Visitor Experience Assistant Manchester, England
Job description
Opportunity ID
232
Job Summary
The Visitor Experience Assistant supports the Visitor Experience Officer at their allocated site, putting customer satisfaction at the heart of what they do. They ensure that visitors receive an excellent experience whenever they visit so that IWM is able to achieve the financially sustainable income needed from our visitors. Recommendations from visitors who had a great time (both online and word of mouth) are essential to IWM success. There should be consistent visit quality for all visitors, whenever they arrive, across 7 days per week, but this should be able to be adapted to the requirements of each individual. The VEA should understand the organisational objectives for visitors and promote other products and services including events and tours, guidebooks, membership, shops and cafes to maximise IWM’s revenue. Working alongside a team of volunteers they should ensure that visitors receive an excellent welcome and goodbye to the site, be the point of contact for Visitor Experience queries, coordinate the oversee the day to day delivery of the Volunteer Insights Programme manage wayfinding, and assist in ensuring each visitor gets the best out of every visit.
Key duties
You will be expected to work independently as well as across different teams in order to contribute to and deliver the priorities of IWM - using your knowledge, skills, talent and potential to the best of your ability.
You will focus at all times on delivering excellent customer service and be, professional and courteous, whilst demonstrating the behaviours and attributes expected of all IWM employees. You will also adhere to all corporate standards, and use corporate systems as directed to ensure consistency of service, brand and operational standards.
You will be expected to work across departments effectively, working with individuals, partners and where appropriate volunteers.
To identify and implement learning and development needs for both yourself and your team, including volunteers, if appropriate.
In addition, your duties will include:
Visitor Experience
- Ensure that visitors receive a proactive, friendly and welcoming arrival, are able to get the most out of their visit and leave knowing what they might want to do next with IWM.
- Ensure that visitors are assisted in a professional, informative and courteous manner at all times, aware of special attention and individual needs where they may be required. Be able to flex your approach depending on the needs of each visitor, but with a consistent quality of service.
- Proactively engage with visitors and groups about IWM collections, answer their queries and provide a knowledgeable service about what is on display, helping customers orientate themselves around the building and galleries (knowledge of site layout will be essential). You should identify opportunities for enhancing a visit e.g. showing objects but be sensitive to the interaction level required by different visitors. This might include the ‘must sees’ to suit the length of the visit, recommendations for family content and activities or where to find lunch on site.
- You will ensure that assistance is available for customers with disabilities including assistance with the use of audio-visual guides and possible sight guiding (after training).
- Work with Visitor Experience team colleagues to cover for absences or participate in cross site projects as needed.
- You will need to ensure that you have sufficient knowledge of the IWM’s subject matter and exhibitions to be able to interact with visitors to communicate the history and relevance of the museum and its collection in a lively, engaging and informative manner. You may be required to give short presentations to visitors, or ensure volunteers can do this to enhance the day to day visit.
- You will ensure that income objectives for the IWM are considered when advising on a visit and actively promote the shops, cafes, tours, events, experiences and the value of membership amongst other products and services.
- Undertake regular walkarounds at your site to ensure the quality and standards for the visit are as they should be, reporting an issues to the relevant team.
- Support the Visitor Experience Officer in ensuring the FOH Standards are delivered and maintained by the relevant teams.
- You will act as an IWM ambassador at all times. You will ensure that both you and your volunteers are smart at all times and wearing appropriate badges
- You will ensure that we remain compliant with health and safety legislation and access and inclusion policies.
Volunteer co-ordination
- In the absence of the Visitor Experience Officer and/or the Volunteer Team Leader, you will be expected to provide support and supervision to the volunteers, ensuring they are briefed and ready for the day and providing ongoing support throughout the day. You will role model the expected standard for visitor engagement.
Income Generation
- You will ensure that income objectives for the IWM are considered when advising on a visit and actively promote the shops, cafes, tours, events, experiences and the value of membership amongst other products and services.
- You should be trained and able to talk about memberships, its benefits for the individual and for the IWM and to be able to actively recruit members.
IWM is a 7 day a week operation and you will be required to work at weekends, evenings and public holidays as needed. Flexibility around working days will be essential. We expect this role to predominately work weekends
For a full list of duties and the person specification (which your application will be marked against) please view the Job Description.
May 14th 2023, 9:00 AM
Interviews for this post are planned are to be confirmed
- Our generous full-time equivalent annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum plus public holidays rising to 30 days after 5 years.
- Access to our Company Group Pension Plan with competitive Employer Contributions.
- 20% discount in all IWM’s on-site shops.
- A 25% discount in IWM’s cafes.
- Free entry to all IWM Air shows at IWM Duxford.
- Free entry to a large number of other museums & galleries and their exhibitions which we have reciprocal arrangements with.
- Enhanced maternity and paternity benefits dependent on length of service.
- Access to our in-house training programmes and development
- Access to an interest free season ticket loan scheme after three months service.
- Access to a Ride 2 Work Scheme
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme, and Career Development Advice.
- IWM staff also have access to The Charity for Civil Servants services and support.
- IWM staff are entitled to membership of the Benenden Healthcare Society (subject to their terms & conditions.
- Eligibility to join the Civil Service Sports Club, securing additional discounts and benefits.
- Access to social events run by groups with IWM.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. This role is subject to:
A basic check, which shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
IWM is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunities.
We miss out when people feel IWM isn't for them, and are committed to removing and reducing barriers to make IWM open to everyone.
Our Access and Inclusion strategy has been developed to promote openness, equal opportunities to access, inclusivity and encourage diversity in everything that we do, from employment practices, the services we provide to our visitors to the facilities we make available to public.
At IWM we seek to address the need for greater diversity within our workforce as well as the wider museum and heritage sector. In all our practices we embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity and we welcome applications from suitable candidates of all backgrounds.
