Visitor Experience Manager in City of Westminster

We are looking for people to join our fantastic team at Somerset House Trust. As the home of cultural innovators, the Trust connects creativity and the arts with the broader society. Somerset House pursues a ‘Step Inside, Think Outside’ spirit and is born from the creative community we nurture - the experience and perspectives we host across background, age, race, and stage, and the intersections and crossovers we encourage.

We are seeking a dynamic and knowledgeable Visitor Experience Manager to play a key role within the Visitor Experience Team. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for someone with strong management and leadership experience. You will be leading a large team to deliver an exceptional customer service, working across departments to operationally plan and deliver our wide-ranging public programme. You will be a strategic thinker, confident negotiator with excellent communication skills. You will use your knowledge and expertise to advise in event and exhibition planning prioritising visitor experience, operations, safety and security. You will bring demonstrable experience of working on a wider range of cultural programme from live events including gigs, exhibitions, commercial events, installations and performance. You will bring a passion for Diversity and Inclusion and a willingness to embed inclusive practices in everything you do. Somerset House events are fully inclusive safe spaces for any person to participate and enjoy without fear of feeling marginalised, unrepresented, or unwelcome. We particularly welcome applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.

What we are looking for:

• Lead the team to ensure the highest standards of visitor engagement, crafting a warm and friendly welcome and a vibrant and responsive visitor experience.
• Support the organisations objectives and departmental KPI’s.
• Confidently and efficiently project manage large scale exhibitions and events, leading on visitor experience, operational planning and logistics.
• Ensure teams (e.g. Visitor Experience Assistants and Security) are briefed and have the information they require to deliver a consistent, high-quality service across site.
• Ensure that all areas of the site are always well presented and maintained.
• Deal with customer complaints and feedback and effectively manage challenging conversations to ensure a mutually beneficial solution.
• Share your knowledge and enthusiasm about Somerset House and its programme to all our visitors.
• Support the collection and analysis of visitor feedback. From this, in conjunction with the Senior Visitor Experience Manager and Head of Visitor Experience, make recommendations for improvements and lead on the implementation of these changes.
• Be confident and capable of producing daily, weekly and monthly reports where required.
• Review and refine operational procedures.
• Be a leader in fostering a culture of continuous improvement, including managing your own learning and professional development.
• Monitor and act on factors that enhance or compromise customer experience.
• Be a champion for Access and Inclusion and use this as an integral part of decision making in event and exhibition planning.
• Undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be necessary from time to time to fulfil the obligations of the role.

Departmental Management

• Provide clear, inclusive and consistent leadership to the visitor experience team, maintaining a professional and positive team culture.
• Line manage a team of Assistant Visitor Experience Managers, Duty Managers, Visitor Experience Assistants and the Customer Relations Coordinator/Visitor Experience Administrator, with the ability to support team development and progression including coaching where beneficial.
• Have experience of a running Ticket Office and providing operational support of Ticket Office teams.
• Devise and create training and induction plans, as well as ensure that ongoing refresher training is rolled out to visitor experience staff and volunteers at appropriate intervals.
• Play an active part in recruitment and training in the department, supporting the onboarding of new Visitor Experience Assistants, Customer Relations Coordinator, Visitor Experience Administrator, Assistant Visitor Experience Managers, Duty Managers and volunteers where required.
• Assist the Duty Managers in tracking and swiftly addressing absences, sickness and poor performance.
• Support and manage the volunteers programme, ensuring best practice and creating a fulfilling offer for our volunteers.
• Conduct regular team and 1:1 staff meetings, including performance reviews and appraisals.
• Manage and review team rosters, performing regular checks to ensure sufficient cover is in place.
• Ensure delivery is cost effective while maintaining service quality.
• Ensure appropriate HR procedures are maintained and have strong experience of dealing with complex HR issues including disciplinaries.

