Front of House Associate

Organisation: ESPO

Work Location: Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 1ES

Salary:  £25,995 - £26,409 per annum (pro rata for part-time) - pay award pending

Working Hours: 37 hours (Part time hours and term time only contracts will be considered)

Contract Type: Permanent 

Closing Date: 31st August 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC, early September

About the Role

By joining ESPO as a Front of house, you’ll be part of a highly successful professional buying organisation that provides cost-effective procurement and supply services to the public sector. ESPO is owned and governed by a consortium of six local authority members based in the East Midlands, with Leicestershire County Council acting as the employer.

This role sits within our HR & Admin Support team and is central to creating a welcoming, professional and efficient front-of-house experience. You’ll be the first point of contact for visitors, customers, suppliers and colleagues, helping to make sure enquiries are handled courteously and effectively.

No two days will be the same. From managing reception and switchboard duties to handling post, room bookings, visitor passes, deliveries and general administration, you’ll play an important role in keeping ESPO’s day-to-day operations running smoothly. You’ll also work closely with teams across the organisation, providing flexible support where it is needed.

We’re looking for someone with:

• A passion for delivering excellent customer service
• Strong communication skills, both face to face and over the phone
• Good organisation skills and the ability to prioritise a varied workload
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and other systems or databases
• A calm, diplomatic approach when dealing with enquiries or challenging situations
• A flexible, proactive attitude and willingness to support colleagues across the organisation

Experience in reception, switchboard, customer care or administration would be a real advantage, but what matters most is your ability to provide a positive first impression, stay organised and deliver a helpful, professional service.

If you enjoy working with people, take pride in providing great customer service and want to be part of a friendly and supportive team, we’d love to hear from you.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• • NVQ in Customer Services (or equivalent qualification) or relevant customer service experience.
  • Experience of providing a professional and welcoming front of house or reception service.
  • Experience of operating a busy switchboard and handling a high volume of telephone enquiries.
  • Proven clerical and administrative experience, including the use of Microsoft Office applications.
  • Experience of processing and handling financial transactions accurately and securely.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to deal confidently with a wide range of customers and stakeholders.
  • Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks, maintain attention to detail and work effectively in a busy environment.
  
  

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) and therefore the ability to speak fluent English is an essential requirement for this role.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our customers.  You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

What we offer:

• Flexible working and family-friendly working arrangements where the role allows. 
• Opportunities and access to employee benefits portal with car lease scheme.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service), and a scheme to buy additional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution.
• Opportunities for learning and development including induction, on-the-job training, e-learning, mentoring, and access to professional development programmes to help you build your skills and progress your career
• Great office location next to Fosse Park, with free on-site parking and easy access to M1 and M69.   
• A supportive and inclusive working environment.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. 

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Susan Shaw, Personal Assistant to Managing Director

Email: [email protected] 

How to Apply

At ESPO we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raise a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support. 

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About ESPO

We're a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.

We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.

ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, IT, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.

To learn more about working for ESPO please visit www.espo.org.