Studio Manager

Venrec are pleased to be recruiting on behalf of our client for a studio manager to join their award winning architecture practice based within the City of London. This is an excellent opportunity to work in a friendly and supportive team.

This role is wide-ranging and covers 3 main areas; business support, human resources and personal assistant to the managing director.

Business support and office administration

• Arranging meetings, greeting visitors and general diary management.
• Regularly liaising with the company's accountants in order to provide necessary information, including expenses, credit card statements, etc.
• Updating the company's cashflow forecasts for presentation to the directors.
• Preparing sales invoices and chasing payments when necessary.
• Providing support client relationships.
• Ordering office supplies and arranging for office maintenance issues to be dealt with as and when required.
• Acting as the first point of call for IT issues and liaising with the firm's external IT providers to ensure the smooth running of systems.
• Working with the firm's marketing manager to review website content and assist with other ad hoc marketing activities as required.
• Taking internal meeting notes and following up on any action points that arise.

HR duties

• Arranging for annual performance appraisals to be undertaken for each employee.
• Dealing with new staff matters and inductions, including the issuing of job offers and employment contracts.
• Arranging for appropriate health and safety, fire training to be given employees and ensuring that this is updated on a rolling basis.
• Maintaining and updating annual leave records and ensuring that staff cover is adequate at all times.
• Organising CPD training for all professionally qualified staff and ensuring that this is adequate and covers all requirements.
• Working with the firm's external HR providers in order to assist in staff matters such as disciplinary and performance review.

Personal assistant

• Organising venues and arranging travel, hotel and meeting arrangements in both the UK and overseas.
• Dealing with personal travel bookings.
• Maintaining and updating the managing director's diary
• Maintaining a spreadsheet containing the 'target list’ of individuals ensuring regular meetings are held and keeping records of feedback and action points from these meetings

A successful candidate is required to have the following skills and experience;

• Whilst previous experience working for an architectural practice would be beneficial, this is not essential. The successful candidate will need to have solid experience of working as an office manager/personal assistant at a high level.
• An enthusiastic and pro-active approach with the ability to use initiative.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to work in a varied, busy role.
• Good customer service skills.

The salary for this role is £35,000 depending on experience, but could be flexible for the right candidate.