Job Description

About The Birchwood Charity

Birchwood is a charity supporting people experiencing homelessness, poor mental health and wellbeing challenges. We provide housing-related support, counselling, social inclusion activities and community-based services across West Lancashire. Our aim is to help people find stability, improve wellbeing and move forward with purpose.

Job Purpose:

This is a flexible and varied role combining reception duties with operational and administrative support, particularly across our Mental Health, Counselling and Social Inclusion services.

The postholder will act as a key point of contact for clients, staff and visitors and will support the coordination of digital systems and routine admin processes. This includes working with tools such as Zoho CRM, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft systems to help maintain accurate records, smooth communication and well-organised internal systems.

They will help coordinate practical aspects of reception, team meetings and service events, such as preparing room materials, organising shared documents or collating notes, particularly during busy periods or when colleagues are unavailable.

This role is ideal for someone who has excellent people skills, is well-organised, digitally confident and values-led, with an interest in supporting services that make a tangible difference to people's lives.

Key Responsibilities:

Reception and Front-of-House

1. Provide a consistent, welcoming and professional reception service across Birchwood sites as required.

2. Manage incoming calls, emails and visitor enquiries with sensitivity and efficiency.

3. Maintain a clean, safe and welcoming environment in shared areas.

4. Book and prepare meeting rooms and communal spaces for events and service delivery.

5. Handle post, monitor stationery and provide practical support for site operations.

Support to Counselling and Social Inclusion Services

1. Coordinate initial counselling appointments using Zoho CRM, considering compatibility and availability.

2. Accurately record attendance and session outcomes on the CRM.

3. Respond to client and counsellor queries and guide clients through check-in processes.

4. Monitor the counselling SMS inbox and flag any safeguarding concerns.

5. Issue attendance letters and liaise with referrers or statutory agencies when needed.

6. Update and manage appointment schedules and cancellations for counselling staff.

7. Assist in gathering feedback and outcomes for service monitoring and reporting.

Operational and Systems Support:

1. Provide flexible admin support to Mental Health, Counselling and Inclusion teams during busy periods or staff absence.

2. Organise diaries and assist with counselling meeting logistics (e.g. sending invites, booking rooms).

3. Prepare basic documentation such as agendas, notes or information packs for service meetings.

4. Maintain digital filing systems on Microsoft SharePoint to ensure team documents are logically stored and accessible.

5. Circulate internal team communications and contribute to coordination of events or training.

6. Use Microsoft systems and other digital tools to improve efficiency.

7. Support data entry and collation for monitoring, evaluation and compliance reporting.

Person Specification:

Essential

Own car and full, clean driving licence. Strong educational background with good written and numerical skills. Organised, proactive and able to see tasks through to completion. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. High standards of accuracy in written communication and data entry. Confident user of Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Word and Excel. Respectful and professional when handling sensitive information. Co-ordination, documentation, preparation and systems use. Able to travel across sites and work flexibly to meet service needs. Empathetic, responsive and committed to Birchwood's values.

Desirable

Understanding of SharePoint and digital file management Knowledge or experience of Microsoft or similar tools Familiarity with counselling or mental health services Previous experience using CRM systems or client databases

Additional Information

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Occasional evening work may be required to support events. Full training will be provided on internal systems and processes.

What We Offer

A values-led workplace with a strong commitment to inclusion. Ongoing training and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Exposure to a range of charity operations and digital tools. The chance to contribute to meaningful work supporting local communities
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 23,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Casual dress Employee discount Free fitness classes Free parking Gym membership Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking
Schedule:

Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 14/08/2025
Reference ID: Reception and Data Administrator