Visitor Services Assistant

Role: Visitor Services Assistant (Catering & Hospitality)

Region / Department: Dumfries & Galloway

Reports to: Visitor Services Supervisor

Pay Band: 1

Location:  Threave Garden & Estate, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, DG7 1RX

Type of Contract: Fixed Term, Part-time/Casual Contracts Available until 21 December 2018

  JOB PURPOSE

To maximise our visitors’ enjoyment of National Trust for Scotland managed sites by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure. Specifically, to ensure the smooth and safe operations of Catering and Events activities making Threave Garden & Estate the best possible place to visit and work.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

To provide a consistently high standard of visitor care at all times when:

• Welcoming all visitors to the site and processing their catering purchase in a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable manner; supporting visitors with special needs / impairments and providing a high level of service in accordance with the Equality Act.
• Answering visitors’ queries about the catering offer, deals, seating, and ingredients.
• Checking on how visitors are enjoying their experience of catering at Threave and enquiring whether all their needs are met.
• Consistently presenting high quality plating of food.
• Maintaining a pleasant, welcoming, and polite demeanor at all times, especially during busy periods.
• Promoting National Trust for Scotland brand to include our Membership scheme, events, upselling daily offers and other properties and any promotional campaigns, being proactive in the selling of Membership and Gift Aid.

To maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation at all times -

• The general ongoing operational cleaning of all areas as necessary, kitchen, tables, seats, children’s area, external terrace, toilet cleaning, emptying waste bins and as appropriate vacuum cleaning, mopping, sweeping, dusting and polishing when required.
• Ensuring site is ready to open and welcome visitors by the set opening time.
• Wearing correct uniform, name badges, or PPE as required.
• Reporting all instances of damage and wear and tear issues promptly to your line manager.
• Working in harmony with other departments; housekeeping, gardening, maintenance and site repair employees/contractors.

Financial Responsibilities -

• To adhere to all financial procedures to include till operation and banking and safeguarding of monies: to implement amendments to standard procedure as instructions may dictate.

Retail/Catering/Events/Cashier duties (as required) -

• To ensure good housekeeping of catering kitchens, serveries and back of house areas.
• To ensure that catering merchandising is in accordance with NTS policy and property standards.
• To assist in achieving site catering/events/retail targets.
• To actively upsell products and services to facilitate the visitors enjoyment.
• To actively feedback visitor comments to line managers to develop and improve offer, service, operations.
• To work flexibly across departments and sites as needed.
• To assist with the set-up, stewarding and break-down of events in liaison with the events coordinator.
• To assist with Heritage Hospitality events. Staff may be asked to work through into the night hours.

Health and Safety -

• To ensure site meets with Health and Safety legislation in liaison with your department manager.
• To ensure that visitors vacate the site at close of business and that the site is secured at end of day.
• To use personal protection equipment as provided and directed by your line manager.

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

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in a customer-facing retail based role, delivering impeccable customer care through excellent inter-personal skills.
• Demonstrable experience in a catering based role, delivering impeccable customer care and food safety standards.
• Experience in a catering environment, with a genuine love of food and local produce
• Excellent cash handling skills.

• Excellent “front of house” persona – warm, welcoming, patient, understanding.
• Excellent selling skills – adaptable to customer type and product.
• Flexible, helpful outlook to customers and colleagues.

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.