Office Manager/Receptionist

Are you a highly organised, practical and people-focused office professional who enjoys making things work well? Do you combine a warm and welcoming manner with the confidence to take responsibility for a busy workplace?

We're looking for an Office Manager / Receptionist to be at the heart of our busy office and advice centre in Bethnal Green. You'll help make Praxis a welcoming, safe and well-run place for the migrants and refugees who use our services, as well as for our staff, volunteers and visitors.

About the role

This is a varied, hands-on role combining reception and front-of-house work with office and facilities management . You'll be the welcoming and professional first point of contact for people visiting or contacting Praxis, while taking responsibility for the smooth day-to-day running of our building and essential office services.

• Provide a warm, calm and professional reception service for people visiting our advice centre, including people who may be experiencing crisis or difficult circumstances.
• Manage the day-to-day running of our office, including facilities, repairs, contractors, supplies and office services.
• Help ensure our premises are safe and compliant, coordinating health and safety, fire safety, security and emergency procedures.
• Supervise our Receptionist, Caretaker and Administrative Assistant and help ensure reliable reception and administrative cover.
• Coordinate practical relationships with suppliers, our landlord and external IT support.
• Keep important office systems and records running effectively and support colleagues with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and other organisational systems.
• Help us continually improve our reception service, office systems and working environment.

It's a role for someone who enjoys both people and practical problem-solving : someone equally comfortable welcoming a service user, organising a repair, supporting a colleague, checking a health and safety process or finding a better way of making an office system work.

What you'll bring

You'll be warm, calm, organised and proactive , with experience in office management, facilities, reception, administration or another busy customer-facing environment.

You'll be comfortable managing several competing priorities and following things through, with the judgement to respond confidently when something unexpected happens.

You'll also bring experience of managing a small team, good administrative and digital skills, and practical knowledge of workplace health and safety. Just as importantly, you'll be able to respond professionally and empathetically to people who may be distressed or dealing with sensitive circumstances.

Experience in a charity, advice, community or other frontline service environment would be particularly useful, as would experience of facilities management, food safety, outsourced IT support or Cyber Essentials.

Above all, you'll share Praxis' commitment to treating people with dignity and respect and creating a welcoming environment for migrants and refugees.

About Praxis

Praxis is a dynamic, award-winning human rights charity supporting migrants in crisis or at risk, ensuring their essential human needs are met and helping them overcome the barriers they face. We work to build community, challenge exclusion and discrimination, influence policy and improve services, and campaign for lasting changes to address the root causes of the issues faced by migrants at risk.

We are a progressive organisation committed to an inclusive workplace that reflects our values and the society we want to live in. We particularly encourage applications from people with lived experience of the migration system.

Our benefits package includes

• 25 days' annual leave, increasing to 30 days with service, plus paid Bank Holidays
• Equal parental leave, including 26 weeks on full pay for eligible staff
• Religious/reflective leave, Life Happens leave and menstrual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme providing counselling and support 24/7
• Workplace pension scheme and life assurance at 1x annual salary
• Financial wellbeing support, including payroll savings, signposted advice and hardship loans.

This position is office-based , rather than hybrid, because consistent on-site presence is central to providing reception services and managing the building safely and effectively.

We're looking for an Office Manager / Receptionist to be at the heart of our busy office and advice centre in Bethnal Green. You'll help make Praxis a welcoming, safe and well-run place for the migrants and refugees who use our services, as well as for our staff, volunteers and visitors. This full-time role is available on a fixed-term basis until 31st March 2027.

Hours

35 hours per week, Mon - Fri

A 35-hour working week, including flexible working hours; a hybrid working model; 25 days annual leave (+ 8 bank holidays) increasing annually to a max of 30 days; your birthday off work; a season ticket loan to help you spread the cost of your commute and hardship loans; a defined contribution pension scheme; life assurance and an employee assistance programme offers counselling and support for you 24/7

24-12-2026