Host/hostess

**CityCo and Manchester Business Improvement District (BID)**

**Recruiting Multiple ‘City Hosts’**
City Host - Job Description

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- **JOB PURPOSE**:
The ‘BID City Hosts’ have operated successfully for over five years, concentrated in the retail and leisure heart of the city centre. The City Hosts provide a warm visitor welcome in a top three destination for UK and international visitors, patrolling the BID area daily to also visit businesses, and reporting environmental and cleaning issues. For 2023, CityCo will also work in partnership with the city’s new Accommodation BID (ABID) and expand this scheme out to the major transport points, as well as being available in a wider area of the city, always providing a welcoming face with excellent local knowledge to share.

**About CityCo**

**CityCo Manchester is The City Centre Management Company. **We manage the city centre BID and we also partner with the exciting new ABID, launching from April 2023. We connect the people, projects and ideas that are driving the city centre economy.

**About Manchester City Centre BID**:
The City Centre BID has existed since 2012, focusing on making the city centre a more attractive, vibrant and exciting place for shoppers, visitors and tourists.

The BID covers retail, hospitality, leisure and office tenants within the retail core of the city centre. It now includes around 600 businesses and will focus on delivery of events, additional cleaning services, provision of ‘on street’ hosting services and ensuring businesses are fully informed of activity within the city centre. In addition to attracting visitors and tourists, the BID will be working to encourage city centre workers to come back to the office. As a new strand from 2023, it will be working together with businesses on environmental and social matters.

**About Manchester Accommodation BID (ABID)**:
The Manchester ABID is a ground-breaking new initiative led by the city’s hotel and serviced apartment providers to help create new events and additional activities that will attract more people to visit and stay in Manchester and Salford. It will also contribute to the enhancement of overall guest experience and help to expand the city’s visitor economy. The ABID will create a first-class city welcome programme to benefit all accommodation providers.

**REPORTING TO: CITY HOST TEAM MANAGER**

**HOURS OF WORK**:

- Part Time - based on 24 hours per week (across 3 days).
- Shift pattern will include some weekends and bank holidays, and includes paid breaks. Operational hours are generally 10am to 7pm on a rota basis across 7 days.

**PERIOD OF CONTRACT/NOTICE**:
Permanent. Notice period dependant on length of service.

**TRAINING & INDUCTION. UNIFORM**:
A comprehensive training and induction programme will be provided. Full uniform will be provided.

**PROBATION PERIOD**:
3 Months

**BENEFITS**:

- ‘Real Living Wage’ employer (calculated by the Living Wage Foundation). Currently £10.90 per hour.
- Additional bonus scheme.
- Company Pension scheme.
- Private Medical Insurance (on completion of probation period).
- 20 days paid leave per annum (pro rata for part time).

**SKILLS & DUTIES**:
**As a City Host, you will need to**:

- Be self-motivated with a positive attitude, interested in the ongoing evolution of the service sector across retail, leisure and hospitality.
- Have the ability to work unsupervised and manage workplace priorities.
- Welcome visitors, promote the city & provide useful information on how visitors can best spend their time whilst in Manchester city centre.
- Always personally demonstrating the highest levels of customer service.
- Engage with businesses located in the city centre BID area, to provide regular updates on key BID projects and initiatives. Plus key information about partner events, major roadworks etc.
- Have a keen eye for detail, looking out for environmental issues in the BID area and on the main entry points to the city, logging any findings via a host reporting app. Liaise with the BID’s operations and cleaning teams.
- Work with fellow City Hosts and other colleagues, to ensure that events run smoothly, as well as promoting local events to visitors and businesses.
- Provide support to the BID management team, to ensure the smooth day to day running of the service.
- Help improve communication between the BID levy payers and relevant partners within the city centre i.e. update personally and also direct to website, surveys and briefings.
- Produce reports using a smart phone and other appropriate IT equipment, for which training will be provided.
- Participate in additional projects as determined by the BIDs.

**General Requirements**:

- Have GCSE English and Maths grades 9 to 4 (‘O’ level A to C).
- The ability to converse in more than one language would be an advantage but not essential.
- Comply with the company Employee Handbook.
- Other duties which may be reasonably re