Job Description

Position Overview

Job Title:Operations and Services Administrative Assistant (Work Experience)

Reports to: Head of Operations and Health & Safety

Contract: Fixed term to 19 September 2025

Location: Central London, Kensington W8

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, with occasional out-of-hours requirements at weekends.

Salary: London Living Wage, currently 13.85 per hour

Key Responsiblities

The Operations and Services Administrative Assistant supports the smooth operation of Japan House London by providing key administrative assistance to the Operations & Services team.

Responsibilities include:

managing consumables orders contractor documentation help desk support supporting building inspections to ensure cleanliness, safety, and compliance supporting meetings, administration, and reporting training coordination
The role requires strong Microsoft Office skills, excellent written and verbal communication, and strong interpersonal abilities.

The ideal candidate will have excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and act as a point of contact for staff, visitors, and tenants. They will deliver excellent customer service to maintain a safe and efficient environment.

KEY DUTIES

Administrative Support

Provide administrative assistance to the Operations & Services team on matters concerning Japan House London, contractors, consultants, and other personnel involved in the delivery and management of JHLL operations. Assist the Operations Coordinator in collecting RAMS (Risk Assessments and Method Statements) from departments for events and project works, ensuring timely approval and issuance of permits to work and the scheduling of associated activities in the appropriate calendars. Support in raising and managing the tracking of approved PO's, record and track contractor call outs and ensure contractor documentation, such as RAMS, insurances, contracts, are recorded and up to date in both SharePoint and Smartlog system. Provide administrative support with the Smartlog system, including data entry, user updates, maintaining the training matrix, and reporting departmental non-compliance to the Operations Coordinator and Head of Health & Safety. Assist in managing and updating Operations & Services asset list for Front of House operations. Support with processing maintenance-related equipment orders through approved suppliers to support the maintenance team. Provide administrative support for the access control system, including producing access reports when requested. Manage calendars for the Operations & Services team, schedule meetings, training sessions, and coordinate room bookings to optimize team time and resource usage. Help coordinate staff training programs by scheduling sessions, tracking attendance, and maintaining training records. Attend weekly Events Operations meetings and other regular team meetings, take minutes, record key actions, and track follow-up activities. Assist with maintaining accurate administrative records, assist with reporting functions, and support the coordination of operations-related tasks. Assist with maintaining and organizing key operational documents, policies, and procedures, ensuring the latest versions are easily accessible to the team and archived properly.
Facilities Support

Conduct regular daily inspections of workplace, toilet, and public areas to ensure all facilities remain clean, tidy, and well-presented. Replenish consumables (e.g., paper towels, toilet rolls), respond to spillages in the absence of the cleaning team, and take timely remedial action as required. Assist in managing the weekly ordering of office and cleaning consumables, monitor related expenditure, and maintain accurate records via SharePoint. Assist in managing deliveries and distribution of consumables as needed and liaise with the cleaning team to coordinate and confirm weekly orders. Assist in carrying out regular safety inspections of the building, identifying and addressing day-to-day maintenance requirements and hazards. Assist in managing Help Desk tickets, compile a weekly maintenance task list prioritised by issue severity, and assist in coordinating timely service delivery with the building maintenance assistant. Support in maintaining contact lists and coordinating communication with suppliers and service providers to support procurement and contract management. Periodically assist in conducting physical audits of consumables and assets to verify records and highlight any discrepancies or needs for reordering.
Health & Safety Support

Work closely with the Head of Health & Safety and Operations Coordinator to identify and promptly escalate critical maintenance issues, ensuring essential business areas remain fully operational. Support emergency response and adherence to incident reporting and health & safety policies. Actively assist in supporting health and safety management in all aspects of building operations. Support to ensure ongoing compliance with health and safety policies and procedures, including hazard identification and resolution. Support to provide relevant data for quarterly health and safety and maintenance reports and ensure all incidents and accidents are promptly logged, followed up via the Smartlog incident reporting system. Support to monitor and report on adherence to Japan House London's safety policies and report unsafe practices or hazards, particularly those caused by tenants or third parties.
General

Assist in serving as a key point of contact for Japan House London staff, guests, visitors, and tenants regarding their impact on building occupants, and liaise with external third parties where appropriate on behalf of the Operations team, when required. Ensure a high standard of customer service is delivered to all internal and external stakeholders within your area of responsibility. Any other administrative task or support required by the Head of H&S or Operations Coordinator.

Key Relationships

Internal

Head of Health & Safety Operations Coordinator Building Maintenance Assistant Duty Managers IT Manager Other operational teams include Programming, Marketing & Communications, Performance & Development, and Finance & Compliance.
External

Programming or other departments' collaborators Service providers (e.g., equipment hires, system installers, exhibition installation and logistics etc.) Third-party contractors for Cleaning, Facilities & Maintenance, I.T. & Security Other external service providers

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Experience

This role is suitable for someone seeking to gain work experience in a facilities management or Operations setting
Qualifications & Knowledge

Educated to A-level, NVQ or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject (such as English, Maths, Business). High level of proficiency in the full MS Office suite Use of other software systems is beneficial
Essential capabilities

High business standard English language skills are essential Work collaboratively with all JHL staff and maintain effective communication regarding the health & safety of staff, visitors, and tenants Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills Excellent time management skills Ability to multi-task and prioritize work, Strong attention to detail Ability to adapt to fast changing tasks Customer service
Desirable capabilities

Knowledge of Health & Safety procedures Other language skills, including Japanese Previous experience in a cross-cultural workplace Previous experience in office-based workplace An understanding of Japanese culture

Work Environment

The responsibilities of this role will require the job holder to be based primarily on site. Some duties will be carried out in JHL public spaces. Based at Japan House London, Kensington High Street. Normal working hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, including a 1-hour unpaid break for lunch. Additional weekend working may be required.

Benefits

Holiday entitlement will accrue per hour worked and can be taken as paid leave at the end of the assignment. Employee discount for the Japan House Shop and Stand Access to perks and discounts local to Kensington High Street, London

About us

At Japan House London we offer the opportunity to experience the best and latest from Japan. Located on London's Kensington High Street, the experience we cultivate is an authentic encounter with Japan, engaging and surprising even the most knowledgeable guests.

Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology, we work to deepen the visitor's appreciation of all that Japan has to offer. At the same time, we cultivate our own understanding of Japan and Japanese cultures.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent, Temporary, Fixed term contract, Internship

Pay: 13.85 per hour

Expected hours: 30 per week

Benefits:

Bereavement leave Company pension Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme Life insurance Referral programme Sick pay Store discount
Schedule:

Monday to Friday Weekend availability
Language:

English (preferred)
Work Location: In person

Reference ID: JHLWorkExperience
Expected start date: 21/07/2025