Gillian Oman

As a member of lay staff supporting the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, a not-for-profit religious organisation dedicated to fostering interfaith understanding, I Coordinate day‑to‑day operations for the Sisters’ residential building and conference centre, ensuring smooth, compliant, and values‑led service delivery.

The key areas of accountability in my role are to:

• Manage front-of-house reception and hospitality, providing professional, welcoming environments for residents, guests, and visitors.
• Deliver high standards of customer service, responding to enquiries with empathy, discretion, and efficiency.
• Lead end-to-end recruitment and onboarding of in house domestic staff, supporting full employee lifecycle with professionalism and care; stabilised previously inconsistent staffing environment by building team cohesion and improving retention, ensuring steady, reassuring presence for the Sisters in their home.
• Manage and develop accessible administrative systems, ensuring robust record-keeping, effective document control, and streamlined office processes.
• Liaise with external suppliers and contractors, carry out credit and reference checking, managing service agreements, coordinating works scheduling, and contract compliance.
• Work closely with the Sisters, handling all matters with highest levels of confidentiality, exercising discretion and sensitivity in support of the Sisters and wider community, whilst ensuring adherence to compliance of health and safety, safeguarding, GDPR, and other regulatory requirements.
• Promote and uphold the ethos and values of the Sisters of Sion in all aspects of operational support.

The Hyelm Group is a small not-for-profit housing charity providing high-quality, affordable accommodation for young people of limited means in London. Over almost nine years in this employment, I progressed from Duty Manager to Office Administrator and ultimately Scheme Manager, overseeing day‑to‑day operations and service delivery at the organisation's flagship Old Street residence.

• Key areas of accountability in my role included:
• Leading a small team working closely with residents, staff and contractors, to deliver a smooth, compliant, and values‑driven service, maintaining a safe, welcoming environment for grounded in dignity, respect, and community support.
• Delivering consistently high standards of front‑of‑house service for residents, trustees, and visitors; managing all enquiries, emails, and calls, escalating issues appropriately..
• Supporting prospective residents through enquiries, interviews, full application processing, and move‑in coordination.
• Providing HR support across recruitment, onboarding, and employee lifecycle.
• Working closely with Directors to schedule and coordinate meetings, contribute to and prepare reports, and manage recruitment for trustees.
• Streamlining back-office processes to improve operational efficiency.
• Managed daily scheduling to facilitate organised operations.
• Maintaining accurate records and systems for facilities, incidents, and resident data in line with data protection standards.
• Liaising with external suppliers and contractors, managing service agreements, scheduling, and compliance.
• Fostering inclusive, respectful communities where young people of limited means were able to build confidence, develop essential life skills, and progress towards permanent accommodation within five years.