Operational planning and delivery

• Work closely with Somerset House and external programming teams to advise on visitor experience and operations at the planning stages.
• Ensure highest standards are achieved for our visitors and that positive working relationships are established with internal and external contacts.
• Operationally deliver events and activities to the highest professional standards, at times managing multiple events at once.
• Ensure effective working relationships between the Visitor Experience department and the wider Somerset House Trust teams.
• Book and manage external contractors including Security, Medics, Catering and Cleaning teams to ensure that the highest standards are maintained throughout.
• Deal with any issues that may arise with the contractor(s) and make recommendations for any improvement of service.
• Maintain awareness of site wide activity and competing priorities.
• Demonstrate strong judgement under pressure, particularly during live operations or incidents.
• Respond flexibly to unexpected challenges e.g. crowd management, technical issues etc.
• Implement practical, solution focused approaches to operational issues.
• Support communication and coordination across departments.
• Must have experience of working with ticketing systems, preferably Tessitura and have a strong understanding of ticketing and event requirements to advise on planning, capacities and the ticketing offer.

Health and Safety

• Ensure that Somerset House is safe and secure for all visitors, staff and residents, supporting evacuations as required.
• Conduct regular refresher evacuation sessions throughout the year to ensure the Visitor Experience team are confident and able to safely evacuate.
• Work across all Somerset House programming teams to embed emergency procedures, licencing and security knowledge.
• Work closely with our Health and Safety Advisors to ensure best practice throughout the site.
• Ensure incident reporting, disaster management and business continuity procedures are followed appropriately as required.

Skills, knowledge & expertise required for the role

• Experience of supporting the design and delivery of complex projects and/or events, including leading on visitor experience, operational planning and logistics.
• Experience of managing large scale site‑specific projects such as gigs or exhibitions.
• Experience managing teams in a visitor experience or customer service environment, including staff rostering.
• Evidence of managing a large (100+) and diverse team in an arts or cultural setting.
• Demonstrable line management experience including HR requirements.
• Previously managed multiple priorities across a complex site.
• Confidently devised and delivered training to large groups.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety regulations for both the public and staff, with experience of managing onsite evacuations and leading H&S staff training.
• Confidence in liaising and effectively communicating with a wide variety of people.
• A professional manner and appearance and the ability to demonstrate and promote high standards.
• A current working knowledge of ticketing systems (ideally Tessitura) with a good understanding of ticketing and event requirements, alongside the ability to manage, assist and train Ticket Office staff.

We are looking for someone with but not limited to the following skills:

• Excellent customer service and organisational skills.
• An innovative, calm and efficient approach to problem solving and ensuring strategic aims.
• Be able to adapt with ease to the changing demands of the operation.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to motivate teams to achieve excellence.
• Demonstrable line management experience including HR requirements.
• A confident administrator who is used to working in a fast‑paced environment, with the ability to work under pressure and with competing priorities and deadlines.
• A strong negotiator and communicator with evidence of excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, high‑pressure environment.
• Flexible approach to work and hours, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
• IT literacy with demonstrable proficiency in MS Office and other related software packages.
• Ability to manage and diffuse difficult situations with a diplomatic approach.
• Ability to interpret insights and feedback, translating this into evident service improvements.
• A commitment and passion for ensuring an outstanding visitor experience to a diverse audience, in line with the Somerset House Safer Space and Diversity and Inclusion policies.
• First Aid qualified (Desirable)
• IOSH (Desirable)
• Personal License Holder (Desirable)

Benefits to working at Somerset House

• Access to our external Employee Assistance Programme (CiC) for free 24/7 confidential advice and support, including up to 6 free counselling sessions per year where needed.
• Mental health support and guidance from our in‑house trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• Hybrid working based on having 3 days in the office per week (pro rata if part‑time).
• Contribution towards eye tests and glasses.
• Trust life insurance scheme.

Holiday

• Enhanced annual leave – 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata).
• Birthday leave – additional day leave.
• Celebration day – to celebrate anything of your choice.

Other Leave

• Sick leave – 20 days full pay, followed by 20 days half pay (pro rata & following 3 months service).
• Emergency dependent care – option to use 25% of paid sick leave for emergency care of a dependent (pro rata & following 3 months service).
• Enhanced maternity pay.

Pension

• 8% employer pension contributions, no employee contribution required* Option for salary sacrifice.
• Interest‑free loans.
• Season ticket loan.
• Cycle to Work scheme.

Discounts, offers and free stuff

• The list is endless and includes tickets to Somerset House events and entrance to other London Heritage sites.
• Discounts in Somerset House cafes and restaurants.
• Discounts with various high street retailers and restaurants.
• Discount to local leisure centres.