Welcome Manager

Summary

We have an exciting opportunity to lead a team of welcome staff and volunteers at property. You will head up the staff & volunteer team, on nominated weekends and bank holidays, to welcome our visitors and help them enjoy their visit. You will lead and empower your team to respond to customer enquiries and site issues and be the face of the National Trust. You’ll be experienced in managing people, delivering outstanding customer service and leading on risk management.

We are at our busiest when the public is as its leisure, please expect to work one in four weekends and some national holidays. 

This is a fixed term contract due to end when the previous employee returns from maternity leave.  At this point we cannot confirm exactly how long this contract will last, but it is unlikely to be more than 12 months.

What it's like to work here

Reporting to the Experiences & Visitor Programming Manager, you'll manage a team of 15 Welcome & Service Assistants, as well as department volunteers. Your line manager will give you the support you need to feel confident and give you a tailored personal development plan to grow your career in the National Trust. 

The team welcomes over 300,000 visitors a year to this Treasure House and its rolling Suffolk landscape. We benefit from working flexibly across departments, delivering an efficient and fun working environment. The visitor welcome team work both indoors and outdoors enjoying the difference each season brings. Together with our volunteers we bring exceptional service and have authentic conversations with every visitor.

Click here for more information about this location

What you'll be doing

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.

Responsible for the day-to-day operation of the welcome area and kiosk, you'll ensure the delivery of high standards of service and visitor experience, using good judgement and decision making, in line with National Trust guidelines and policies. You’ll be using your creativity and communication skills both to encourage and motivate your team and to help provide a friendly face to thousands of visitors. You will be applying your high level of competence to deal with service recovery without senior support being on site. You will engage with all our visitors to inspire support through membership, and other aspects of growing support including second-hand bookshop, to help visitors to enjoy their visit.

You’ll be an ambassador for the Trust sharing our values and working as a team to link everything we do back to our cause. You'll provide stories about the amazing work we are doing and what supporter donations are funding, promoting local projects and our national strategy. You'll lead volunteers, and deliver high standards of presentation, ensuring all our communications with our visitors are clear and consistent. 

Who we're looking for To deliver this role successfully, you'll need:

• Experience managing a team
• Good practical experience in visitor business, in tourist, heritage or relevant visitor services environment
• Naturally curious about people, and with a passion to and experience of delivering the highest standards of customer service
• Excellent organisational skills
• Confident leader, adaptable and responsive under pressure, and ability to communicate property and national strategy and vision

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Tax free childcare scheme

• Rental deposit loan scheme

• Season ticket loan

• Perks at work discounts i.e. gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts

• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Employee assistance programme

• Free parking at most locations

• Independent financial advice

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.