events.
• Competently use coffee machines and provide hot beverage services at meetings and hospitality bookings.
• Assist with inventory management, including ordering, deliveries, stock movement, and event setup preparations.
• Ensure hired linen, equipment, glassware, and crockery are accounted for, packed away, and ready for collection post-event.
• Maintain cleanliness and readiness of hospitality and back-of-house areas for subsequent bookings.

Qualifications & Skills

• Prior experience in hospitality, catering, events, or customer service is desired.
• Excellent communication skills to professionally engage with colleagues, clients, visitors, and guests.
• A dependable and cooperative team player contributing positively to the hospitality team.
• Ability to perform well under pressure in a fast-paced event environment.
• Self-motivated with the capability to take initiative and complete duties independently.
• Dedicated to delivering superior customer service consistently.
• Flexibility to adapt to varying working conditions, event formats, and service needs.
• Friendly, professional demeanor with a calm approach to resolving issues swiftly and effectively.

Additional Information & Benefits

• The role follows a Monday to Friday schedule, with occasional weekend work of up to 10 weekends annually based on business demands.
• Overtime compensation is provided for any extra hours worked.
• Bank holidays are generally off.
• Shift meals and employee discounts are available.
• Benefits include life insurance, employee assistance programs, company pension, paid volunteer time, cycle-to-work scheme, and enhanced maternity leave.
• Opportunities for continuous training, support, and professional development.