Residential Services Coordinator
Location: West Dean, West Sussex
Hours: 17.5 hours per week (0.5 FTE)
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £13,000 per annum (£26,000 FTE)
Closing date: 28 August 2026
Interview date: To be confirmed
About West Dean
West Dean is a unique place to work and visit, combining an internationally recognised centre for arts, design, craft and conservation with award-winning public gardens, historic collections and a working estate.
Set within the 6,350-acre West Dean Estate in the South Downs National Park, our Sussex campus is home to West Dean College, renowned gardens, heritage glasshouses, a kitchen garden, tranquil parkland walks, a Tapestry Studio and historic staterooms that host events, exhibitions and private functions.
Together with our Bloomsbury campus in London, West Dean offers a rich mix of education, heritage, hospitality and visitor experiences. Working at West Dean means joining a community that values creativity, craftsmanship, sustainability and inclusivity, while playing a part in safeguarding and sharing one of the UK’s most distinctive cultural institutions.
About the role
As Residential Services Coordinator, you will play a key role in ensuring that West Dean’s Higher Education residential accommodation is well organised, welcoming and ready to support students throughout their time on campus.
Working within Student Welcome and Campus Services, you will coordinate the day-to-day administration of student accommodation, including room allocations, arrivals, departures, room changes, residential records and accommodation documentation.
You will act as a friendly and professional first point of contact for routine residential enquiries, providing clear information and practical support to students.
Working closely with colleagues across Student Welcome, Housekeeping, Building Maintenance, Finance and Academic and Student Services, you will help ensure rooms are prepared, issues are followed up and accommodation information remains accurate and up to date.
The role will also involve supporting accommodation charges, inspections, inventories, maintenance reporting and the smooth coordination of busy arrival and departure periods.
This is a highly organised and collaborative role, suited to someone who enjoys working with people, keeping accurate records and ensuring that practical details are managed effectively.
You will need to be confident working independently, managing competing priorities and following issues through to resolution, while knowing when to escalate matters to the Front Desk & Residential Services Manager or other appropriate colleagues.
The role also requires a clear understanding of professional boundaries. You will provide helpful information and appropriate signposting to students, while referring welfare, safeguarding or more complex concerns to colleagues with the appropriate expertise.
About you
You will be organised, approachable and dependable, with strong attention to detail and a practical, customer-focused approach.
You will enjoy working with people, managing competing priorities and keeping accurate records, while communicating clearly and professionally.
You will be confident working independently, collaborating across teams and knowing when to seek guidance or escalate an issue.
We are looking for someone with experience in an administrative, customer service, accommodation, hospitality or comparable operational role. You will have experience of maintaining accurate records, responding to enquiries, using IT systems and coordinating a range of tasks within agreed timescales.
Experience of working with Higher Education students, student accommodation, residential services, hospitality or property administration would be desirable.
You will also have strong organisational skills, excellent attention to detail, clear communication skills and a practical, solutions-focused approach. Good numerical skills and confidence working with financial information will be important, alongside an understanding of confidentiality, professional boundaries and data protection.
Why join West Dean?
Working at West Dean means becoming part of a community that values creativity, craftsmanship, sustainability and inclusivity.
You will have the opportunity to make a direct contribution to the student experience and to the effective running of West Dean’s residential services.
Benefits include:
Generous contributory pension scheme, matching from 4% to 7.5%.
Employee Assistance Programme.
Mental Health First Aiders.
Cycle to Work scheme.
Free entry to West Dean Gardens.
Discounts on retail goods in our two shops in Sussex.
Free and discounted places on short courses at West Dean College.
Free use of West Dean, Sussex facilities, including the swimming pool, library and tennis courts.
Subsidised bed and breakfast rates on the Sussex campus.
Ready to apply?
If you are organised, approachable and passionate about providing a professional and welcoming residential service, we would love to hear from you.
Closing date for applications: 28 August 2026
Interview date: To be confirmed
