Job Purpose 

Responsible for delivering an engaging visitor experience at our busy visitor centre in Thatcham, West Berkshire.

 You will lead your professional and diverse team to ensure the Nature Discovery Centre site is a profitable operation for BBOWT, engaging visitors and inspiring 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 supporting volunteers who deliver visitor engagement activities. You will also work closely with our Education Team and Land Management Team by leading on a coordinated approach to site usage by interested parties.   

Reporting Line

The post holder reports to the Head of Commercial Estate

Line Management

This post directly manages a team combined of permanent and fixed term staff - Visitor Experience Manager, two Café Supervisors, a Facilities Technician, Duty Managers and a Nature Memories Project Officer

Key Tasks

Leadership and management

 ·               Providing leadership to a high performing staff and volunteer team, with responsibility for recruitment, development, and performance management of the staff

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

·               Responsibility for drafting and delivering against annual budgets -Café/Shop/Donations/Visitor Centre

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

·               Working effectively with partners and stakeholders and seeking opportunities to develop existing and additional mutually beneficial relationships, including West Berks Council.

 Commercial success and innovation

 ·               Ensuring appropriate staff and volunteer resource is in place to support 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 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 users 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 the Facilities Team to help manage the hard facilities across the site

·               Managing BBOWT volunteers and liaising with BBOWT’s land management team to ensure the maintenance of the site to the highest possible standard & to ensure smooth delivery of any capital improvement works on site.

General

 ·               Working closely with other 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 organisational policies, procedures and systems

·               Representing the organisation in a professional manner and always acting in a manner which will not damage its reputation.

·               Providing regular reports as required

·               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, especially Excel

·       Food Hygiene Level 3*

·       First Aid at Work certification*

·       Ability and willingness to demonstrate the BBOWT behaviours and values

·       Current UK car driving licence

 * Qualification may be attained within first 3 months once 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

·       Visitors numbers and level of satisfaction maintained or improved