"Custodian - Housekeeping and Catering Supervisor (Fixed Term)"

The Institute of Astronomy (IoA) are seeking an experienced Custodian - Housekeeping and Catering Supervisor to provide efficient administrative support to facilitate the smooth operation of the housekeeping team. This role will provide support for both the IoA and the Kavli Institute of Cosmology, Cambridge (KICC).

In this role, you will help supervise and support the housekeeping team, including mentoring staff and assisting with basic HR tasks. These may include helping with probation paperwork, processing starters and leavers, updating holiday and sickness records, and supporting recruitment activities. You will also allocate daily housekeeping tasks to team members.

As the first point of contact for the housekeeping team, you will deal with inquiries by phone, MS Teams and email, making sure questions are answered promptly and accurately.

You will help organise catering and cleaning for meetings and events, keep track of catering and housekeeping orders, and arrange work with external suppliers when needed.

This is also a hands-on role, and you will help ensure that cleaning, portering, maintenance and security tasks are carried out efficiently and to a high standard.

We are looking for someone reliable, friendly and organised to join our Housekeeping team.

You should have some previous experience in administration, housekeeping and catering, and be comfortable using Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. Experience supervising others would be helpful, but it is not essential.

In this role, you will work closely with colleagues across the Institute, so good communication and a positive, supportive attitude are important. We are looking for someone who can build good working relationships, treat everyone with respect and contribute to an inclusive and welcoming workplace.

As part of the team, you will help make sure tasks are completed accurately and on time. You should be someone who takes pride in doing a job well and can follow instructions carefully. The role includes supporting the Deputy Facilities Manager across all Institute of Astronomy buildings, so being willing to take on different tasks and adapt to changing needs is important. Basic DIY skills are also required.

You should be educated to GCSE level (or equivalent). You will need a Level 3 Food Safety qualification, and if you do not already have this, we will arrange and pay for the training.

See the Further Particulars for further details on the required skills, experience and knowledge for this role.

In return, the IoA are offering:

• A clear training and induction plan to ensure you are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve success.
• Regular meetings with your line manager and an annual development review to support your personal development.
• Access to University training courses to support your ongoing learning and development.
• A supportive and inclusive working environment that encourages collaboration and supports wellbeing.
• Further excellent and competitive benefits for University of Cambridge employees can be found here.

The position is full time, working Monday - Friday and funds are available for this post for 2 years from date of appointment, with the possibility of extension.

Location: The Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Applications will be monitored regularly, and we may contact candidates prior to the closing date. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Informal inquiries can be made by email to Stephen Lawson, Deputy Facilities Manager at: sl2215@ast.cam.ac.uk. Questions about the application process should be directed to HR@ast.cam.ac.uk.

Closing Date: 23:59 GMT, 4th January 2026.

Provisional Interview Date: week commencing 12th January 2026.

Please quote reference LG48235 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

Key information

Department/location
Institute of Astronomy

Salary
£27,319-£31,236

Reference
LG48235

Category
Assistant staff

Date published
12 December 2025

Closing date
4 January 2026