Accountable for delivering an engaging visitor experience at our busy visitor centre in Buckinghamshire.

You will guide your professional team to ensure the College Lake Site is a profitable operation for BBOWT, which engages visitors and inspires people to act for nature.

In practical terms this means ensuring the smooth operation of our site along with our nature themed shop & Café, while recruiting, coordinating and encouraging volunteers, who deliver visitor engagement activities.

You will also work closely with our Education Team and Land Management Team, by steering a coordinated approach to site usage by interested parties.

The post holder reports to the Head of Commercial Estate

This post directly manages a team of 3 permanent staff - Assistant Manager (Visitor Experience) & two Café Supervisors

What you'll be doing;

Management

• Providing leadership to a team of staff and volunteers, including recruitment, development and performance management

• Developing, delivering and reporting against the College Lake Business Plan. Balancing the delivery of BBOWT strategic objectives alongside maximising the income generating potential of a busy visitor Centre (including Shop, Café, room hire, donations and membership recruitment)

• Accountable for drafting and delivering against annual budgets - Café/Shop/Donations/Visitor Centre

• Acting as Visitor Centre Duty Manager (including regular weekend working and occasional Bank Holidays)

• Working effectively with partners and stakeholders. Seeking opportunities to develop existing and additional mutually beneficial relationships.

Commercial success and innovation

• Ensuring appropriate staff and volunteer resource is in place to boost operations across the centre and site

• Developing innovative approaches to developing the Visitor Centre’s commercial activities to ensure it can cover its own costs and support BBOWTs wider work

• Ensuring the College Lake retail operation is dynamic. Providing high quality products aligned to BBOWT values, that are attractive to our customer base.

Visitor Experience and safety

• Maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for visitors, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations

• Developing a welcoming environment so all visitors can enjoy the site to its full potential

• Ensuring an engaging and inspiring visitor experience, which will include a program of events for all ages

• Collaborating with the wider teams in BBOWT to promote a variety of activities for a broad audience delivered on site

• Working with Facilities & Reserves Teams to ensure the smooth delivery of any capital improvement works on site

• Managing BBOWT volunteers and liaising with BBOWT’s land management team to ensure the maintenance of the site to the highest possible standard.

General

• Working closely with other BBOWT staff in order to maintain standards and ensure policy compliance. In particular in relation to external (nature reserve) and internal (facilities) site management, interpretation and access, publicity, fundraising, membership recruitment and finance. This will involve occasional travel to other BBOWT offices/Centres within the three Counties

• Maintaining awareness of all relevant legislation and ensuring ongoing compliance

• Adhering to all BBOWT policies, procedures and systems

• Representing BBOWT in a professional manner and acting at all times in a manner which will not damage its reputation

• Providing regular reports as necessary

• Engendering a culture of membership recruitment within the team

• Any other duties as delegated by a Director or the Chief Executive

Person Specification

• Visitor services skills, incorporating commercial retail, and or, catering

• Demonstrable income generation, business planning and meeting targets skills

• Excellent social and communication skills at all levels

• Staff or volunteer management skills

• Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications and comfortable with using Excel

• Food Hygiene Level 3*

• First Aid at Work certification*

• Ability and willingness to demonstrate the BBOWT behaviours and values

• Current UK valid car driving licence

* This role will require a Food Hygiene Level 3 Qualification as it line manages the Café Supervisors. If not already obtained, this will need to be attained within the first 3 months in post.

Measurements of Success

• Delivery of financial targets as set out in the BBOWT Business Plan

• Well managed and motivated Centre staff and volunteer team

• Visitor numbers and level of satisfaction maintained or improved