Director Of Operations & Marketing

Job Title:

Director of Operations & Marketing

Reporting to:

Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland

Salary:

£65,000 (FTE)

Belvoir Castle is the historic stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The beautiful Leicestershire estate is situated between the towns of Grantham and Melton Mowbray. Belvoir Castle’s vision is to share the history and beauty of the Estate through delivering amazing experiences to both our local community and visitors from further afield. Our aim is to preserve, grow and develop the Estate in a sustainable way so that it can be shared and enjoyed in the present, but also for future generations to come. We are committed to providing an exceptional experience to our visitors, while maintaining the historical significance of the estate. There are developments to create a step change in the commercial success of the Engine Yard Retail Village and to overhaul the Castle Day Visitor Experience to which newly appointed senior staff are committed to turning into successful reality under the leadership of this role.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving revenue growth and improving the profitability of all our commercial activity within the Belvoir Castle business, including:

• Retail & Estate Produce Holiday accommodation Castle Opening & Events Food & Beverage Estate Events & Corporate Hospitality

Additional responsibilities will include spearheading the marketing strategy, overseeing operations and creating a compelling plan to promote and communicate each of our activities in order to optimise sales and improve our brand identity, values and reach.

The following heads of department will report into this role:

• Head of Finance
• Head of Business Development
• Estate Wedding & Events Manager
• Marketing Manager
• Catering Manager
• Castle Events & Operations Manager
• Visitor Experience Manager

We are looking for a strategic, creative thinker, with a hands-on approach, who is energetic with excellent communication skills. Belvoir is a fast-paced, high-octane business environment. Therefore, you will need to be an effective leader who can inspire, develop, and motivate a team of sales, marketing, retail and visitor experience professionals to achieve their goals and ensure the company's commercial objectives are met.

You will be leading a relatively new team of Heads of Department who will be looking to this role for support, clear direction and robust communication.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a business plan that drives revenue growth and identifies areas for increased sales revenue through new product development, pricing strategies, marketing and sales initiatives.

• Analyse and report on key commercial metrics such as sales performance and profitability. Identifying areas of challenge or opportunity and implementing change.

• Develop Belvoir’s commercial budgets, then lead and manage the sales, marketing, and retail teams, monitoring financial performance to ensure the company's commercial objectives are met.

• Identify and implement working practices for maximum efficiencies and output.

• Work closely with all direct line reportees and their teams to ensure commercial activities are aligned with the overall business plan.

• Manage Belvoir Castle’s brand and reputation, ensuring that it is aligned with the Belvoir Castle’s goals and objectives and that it is effectively communicated to the community, customers and stakeholders and to ensure customer satisfaction

• Monitor market trends and stay up to date with industry & competitor developments to ensure the business remains on top of opportunities and risk.

• Represent the business at industry events and build strong relationships with other Historic Houses and related businesses to share best practice.

Requirements:

• Strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to inspire and motivate the team.

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a senior commercial leadership role in the hospitality and food and beverage industry. Ideally having management experience in Heritage Estates.

• Strong track record of developing and implementing successful commercial strategies that drive revenue growth and increase profitability.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, a high level of numeracy and excellent IT skills.

• Strong negotiation skills, including high-value long term contracts.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Appreciation of the context.

• A passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.

• Knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements.

• A full driving licence.

• Must be “hands on” and able to thrive in a fast-paced, high octane work environment.