Operations Manager

Salary: £27,040.00 Pro rata (£13.00 per hour)

Kinokulture Cinema is looking for two enthusiastic and experienced part-time Operations Managers who can bring a passion for film and working collaboratively with their volunteer teams and partner organisations to develop their audiences and manage the venue as they move forward into community ownership.

Who are we?

Kinokulture Cinema is an award-winning independent single-screen cinema in the heart of Shropshire’s border market town of Oswestry. Set up in 2010 we are now transitioning into community ownership and are looking for two part time Operations Managers to head up our fantastic team of volunteers and ensure the smooth running of the venue.

We screen a weekly programme of evening films (currently Wednesday – Saturday) and Sunday matinees throughout the year with weekday matinees during school holiday periods.

The cinema is closed from 24 to 26 and on 31 December and 1 January.

We are a partner venue for Borderlines Film Festival, French Film Festival UK and Escape to The Cinema.

We are the host venue for Oswestry Film Society who screen twice monthly throughout the year.

Our programme is a rich mix of independent British and international current releases, mainstream and family friendly films and live broadcast cinema events.

The venue can also be hired out as a black box for theatre productions, poetry readings and acoustic music performances.

This is a vital role within our small and very busy cinema team. Our Operations Managers are paramount to the smooth running of Kinokulture, to the happiness of our audiences and volunteer team, and to our high standards of film presentation. You’ll be a problem solver, maintain high standards, and support our volunteer Front of House, Programming and projection team.

Diversity and inclusion

The Operations Managers will work closely with the volunteer teams in running the cinema on a day-to-day basis in all operational issues, to deliver an exceptional customer experience, grow admissions and control costs, whilst keeping high standards of security, Health and Safety and Food Safety.

Our films are all about diversity and so we want our teams to be. We are proud to be an Inclusive employer and we encourage applications from diverse backgrounds.

However, it is important to know that we operate out of a rented building which currently has no lift access to the first floor where the auditorium is situated. We do hope to remedy this situation in the future.

Duties

When on duty for a screening, the Operations Manager is responsible for:-

• the smooth running of the front of house operation, in line with Kinokulture’s policies and procedures
• complying with Health & Safety and Licensing legislation
• ensuring the security of the building
• providing excellent customer service
• monitoring the volunteers’ rota and ensuring the venue is adequately staffed
• briefing the volunteer team before each duty and supporting the team throughout their shift
• ensuring the responsible serving of alcohol at the bar
• the digital projection for public screenings including live satellite broadcasts and private hire events.
• working with the volunteer projectionists (when they are on shift) to ensure the smooth running of the projection of the films, including monitoring sound levels and picture quality throughout the screening
• providing the first line of technical support when on duty
• acting as a point of escalation for any customer queries
• the cleanliness of the building, including bar equipment
• stocking and maintaining displays in the bar
• reporting end of night and weekly figures to ComScore and Numero and Box Office Returns to distributors
• keeping the Box Office data spreadsheet up to date

Additional tasks

In addition to running shifts, you will also be given additional tasks to support the running of the business, for example:

• liaising with our partner organisations – Oswestry Film Society, Borderlines Film Festival, French Film Festival UK and Escape to the Cinema
• communicating with our BFI Film Audience Network regional film hubs (Film Hub Midlands and Film Hub Wales)
• liaising with the film programmers and updating the programme calendar
• updating the box office system and website
• doing weekly health and safety checks
• receiving and putting away deliveries
• creating/amending film listing posters and flyers
• keeping the on-site film posters up to date
• maintaining strict stock control and ordering stock as necessary
• ensuring venue is clean at all times
• training volunteers

Additional information

The majority of Kinokulture’s screenings are in the evening and/or at the weekend with weekday matinees during school holidays, so the role encompasses flexible working and unsocial hours.

Kinokulture is open, currently, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees.

The postholder will receive training in projection so that the volunteer projectionists are adequately supported and, in the case of emergency, the postholder can start the film and ensure its quality.

Postholders enjoy the following benefits: free hot drinks; free cinema tickets; development training & workshops.

Person specification and experience

• Experience of managing a team – essential
• Front of House experience, preferably within an arts venue – essential
• Experience of working with volunteers in an arts or third sector environment – essential
• Experience of using word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases – essential (e.g. Microsoft Office, Libre, Google Workspace, iWork or similar)
• Experience of using social media and Mailchimp within a work environment – desirable
• Experience of using Box office systems – desirable
• Experience of dealing with suppliers – desirable
• Experience of Digital projection – desirable
• Experience of running a bar – desirable

Skills, knowledge and attributes

[all essential (unless otherwise noted) and must be demonstrable]

• Love of film
• Enthusiasm for good presentation and organisation
• Knowledge of Health & Safety and licensing requirements within a public venue
• Effective team leader
• Good communicator
• Ability to manage workflow
• Ability to prioritise quickly and to deal effectively with changing requirements
• Ability to provide exceptional standards of customer service
• Trustworthy and able to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to work positively with a range of people and groups
• Problem solver
• Personal Licence Holder – desirable
• Customer service training – desirable

How to apply

Please read the full job description and download the job application form from our website.

Return your completed application form to: info@kinokulture.org.uk by 11 March

Interviews will take place on Friday 15 March

If you would like the documents in a different format please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate this.

The closing date for this position is 11/03/2024 at 23:59