Welcome Manager

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity to lead a team of 10 welcome staff and 50 volunteers at Upton House and Gardens and Canons Ashby. As Welcome Manager, you'll head up the staff & volunteer team, and as weekends and bank holidays are our busiest time this in when we'll need your leadership skills the most, to welcome our visitors and help them enjoy their visit.

This role is based on annualised hours, where the number of hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year. You'll work 1950 hours per year, which on average is 37.5 hours per week.

Reporting to the Visitor Experience and Operations Manager and working across Upton and Canons, no two days, nor places are the same but what they do have in common are a warm and friendly team of passionate people.

You'll be part of a mixed team of staff and volunteers working within the Visitor Experience department. This is a public facing role which can be both challenging and rewarding. Training on our customer policies and expectations will be provided.

Upton House and Canons Ashby welcome over 180,000 visitors a year, a normal busy day could be between 1,000-1,200 visitors, so if you're looking for non-stop action and multi-tasking then visitor welcome is the place for you.

Some of our large events throughout the year include Easter, Summer theatre and Jazz evenings, and Christmas. However, we are also a popular local property and welcome many regular visitors who come for coffee and a walk whatever the weather.

You'll have overall responsibility for the team, and their safety and working practices, working closely with the Visitor Experience & Operations Manager to develop the site offer.

You'll have responsibility for the day to day operation of the welcome areas and ensure the delivery of the highest standards of service and visitor experience, using good judgement and decision making, in line with National Trust guidelines and policies. Using your creativity and communication skills, you'll inspire and motivate your staff and volunteers, and to help provide the friendly face of the National Trust to thousands of visitors. You'll be applying your high level of competence to deal with service recovery as department manager and will be included on a rota for duty management at each site where you'll be responsible on the day for the smooth running of the property during opening hours, acting as the main contact point for staff, volunteers, and customers in case of emergency, enquiry or complaint. In this role the usual commitment is 3 days per month. Engaging with all our visitors, you'll inspire support through membership, and help visitors to enjoy their day. Make no mistake, we have big ambitions, and you'll be an essential part of those.

To deliver this role successfully, you'll need:

• Good practical experience in visitor business,in tourist, heritage or relevant visitor services environment
• Naturally curious about people, and with a passion for and experience of delivering the highest standards of customer service
• Excellent organisational skills
• Confident leader, adaptable and responsive under pressure
• Ability to initiate service recovery without senior support
• Good IT skills (all MS Office)