Visitor Services Manager Ely Cathedral

Visitor Services Manager

35 hours per week, the role will include occasional evening, weekend and bank
holiday working

Salary £37,874 per annum

We are looking to appoint an experienced tourism or heritage manager to lead the visitor experience at our well-known and busy Cathedral. This post plays a significant role in the daily life of the Cathedral, and the post holder is responsible for ensuring all visitors have a
positive experience, whether they are a sightseer, worshipper, event attendee or local resident.

Duties include leading, training and managing visitor facing staff and volunteers, including our brand-new Visitor Resource Assistants following the launch of our new digital guides.

The post holder will work closely with our Volunteer Manager, and the Communications and Events teams to ensure a high-quality visitor experience for all.

Further information on this role, including a full role description, can be found on the careers pages of our website:

To apply for this role, please submit a completed application form, along with a covering letter outlining your suitability for the post and send to: careers@elycathedral.org by midday,
Monday 22nd April 2024.

Please note, a CV cannot be accepted as a substitute for a completed application
form.

Interviews will take place within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Ely Cathedral is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees to undertake safeguarding training and to adhere to the Cathedral’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

Overview
As one of East Anglia’s most high profile visitor attractions, and welcoming around 200,000 people a year, the Visitor Services Manager has a significant role in the daily life of Ely Cathedral.

In line with the Cathedral’s mission statement, they are responsible for ensuring all visitors have a positive experience, whether they come to the Cathedral as a sightseer, pilgrim, worshipper, or event attendee.

This is a multifaceted role and includes overseeing many aspects of visitor services, including the Cathedral’s volunteering programme, driving projects around accessibility & diversity, as well as
helping identify and develop new features and experiences, both temporary and long term, to attract visitors to Ely Cathedral.
Reporting directly to the Director of Commerce & Communications, the postholder has direct line management for 3 members of staff, and indirectly manages all staff and volunteers involved in visitor facing roles and visitor engagement activities at Ely Cathedral.

The post holder will also contribute to the wider leadership and management of the Cathedral in helping to embed new strategies, plans and fostering a culture to ensure the ongoing success and development of Ely Cathedral.

The following sets out the key responsibilities and requirements for this role. You may be required to perform further duties other than those specified below.

Responsibilities:
Visitor Services – Management:
• Lead and manage visitor facing staff (Visitor Services Assistants, Visitor Resource Assistants, Volunteer Manager, Visitor Experience Support Officer, Visits & Tours Co-ordinator, and Cathedral Guides) and volunteers to ensure that everyone receives a warm welcome and a high-quality visitor experience that represents good value for money.

Have overall responsibility for recruiting and training visitor facing staff and volunteers and to make sure all are supported in their role, particularly regarding welcoming visitors,
responding to issues and handling difficulties.
• Work closely with Cathedral Guides to maximise opportunities and generate new ways to give visitors insights into the life, purpose and history of the Cathedral.
• Make connections between Cathedral attractions, the Cathedral shop and The Almonry restaurant, and support a culture of collaboration to develop and enhance the experience for visitors.
• Work closely with the Communications team to develop and deliver excellent visitor interpretation, both in print and digital, to inspire a range of audiences, especially families.
• Take overall responsibility for the smooth running of the ticketing process by ensuring visitor and tour tickets are correctly loaded onto the system and that the associated equipment and
tools are operational.
• Manage and oversee the new multimedia guide contract as well as communication with the supplier (ATS), to ensure we have good quality, functioning equipment and access to new updates and the best financial package.

Visitor Services – Strategy:
• Work proactively with the Communications team to identify interesting features and develop
ideas for campaigns to encourage new and returning visitors to Ely Cathedral.
• Regularly review, analyse, and report on visitor statistics to identify next steps and future requirements.
• Lead an effective programme of evaluation to track visitor satisfaction and create systematic ways to respond to visitor feedback.
• In conjunction with other Cathedral teams, maintain an awareness of good practice within other similar heritage sites and visitor attractions.
• Plan, develop and deliver an excellent visitor experience, making sure that we meet visitor expectations before, during and at the end of their visit with the objective of sustainably increasing visitor footfall.
• Act as the ‘accessibility & diversity champion’ to ensure the Cathedral buildings, facilities and services are accessible for visitors with mobility and other special needs, as well as being
involved in projects to create a wider appeal, particularly more diverse audiences.
• Explore and recommend further best use of new technology to enthuse and inspire visitors.
• Maintain oversight of the development of group visits and assist in promoting the Cathedral as an attraction.

Volunteer Engagement:
• Support the work of the Volunteer Manager to ensure that volunteers are appropriately recruited, valued, trained (particularly in respect of safeguarding), communicated with, and acknowledged.
• Support the Volunteer Manager to champion volunteering and identify and fulfil volunteering opportunities.
• Work with the Volunteer Manager to outline and deliver objectives to develop the Cathedral’s volunteering programme.

Events Engagement:
• Work with the Event Manager on key projects which impact the visitor experience and drive visitor footfall.
• Work with the event manager and communications team to propose and develop new and innovative projects/exhibitions to appeal to the local, and repeat visit, audience.
• Be proactive in key events/projects which have a direct visitor impact, in terms of planning, scheduling and onsite operations.

General:
• Uphold and comply with the organisation’s policies and the law in relation to health and safety,
equal opportunities, safeguarding, data protection and other adopted policies and procedures as required.
• Ely Cathedral is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We require all employees to undertake safeguarding training
relevant to their role and adhere to our safeguarding policies and procedures.
Person Specification

Professional Skills
• Experience in leading people within a visitor-focused operation.
• Previous experience of working at management level within the tourism or heritage sector.
• Good people skills and the ability to lead colleagues who have a range of motivations for working at the Cathedral.
• Experience of working in difficult situations and with handling customer queries and complaints.
• Experience working in a team environment and building and maintaining strong partnerships across an organisation.
• Experience of delivering training and development for staff and volunteers.
• Experience in managing budgets, in particular around staffing, and reviewing financial reports.

Personal Skills
• Sensitive to the Cathedral’s core mission as a place of worship, outreach, welcome and care, which underpins its commercial activities.
• An organised and strategic thinker with the ability to make things happen.
• Excellent negotiating and influencing skills at varying levels of an organisation.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a collaborative context.
• An interest in cultural heritage and or tourism is desirable