CARETAKER/EVENTS TEAM ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Place of Work
Winton House lies 14 miles to the south east of Edinburgh and is home to the Ogilvy family. It also contains two flats, one which is let separately and one for the resident caretakers. Winton is open for corporate hospitality as a venue for dinners, weddings, activity days, meetings, overnight accommodation and also for tours for the general public. It is one of the most important houses in Scotland architecturally and is surrounded by an agricultural estate with direct links back to 1150. There are two self catering properties nearby, Wintonhill Farmhouse which is and often used for accommodation in conjunction with events held at Winton House, and Winton Cottage which will be available in the spring of 2007.

General Job Outline
A married couple is ideally sought to fulfil the caretaking and housekeeping roles for Winton House and the two self catering properties. They will also provide assistance to the events team and when time permits, the caretaker will be asked to assist in the extensive gardens and grounds. A garden flat in the oldest rooms of the house is provided with the post, although it is possible that the housekeeping position could be serviced by someone living separately from the house.

The house as become well established for corporate hospitality and has won prestigious awards for the customer service provided. The caretaking and housekeeping positions are viewed as crucial to sustain the service which is now expected from the events team and also to maintain the house and grounds to a similarly high standard. Sharing the beauty of Winton with a wide range of visitors is considered important: we hope to allow them to enjoy their stay to the extent that they wish to return.

The job has great variety and often combines front of house glamour with less dramatic hard work in the background. The hours can be irregular and sometimes unsociable when events within the house are in progress, however this is taken into account as much as possible in order to allow for regular time off when alternative cover is provided. The house and the activities that take place there have changed considerably in recent years and the successful applicants will need to demonstrate a willingness to be flexible as well as show ability as communicators because of the wide variety of people who come to the House. A level of fitness is required to cope with stairs and moving furniture between functions.

Character of Applicant
The position is one of trust and responsibility. It can involve close contact with many members of the public and requires someone with integrity and initiative and the capacity to work long hours where necessary, often at weekends. The list below of specific duties is given for indicative purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive.

General Security/Reception duties will include the following:

• Opening up and closing down of the house
• Answering the door to tradesmen, suppliers and clients
• Monitoring of the fire and burglar alarms
• DIY in Winton House, Wintonhill Farmhouse and cottages as required
• Furniture moving and function set-up, including:
• Stocktaking/ordering for heating fuel, lighting and catering cooker
• Heating - monitoring of woodchip boiler for heat and hot water (shared role)
• Organising the following: window cleaning, chimney sweeping, maintenance and servicing of appliances, emptying of septic tanks, rubbish uplift, etc
• Maintenance of roofs and underground drainage
• Setting up & Clearing equipment for functions, from tables, chairs & bar units to cabling for marquee events, or setting up kit for outdoor activities
• Assisting with activity days especially with large scale outdoor events
• Emptying meter in laundry and reading meters in Winton House and outbuildings

The successful Applicant will need to display the following characteristics:

• An ability to relate comfortably with visitors of all types, other staff and suppliers in a variety of situations. This could vary from, greeting at front door, showing guests into the Farmhouse, assisting guests with queries at functions or dealing with suppliers
• Organised & flexible
• Able to work on your own initiative
• Attention to detail
• Numeracy
• An understanding of customer care and client needs
• Sense of fun at the right times
• Flexibility to changes imposed by clients or colleagues

Useful but not essential experience would include:

• Bar work
• Basic computer skills
• Any activity skills or interests/hobbies you can bring to the job

Liaison
The successful applicant will be answerable principally to Sir Francis Ogilvy, but also to event organisers and the head gardener for specific related work. He will be expected to work as team players with the Events Team, the Gardening team, and others generally in the Winton Estate Team.

Accommodation
A self contained flat is provided, occupying the barrel vaulted rooms of the 15th century house. They have been recently upgraded to allow for comfortable living space with the maximum amount of insulation for heat and sound. The large former kitchen from the 17th century has been converted for use as a living/dining room; next door is a good sized kitchen with a hallway, bath/shower room and double bedroom beyond. The back door is shared with all of the occupants of the house; the heating for radiators and hot water comes from a newly installed woodchip fired boiler within the gardens and there is an up to date telephone system.

Terms and Conditions
Hours: The working week will normally be from Tuesday to Friday with caretaking and function-specific duties only on Saturdays. Time off will be given on Sundays and Mondays together with Thursday evenings for caretaking duties as well as one long weekend per month, normally the last unless otherwise specified, from Saturday morning to Monday night. When required to work on Sundays, time off in lieu where possible will be given.
Tuesday to Friday, 8am - 4.30pm regular hours with caretaking duties thereafter including Saturdays and evening functions. From 1st October to 31st March, the regular hours are 8am - 4.00pm.
Holidays: 28 days including public holidays. It will be unlikely that extended holidays will be possible during the summer.
Transport: There is an estate vehicle shared with other staff although it is recommended that the caretakers have their own transport. For private car use on Winton business a mileage allowance will be paid.
Salary: The salaries are dependent upon experience and are inclusive of furnished accommodation, Council Tax, heating, lighting and telephone rental.

Conclusion
The extension and development of the gardening team for the first time in several decades has been keenly awaited but has required other groundwork to be in place beforehand. It is hoped that the successful applicant will quickly assume a degree of ownership of the gardens around Winton House and elsewhere on the estate with an eye for bringing out and developing the extraordinary from the ordinary. By involving the gardens as part of commercial events and activities focused at Winton House, justification for future investment will be positively considered.

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate an ability to apply lateral thinking not only to bring a practical and economically sound answer to a problem, but also to find and work towards new but appropriate garden uses that will bring financial reward to sustain the work in the gardens and the livelihoods of those who work in them. The potential for the gardens is huge; there is a willingness to address this with a network of support and enthusiasm from others. It is hoped therefore that the successful applicant will be keen to see the transformation which is anticipated.

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