My Job

Darren Baker
Customer Services and Marketing Manager
Residential Services 

What are your main duties?
I am responsible for promoting University accommodation to prospective residents and ensuring that residential services continually builds upon the high standards of customer service currently enjoyed by our residents.

My main duties include publication design, customer feedback collection, liaising with other departments and representing Residential Services on various committees and forums within the University. I also help to develop procedural systems whilst assisting the Director in all matters relating to Residential Services.

What is your busiest time of year and why?
The busiest time of year for the accommodation office is throughout the summer and October. During this time we work on moving students into their summer accommodation, allocating over 3,300 students their new term time accommodation and work with the Estate Management Section on long-term maintenance projects. This involves all the staff in the office including myself mucking in to get the job done.

My own work is reasonably constant throughout the year. During the summer I am usually working on analysing customer feedback and investigating and developing projects to improve various aspects of Residential Services for the future. During term time this work continues alongside work supporting our current residents

How long have you worked at the University?
I have worked at the University for eight years. I started at the University as the Post Office Manager in 1998 and whilst in this position started studying Business and Systems Practice with the Open University. I progressed into my current role in July 2004.

Where (if anywhere) did you work before joining the University and why did you leave?
Prior to working at Essex I was a partner in my family’s retail business. I joined the University because I wanted a new challenge.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Making a difference; during my time at the University I have developed a strong affinity for the University, its students and staff. I feel a great sense of achievement when a project that I am a part of, however small, makes a positive difference to the University community.

What do you like about working at the University?
The University has a strong community feel and I enjoy working with other members of staff who feel as strongly as I do about the University and its students. The diverse, ever changing population of the University student body adds great variety to this community and allows us to make new friends with people from all over the world.

What do you dislike about working at the University?
Occasionally I get frustrated when projects do not move as quickly as I would like

What facilities on campus do you make use of, e.g. sports facilities, social venues etc?
I always intended to use the sports facilities on campus but, after eight years, I still haven’t done my fitness room induction and have managed to put on a few pounds (ahem!!). I use the Library for studying and I occasionally use the catering outlets for lunch and or a coffee when I have time.

What has been your biggest work-related challenge this year and how did you solve it?
In the last two years I have been working on improving the University launderette facilities. Last year the appointment of a management company and subsequent refurbishment of the launderette resulted in a far better service. Students rating the service as average or above in the 2005-2006 accommodation survey rose by 31 per cent against the previous academic year.

Far from resting on our laurels we have been working hard to answer student requests for a second launderette at South Courts. Funding and approval has been received and it is expected that work will start on this new facility during the Autumn term.

What would you change about the University if you were Vice-Chancellor for a day?
Room numbering!

Whereabouts is your office and what is it like?
I have just moved into a very nice office which is unfortunately located in the temporary porta-cabins that have been the home of the accommodation office for the last five years. It’s a bit parky in the winter, a bit too hot in the summer, the walls are a bit thin and we don’t have enough room for our expanding operations.

If you were to enrol as a student at the University, what would you study and why?
Erm… History I think. I really enjoy reading, especially historical novels based on actual events. I also enjoy reading factual historical material especially when it is related to the local area.

Describe a typical day at work.
I drive in from Dovercourt by motorbike, so that wakes me up! I put the coffee machine on and check my task scheduler then go back and re-arrange it after checking my e-mails!

My job is quite varied and differs from day to day. It is often quite reactive to events within accommodation so you never know what might crop up to take over your day. On a typical day I will lose the first hour or so to something unexpected.
A cup of coffee and a biscuit later and I typically find myself in a meeting. This could be anything from discussing on line applications with Web support or MIS staff to management team meetings or university forums such as the Welfare Forum.

After lunch I will usually follow up any action points from the mornings work and then crack on with work on projects that can be as diverse as survey analysis, website or brochure design, intake preparations, open days or new access systems for residences.

Does your job take you off campus much and if so where to?
I often have to travel out to Avon Way and the University Quays. Occasionally I will also travel to other universities to investigate systems that they have in place which are of interest to us and I have also visited both Southend and East 15 campuses in regard to the expansion of residential services on offer at these locations.

What other job in the University would you like, and why?
I have loads left that I want to achieve in my current role before I can think about doing anything else.

How long does your journey to work take?
It takes about 20 minutes to drive in on my bike.

Who would you most like a one to one with, and why?
Robin Williams. He is a very funny guy, just seeing him on screen makes me smile and I think a conversation with him would be an unforgettable experience.