Assistant Front Office Manager

Purpose of the role: To ensure the smooth running of the Front Office Department thereby providing the delivery of exceptional service to our guests and Front Office Staff To oversee sub-departments within Front Office Coaching and mentoring staff to achieve Fairmont Standards To offer support to line staff and management. To identify growth potential amongst the staff and to provide ongoing training and guidance. Main Responsibilities: Financial: Satisfied Shareholders: Analyse billing instructions and ensure that all agent invoices are correct before sending them to the accounts department. Ensuring time sheets for all staff are captured correctly and that all monthly commissions are submitted timeously. Ensuring that staff are rostered according to Hotel occupancy. Ensuring accuracy with cashing up of cashiers and spot checking cashier floats on a regular basis. Ensure that all floats are sealed away in the safe before close of your shift.  Sound understanding of budgets and cost control To assist in the preparation of the annual budget in related areas and ensure it is well worked during the year To assist in the preparation of the annual budget in related areas and ensure it is well worked during the year Ensuring that stock levels are maintained for office use and welcome back gifting and that all paperwork relating to suppliers are submitted timeously to ensure accurate payment to suppliers. Monitor the PQ-status as well as the credit limits of all in-house guests. Ensuring that all courier service is up to date, charged accordingly and signed invoices are sent to accounts to process. Ensuring that all transfers and tours are charged correctly in accordance with the concierge team. Authorising all cash advance requests of guest and ensuring accuracy of charging procedure. Driving opportunities to enhance department revenue by identifying upsell and sale opportunities. Monitoring department expenses in accordance with occupancy and budgets.  Ensuring timeous submission of salaries on a monthly basis. To co-ordinate any commission payments within the sub-department. Timeous submission of all statements / invoices relating to month end department expenses.  Ensuring that all clearing accounts balance at month end.  Communicating to staff on a daily basis with regards to revenue targets. Customer Service: Delighted Customers: Models the Organizational Values and Fairmont Memorandum To ensure effective liaison between Front Office staff and other departments To be available to deal effectively with all guest complaints and staff related issues  Ongoing interaction with guests to facilitate upselling and ensuring the communication procedure is followed. To act as a House Manager when required To continually implement and encourage new ideas for improvement of the product To ensure accurate and timeous submission of all reports and relevant administration work To ensure effective running of PMS, PABX and all related interfaces in conjunction with the IT managers To ensure that the following guest programs are operated efficiently: Children / Honeymoon / Incentives & gifts / Welcome Back Guests/ Long Stay’s / Arrivals preparation for the next day. Ensuring that guest correspondence and special requests are carried out accordingly. To deputize for the Front Office Manager in their absence Conduct LQA assessments  Determine the training needs of the team and in turn train the team accordingly.   Nominate our team for the heartiest of the month program.  Element new initiatives on enrolling All members.  Complete month end stock take.  Complete and distribute the monthly rostering of the team.  Processes: Effective Processes: Creates and maintains department Standard Operating Procedures, Ability to enhance guest product and experience though ongoing innovation to improve operation.  To recruit above Front Office staff thereby maintaining appropriate staffing levels and skills  Ensuring guest value add programme runs efficiently and ensuring accurate product knowledge. Ensuring Health and Safety standards are maintained within the sub-department and act in accordance with regular assessments to eliminate possible risks.  To assist with maintaining Health and Safety standards and to promote regular assessments to eliminate possible risks within the department. Ensuring a constant update in standard operating procedures as the product and service requires. Ensure that the Back Office area is clean and tidy at all times  Learning and Growth: Motivated and Prepared Workforce: To give necessary direction, inspiration, motivation and support to the relevant sub-departments within Front Office, in line with Fairmont values, strategies and philosophies To ensure that staff adhere to all hotel policies and procedures To complete performance reviews and partnering initiatives when required To identify training needs and ensure that training is scheduled accordingly To draw up induction programmes and ensure an effective Godfather system To mentor, coach, counsel and discipline staff, as required To draw up fair rosters to ensure maximum staff productivity To ensure that regular sub-dept. and monthly Front Office meetings are held  To facilitate cross training within the Front Office department and to co-operate with other departments on cross training To ensure that a comprehensive educational programme runs throughout the year. Regular feedback sessions with individual staff to monitor growth and development. General knowledge and responsibilities: Has a thorough knowledge of the hotel and all services provided to the guest Have a general knowledge of Cape Town surroundings and popular guest attraction areas.  Maintains the high standard of service, appearance and social skills set according to the company policy Works in harmony with all departments and employees, is willing to assist others if and when required, Attends all training workshops as and when required  Is familiar with all policies and procedures, house rules, fire, security and emergency procedures as well as all checklists pertaining to the position Performs any reasonable duty as instructed by Front Office  Assisting with recruitment for the department. Management of IR/ Disciplinary enquiries