Asylum Welcome is recruiting for a new Welcome Centre/Reception Coordinator and Sanctuary Hosting Service Assistant to join the team.

Could this be the job for you?

Location: Asylum Welcome, Unit 7 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RE
Duration: permanent

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week. We will consider those interested in part-time hours, as there
are two parts of the role that could be divided.

Salary: £26,500- 28,500, depending on experience.

Closing date: 5pm on 7th June

To apply: send your CV and cover letter to: hannah@asylum-welcome.org
Main purpose of the job:
To coordinate, supervise and support a team of volunteers to run a welcoming and efficient reception.
To offer communication and administrative support to the organisation generally, ensuring that enquiries are dealt with competently and all services are able to run smoothly. To offer further administrative support to the Sanctuary Hosting Service to ensure the effective delivery of the service.
To support and assist the coordination of donated items, such as food, bikes, laptops, clothing and household items.
Role split: The Welcome Centre/Reception Coordinator responsibilities will take up 60%, and the Sanctuary Hosting Service Assistant role 40%.
Reports: This post will report to the Asylum Welcome Volunteer Coordinator and Sanctuary Hosting Service Manager.
About Asylum Welcome
Based in Oxford, Asylum Welcome (AW) is a charity that supports asylum seekers, refugees,
detainees and vulnerable migrants. Our volunteers, members, supporters and staff share values
based on a common humanity and social justice. Together, we work to reduce poverty, suffering and
social isolation, and to enable people to live with the respect and dignity to which they are entitled.
Asylum Welcome runs a wide range of practical services, largely through the efforts of local
volunteers. It has over 200 active volunteers who share responsibility for delivering services with a
staff team of 30+.
About the Welcome Centre
The Welcome Centre is at the heart of Asylum Welcome, the first point of contact to make people to
feel welcome, safe and listened to. This contact is either established by calling or coming into the
office and could be new or existing clients. The Welcome Centre also fields general enquiries,
referrals from other organisations, outreach and media requests. Additionally, our Welcome Centre
provides refreshments and an area for visitors to socialise and ask for further support if they wish to
do so.
About Sanctuary Hosting
Sanctuary Hosting matches homeless asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants (guests)
with people who have a spare room or a sofa bed that they offer freely for a finite period (hosts).
The service supports, on average, 25 guests over the course of a year. Sanctuary Hosting operates
across Oxfordshire and Reading and recently merged with Asylum Welcome.
The staff team consists of a full-time Manager, a part-time Service Coordinator based in Oxford, a
part-time Service Coordinator based in Reading, and the Service Assistant. They are supported by a
network of volunteers, who work with both hosts and guests to help ensure the success of each
placement. As a small service, it is important that all staff work flexibly and support each other in the
best interests of guests.
Responsibilities
Manage Welcome Centre
1. Oversee a welcoming and efficient reception area for greeting clients, volunteers, staff and
external visitors.
2. Maintain a safe, welcoming and tidy space.
3. Ensure the notice boards and signs are updated with information and news for clients and
volunteers, in relevant languages as needed, including photos of staff and volunteers.
4. Manage a system of receiving, sorting, logging and distributing incoming post and deliveries.
5. Support with the coordination of donations and distribution of food, bikes, laptops, clothing and
household items
Volunteer coordination
6. Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure suitable Welcome Centre volunteers are
recruited, trained and have regular team meetings.
7. Organise the rota for Welcome Centre volunteers.
8. Supervise and support the Welcome Centre volunteers, some of whom are refugees doing work
experience.
Administration for Sanctuary Hosting
9. Support with setting up interviews with new guests in confidential settings.
10. Organise interviews with new volunteers.
11. Support finding hosts for guests and with introducing hosts and guests to initiate hosting
placements and review meetings for hosting placements.
12. Administer and monitor weekly subsistence payments and issue bus passes for guests.
13. Carry out DBS checks for new hosts, volunteers and staff.
14. Carry out reference checks for new guests, hosts and volunteers.
15. Update and maintain Sanctuary Hosting’s databases, shared folders, and spreadsheets.
16. Provide administrative support to run Sanctuary Hosting volunteer training sessions,
promotional events and event follow up.
Communications and general administration
17. Manage the telephone lines – ensuring calls are fielded and answerphone messages are dealt
with efficiently.
18. Check, respond and triage enquiries that come to the generic Asylum Welcome and Sanctuary
Hosting email accounts
19. Maintain the Sanctuary Hosting mailing list of contacts and coordinate with colleagues working
on Communications to ensure monthly mailings are sent out
20. Support with room-booking, DBS checks, appointment reminders and other administrative tasks
where appropriate.
Person specification
1. Experience of carrying out administrative tasks within a busy office environment
2. Experience of working in a client-facing role and delivering quality customer service
3. Knowledge and proficiency in word-processing, spreadsheets and email, in particular of
using Microsoft software and databases
4. Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate respectfully, clearly and
effectivity with people from various backgrounds
5. Excellent interpersonal and team skills, with a proven ability to motivate, work supportively
and effectively in a busy and pressured environment
6. Excellent organisation and administration skills with the ability to keep a high attention to
detail and ensure quality work whilst multi-tasking
7. Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately and follow
safeguarding and safety procedures
8. Ability to work sensitively in a multi-cultural, voluntary organisation, and commitment to
Asylum Welcome’s values and equal opportunities
9. Ability to communicate in one or more relevant languages as well as English is desirable

Please note that it is our policy to interview people with lived experience who meet the person
specification and encourage people from a refugee / migrant background to apply.
Closing date: 7th June

Apply: send CV and cover letter to: hannah@asylum-welcome.org
Please note that it is our policy to interview people with lived experience who meet the person
specification and encourage people from a refugee / migrant background to apply.