Visitor Services Supervisor

Role: Visitor Services Supervisor

(Catering and Hospitality)

Region / Department: Dumfries and Galloway

Reports to: Visitor Services Manager

Pay Band: Grade 3 Lower

Location:  Threave Garden

Type of Contract: Fixed-term seasonal, 40 hours/week, until 21^st December 2018 with potential renewal in March 2019

Working Hours and Pattern:

40hrs per week, working 5 days out of 7 to include regular weekends, and occasional evenings

JOB PURPOSE

To provide operational coordination and supervision of catering, hospitality, visitor services, and events at Threave Garden in line with the Trust’s policies, priorities, performance standards and targets to contribute to the enjoyment of the property by visitors and members, and help ensure commercial, financial, and conservation objectives are achieved. 

The Visitor Services Supervisor at a Trust property plays a pivotal role ensuring that the management objectives are achieved through excellent customer service and, with delegated responsibility for catering, hospitality, events and duty management is very often the “face” of the Trust to visitors and suppliers.  As such, s/he directly influences public perceptions of the Trust and is crucial to developing and maintaining the property’s local/national reputation. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Assisting the Visitor Services Manager (Threave) in fulfilling an excellent standard in all areas of Food Hygiene and Health & Safety within the context of the catering operation.
• Supervising/undertaking the day-to-day operation of the cafes, Visitor Centre and environs to ensure an excellent customer/visitor experience. This includes:
• Supervision of the catering offer (including ordering, food presentation, costings, profit and loss, sales targets).
• Oversight/maintenance of the cafes and other areas used for catering and functions.
• Catering sales (to targets) and general customer service (individuals, coach parties, other groups).
• Housekeeping and security of the visitor centre.
• Health & Safety procedures, emergency procedures, and environmental procedures.
• Deputising for the Visitor Services Manager on-site and off-site as required (including “duty management” of the wider site to include other buildings and the car park).
• Rota creation and supervision to ensure smooth operations of daily activity, functions and events.
• Responsible for day-to-day financial administration of the catering and functions at the property, including cash/till reconciliation, menu costings, day-end and week-end reports and reconciliation, completion of the banking processes, and reporting of working hours for payroll.

• Supporting the Visitor Services Manager with the recruitment; induction; development; and management of all visitor services employees and volunteers such that they understand and are equipped to fulfill their roles to the standards required and that they feel valued, respected and supported.

• Working closely with other managers across the Property to deliver a programme of visitor events, which increase visitor numbers, drive secondary spend and support overall Property targets.
• Instil a Health & Safety culture across the property, ensuring the team work within the property’s ‘Safe System of Work’ to reduce risk of incidents and accidents to volunteers, employees and visitors.
• Supporting the development, marketing, and operation of the growing functions business (e.g., weddings, corporate) at Threave and Broughton House, Kirkcudbright, to create a high quality offering to attract bookings.

The current duties of this job do not require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ3/BTEC/City & Guilds/HND or equivalent experience.
• Ability to work ‘hands-on’ – including in the kitchen/retail and admissions areas – alongside the team members, demonstrating the customer service skills required of all staff.
• Experience in a catering and sales environment.
• Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate or above.

Desirable

• Current First Aid certification.

Experience

Essential

• Significant previous experience of working in an operations role in the catering facility– including supervision of staff and/or responsibility for specific activities.
• Previous event coordination/management experience.
• Strong personal belief in the value of excellent customer care with the ability to translate this into actions.
• Excellent organisational, administrative and time-management skills with the ability to prioritise and re-prioritise workload to meet changing demands.
• Proven sales skills with the ability to achieve targets.
• The ability to think and act quickly when confronted with emergencies.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office products.

Desirable

• A formal qualification in Hospitality, Tourism or Event Management.
• A genuine understanding of and belief in, the work of the National Trust for Scotland.
• Access to own transport.
• Previous food-preparation experience would be an advantage.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

Scale

• Threave Garden & Estate includes the garden, two cafes, a gift shop, plant centre, and Threave House.
• Visitors to the garden are 55,000 annually, and to the wider estate 30,000 annually.

People Management

• The post-holder will report to the Visitor Services Manager.

• The post-holder will directly supervise: Visitor Services Assistants (Catering and Hospitality), seasonal staff, and volunteers; and will deputise for the Visitor Services Manager as required.

Finance Management

• The Visitor Services Manager has devolved responsibility for the catering and retail budgets, and the post-holder is expected to work in a cost-effective way with regard to income and expenditure.

Key performance indicators and targets

• Customer satisfaction at Threave’s catering offer.
• To monitor the work of the team and carry out appraisals ensuring that information is filed appropriately, with development plans that are actively used.
• Devise, cost and source menu items in line with the overall catering budget and strategy.

The Key Responsibilities, Scope of Job, and Required Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Knowledge reflect the requirements of the job at the time of issue.  The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.

Please complete attached application form and send by clicking apply.