Our Story

Our small Canadian-born business was founded in 1978 and has become a global organization that now spans 120 locations across 20 countries. Our expansion has been rapid, but what matters most is the common belief that drives all 5,000 of our people to be a different type of real estate organization. We believe that the places in which we live, work and play have the power to make us happier and healthier, and we are united by a shared sense of purpose, to have a positive impact on people’s lives. In short, we are a global commercial real estate advisory firm with a simple aim: for real estate to play a leading role in creating vibrant buildings, cities and places that deliver long-lasting social value and economic impact.  

Why Work for Us:

We believe that our industry is changing, and we want our business to be a melting pot of curious minds, passionate hearts and strategic intelligence. Your gender, religion and race are all highly respected, but are less important to us than your ability to step up and change the game. We provide you with a place where you can do just that, with like-minded people. Collaboration is embedded in the way we work – our people have the autonomy to collaborate on client relationships, engage teams across the business, lead operations, work collectively on projects, participate in strategy and are ultimately responsible for our growth. Our distinctive Principal-led, privately-owned model puts us in the enviable position of being able to offer every employee the opportunity to own a share of our business and inspires and allows anyone to become a Principal. This role carries voting rights, so our people have a very real say in the future direction and operation of our business. This means that we are able to attract, engage and retain the best talent from the industry.  

As we move into a new era of work life, experience is everything. Our Welcome Hosts are the first and last impression that people will have with our brand, and the brands of those we provide office space for. Therefore, it is essential that a positive, memorable experience is delivered to all those walking through our doors. The opportunities available to us connect and engage with our customers in new and exciting ways outside of the traditional receptionist duties make our roles more attractive to those with a passion for service running through them. Avison Young are seeking to create thriving spaces that welcome everybody; informal meetings, social meetings, networking, and relaxation spaces, and we want our Welcome Hosts to be the wow differentiator within them.   

You will be responsible for ensuring every user of our buildings is provided with an exceptional experience. This could be provided within a variety of ways and locations; however this role will predominantly be based out within the lobby floor ready to receive, triage and support incoming customers.

You will own the space around you, demonstrating pride in its appearance. You will constantly seek and implement new ideas, initiatives, and facilities to create a community feel which provides encouragement to others to maximise use of the space. Where available, you will utilise technology to implement an efficient and effective check-in, support onward travel and provide an ongoing experience and community focused service solution, alongside your friendly, informative, and interactive delivery. We want you to push the boundaries of the possible as you seek to provide the best in class user experience, always finding the hidden opportunity to surprise and delight our customers.

• • • • Provide a user focused service experience that is built on the foundations of exceeding expectations, making each and every visitor and employee feel important and valued
      • Always demonstrate the behaviours set out in the ‘Behaviours Playbook’
      • Welcome all users into the building in a warm, friendly, and efficient manner, supporting the onward journey where required
      • Ensure you are knowledgeable about all occupiers within the building, and strive to build positive relationships with key contacts within each
      • Liaise with occupier contacts to promote the benefits of available technology to pre-book visitors, and assist with tailored pre-arrival confirmation information and pre-arrival guest services as required  
      • Support efficient check-in of visitors, utilising technology where possible to ensure efficient and cost-effective solutions are promoted
      • Ensure quick communication of visitor arrivals is achieved where automated options are not utilised
      • Continuously drive relationships and connectivity with all building users to better understand their views on changing needs and requirements of the service delivery, keeping aware of service trends and seeking solutions to introduce them into the everyday service
      • Utilise technology to drive communication and community within your space
      • Use autonomy given to take ownership of the welcome spaces, taking pride in appearance, and regularly reviewing innovative opportunity the space can accommodate
      • Promote, manage, and maintain the use of touch down areas within the Welcome spaces as well as other facilities within the building / community as appropriate
      • Where appropriate, provide waiting visitors with a hot/cold beverage and offer any further support if needed, acting as a representative for, and until they are collected by, their host
      • Champion a ‘One Team’ approach with other service providers to ensure the service is seamless in appearance to the user
      • Build and maintain a current, working knowledge of all FOH policies, procedures, systems and tools in order to provide building users with information as required
      • View all challenges and complaints as an opportunity; seek to resolve the situation in a way that excels expectations, ensuring to escalate to your line manager where required
      • Be an advocate for change, motivating and supporting others with the introduction of new initiatives
      • Continuously seek and action feedback on service delivery and opportunity
      • Play an active role in reviewing, and creating improvement plans from quarterly audit reports  
      • Network with your FOH colleagues around the UK, building relationships and supporting each other
      • Offer input and perspective at team meetings, demonstrating reason and emotional intelligence
      • Offer input into the monthly client report, taking ownership of allocated sections as requested
      • Take an active role in the ‘Champions’ group meetings that you are assigned to, acting as the building representative when present and delivering back relevant information gained to your teammates
      • Take an active role in training and supporting new FOH colleagues through their induction period
      • Attend training courses as required, actively seeking to introduce learnings into everyday service
      • Take charge of your own development, actively contributing to appraisals and seeking training opportunity
      • Ensure Health and Safety requirements within your remit are monitored, escalating where appropriate ensuring that you do not endanger yourself or others in your working environment
      • Ensure compliance (zero tolerance policy) with all Avison Young policies, including but not limited to; GDPR, Bribery, Bullying and Harassment, and unconscious bias.  
      • Participate and assist with client visits and prospective occupier show rounds
      • To portray yourself as an Ambassador for Avison Young at all times

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks. Your day-to-day workstreams will include tasks not listed above and it is expected that you will demonstrate a positive, ‘can do’ approach to any other reasonable duties requested of you. It is a live document and will be reviewed and reissued as appropriate in line with any changes to our service requirements.

• Previous experience within a service delivery environment similar to hotels, airlines etc and confidence to demonstrate at interview
• Previous experience and comfort working with technology in service delivery, and possessing the ability to adapt to new technology as it is launched and confidence to demonstrate at interview
• Ability to demonstrate understanding of, and previous experience of delivering, exceptional service at interview
• Confident communicator
• Competent user of Microsoft Office suite
• Fluent written and spoken English
• This is not a ‘desk-only’ based role; you will be expected to be present and mobile within the Lobby area for parts of the day

At Avison Young, we are committed to building an inclusive culture that empowers all of our employees to thrive, be successful and feel a sense of belonging.  Avison Young is an equal opportunities employer, and is committed to treating all its employees and job applicants equally.  If you are person with a disability, if you are neurodivergent, or if you have a condition that you believe may affect your performance during our selection process, Avison Young will be happy to make reasonable adjustments to our processes for you.