£12.71 per hour + £1.53 holiday pay
Advertising End Date
06 May 2026

Role & Department Overview

Please note - Applicants for this temporary role must be able to work over the Summer Vacation Period 
 

Be a part of something inspirational  

 Sport Lancaster has recently undergone an exciting phase of change and development which has opened a wide range of opportunities within an emerging and evolving environment. Joining the team at this stage means you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of Sport at the university and be a part of something inspirational. 

The University has made significant investment in Sport Lancaster over recent years with the latest phase being a new 8-court badminton sports hall completed in June 2020 and now offering a truly outstanding Sports Facility. 

The Sport Lancaster Team operate a purpose-built Sports Centre, facilitating our 8.5m climbing wall, multi-function Sports Halls, Swimming pool, sauna & steam room, 100 station Technogym Fitness Suite, Squash Courts. We also operate the University’s impressive Outdoor facilities including Rugby Pitches, 3G surfaces, Tennis courts and much more.  

The Sports Centre is owned and managed by the University and is open to students across the UK, University staff and members of the local community. Sport Lancaster also proudly hosts several national events throughout the year.  

 Our team pride themselves on their knowledge and experience in their chosen area and are always on hand to guide and advise. We aim to inspire our customers to be physically active by creating a community which enables them to grow stronger, fitter and most importantly, more confident. We cater for all abilities and our facilities are fully accessible to everyone. 

 Working as part of our customer service team, you will be responsible for providing a range of information to customers, advising on available membership optionscarrying out a variety of reception and administration duties, via computerized booking systems and providing general administrative support to the Sports Centre. You will also assist to monitor the use of the facilities and contribute to the general operation of the service.   

Working alongside the operational teams, our customer advisors play a key role in emergency situations, guiding customers when necessary out of the facility, and being the point of contact for emergency services

 

You will be required to work on a shift-based system, which includes the requirement for you to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, University closure days and bank holidays. Please take notice of our shift times below, you must have the ability to arrive at the Sports Centre, ready to start work at the following times –  

Monday – Friday – Early Shifts - 5.30am Start  

                               Late Shifts – 10.30pm Finish  

Weekends – Early Shifts – 7.00am Start 

 
Preferred Start Date: 11th May 2026
Expected End Date: 2nd August 2026
Interview Date: 7th May 2026 
Location: On the Lancaster University Campus

Job Description

Major Duties:
  • Manage and prioritise all day to day operations for the reception.
  • To ensure that visitors experience exceptional customer service, dealing with a wide variety of people in an 
    efficient and helpful manner and be courteous and sympathetic to the needs of students, staff and visitors.
  • Communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation and with customers
  • To carry out a variety of reception and administration duties, via computerized booking system and provide 
    general administrative support to the Sports Centre.
  • To handle money and the sale of tickets, sell memberships and secondary sale items.
  • To provide security through observation of customers entering and leaving the building. Check membership
    cards and challenge unauthorized entrance to prevent inappropriate use of the facility and provide control 
    on the movement and safe passage of customers through reception
  • To proactively gather, monitor and maintain a calendar of information on Sports Centre activities, events
    and services to ensure a customer-focused response to all queries.
  • Responsible for maintaining the professional appearance of the reception. To ensure that information 
    displayed is neatly presented, relevant, up-to-date and regularly replenished.
  • To deal with telephone calls and face to face enquiries from both internal and external customers in a polite 
    and efficient manner.
  • To contribute new ideas and make suggestions for the continual improvement of services and procedures
  • To promote the sports centre Customer Care Policy and to integrate in their approach and delivery of 
    services.
  • To adhere to the Sports Centre Normal Operating Procedures (NOPs) and Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). 
  • To conduct any other duties as may reasonably be required, consistent with the grade of the post.
 
Receptionists will be required to work on a shift rota, which will include regular early morning, evening, 
weekend and Bank Holiday work.

Person Specification

  • Educated to GCSE level in English and Maths or equivalent. 
  • Ability to work proactively and flexibly within the team and work on own initiative.
  • Ability to work shifts, including evenings and weekends.
  • Proven and demonstrable experience in the delivery of front-line services in a busy customer orientated environment
  • Excellent administrative and organisational skills, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills. 
  • Ability to work under pressure and prioritise to meet deadlines. 
  • Flexibility to adapt to reactive issues and changing workloads. 
  • Experience of and/or appreciation of a multi cultural environment.
  • Willingness to undertake training to improve skill base or adapt to changing circumstances
  • Excellent communication skills and an advocate of customer care ensuring that the experience of each customer is positive and satisfactory.
  • Ability to deal with sensitive and confidential information. 
  • Experience in using a range of IT packages, Web, Microsoft Outlook, Windows applications
 
Working in this role will help develop the following skills and experience:
  • Flexibility
  • Organisation
  • Problem solving
  • Teamwork
  • Time Management
  • Verbal communication
  • Written communication
 

You are required to submit a cover letter to support your application. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Please note: Unless specified otherwise in the advert wording, this role is only open to individuals living in the UK.

Under the terms of this work, we endeavour to provide the advertised number of hours however, hours are not guaranteed and that work may cease if there is a fall in demand. 

Adverts that display a closing date should be treated as a guide. We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

Help and advice on making applications can be found on the Lancaster University Careers pages. Visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers.