Front of House & Audience Experience Manager in Cheltenham

Cheltenham Trust is entering a new phase of ambition for its venues, audiences and cultural offer. We are seeking a Front of House & Audience Experience Manager who shares our belief that exceptional visitor experience is central to the success, reputation and commercial performance of our organisation. This role will lead the delivery of audience experience across Cheltenham Town Hall and Pittville Pump Room, setting high standards for welcome, professionalism, presentation and operational delivery. Every audience member should feel that they are attending venues that are confident, well run, inclusive and memorable.

The successful candidate will combine visible operational leadership with a genuine commitment to hospitality, audience care and team development. They will understand how great venues feel from a customer perspective and will take pride in creating experiences that encourage repeat visits, stronger audience loyalty and increased secondary spend. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who thrives in live environments, enjoys leading from the front and is motivated by building high‑performing, audience‑focused teams.

Purpose of the Role

The Front of House & Audience Experience Manager is responsible for shaping and delivering an outstanding visitor experience across both venues, ensuring consistently high standards of welcome, service, safety and presentation. The role leads Front of House operations day to day while also driving continuous improvement in how audiences experience our venues, from booking and arrival through to intervals, departures and return visits. Working collaboratively across Operations, Hospitality, Box Office, Marketing and Programming, the role will help create a seamless and commercially effective audience journey that reflects the quality and ambition of Cheltenham Trust’s wider strategy. The postholder will play a key role in embedding a culture of professionalism, accountability, warmth and operational excellence across all public‑facing activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Front of House Leadership & Operational Excellence
  • Lead all Front of House operations across Cheltenham Town Hall and Pittville Pump Room, ensuring consistently high standards of audience welcome, service delivery and safety.
  • Set clear expectations for professionalism, presentation, behaviour and customer care across Front of House teams.
  • Line manage Duty Managers and Front of House staff, creating a culture of accountability, confidence, teamwork and pride in delivery.
  • Be a highly visible presence during events and public opening periods, leading from the front and supporting teams in real time.
  • Ensure all events are effectively planned, staffed and briefed, with teams fully prepared to deliver excellent audience experiences.
  • Drive operational consistency while maintaining flexibility and responsiveness within a live events environment.
  • Lead by example in professionalism, calm decision‑making and audience care, particularly during high‑pressure situations.
• Audience Experience & Venue Standards
  • Champion an audience‑first approach across all aspects of Front of House delivery.
  • Continually review and improve the visitor journey across both venues, identifying opportunities to enhance comfort, accessibility, atmosphere and engagement.
  • Ensure venue presentation and Front of House delivery reflect the quality and standards audiences expect from leading cultural and civic venues.
  • Work closely with Marketing, Programming, Box Office and Hospitality teams to deliver a joined‑up and seamless customer journey.
  • Ensure audiences receive an experience that consistently matches or exceeds what has been communicated through marketing and ticketing channels.
  • Use audience insight, observation, feedback and performance data to drive continuous improvement.
  • Act as the senior escalation point for customer issues and complaints, resolving matters professionally, fairly and with excellent judgement.
  • Help create experiences that encourage repeat attendance, positive reputation and audience loyalty.
• Commercial Awareness & Income Generation
  • Understand the relationship between audience experience, reputation and commercial performance.
  • Work collaboratively with Hospitality teams to maximise opportunities for bar usage, ancillary income and customer dwell time.
  • Identify practical opportunities within the customer journey that can improve income generation without compromising audience experience.
  • Support a culture where commercial awareness and audience care work together rather than in competition.
  • Contribute to the wider organisational ambition of increasing earned income and strengthening audience engagement.
• Team Development & Culture
  • Build and maintain a positive, ambitious and supportive Front of House culture.
  • Support Duty Managers and Front of House staff through coaching, feedback, development and clear performance expectations.
  • Encourage initiative, professionalism and pride in customer service standards.
  • Lead recruitment, induction and ongoing development of Front of House staff and volunteers.
  • Foster an inclusive and collaborative working environment where individuals feel valued and motivated to perform at their best.
• Volunteer Programme
  • Develop and oversee a high‑quality volunteer programme that strengthens audience welcome and supports venue operations.
  • Ensure volunteers are effectively trained, supported and integrated into Front of House delivery.
  • Build positive relationships with local partners and community organisations to widen access to volunteering opportunities.
  • Create a volunteer experience that reflects the values and standards of Cheltenham Trust.
• Operations, Compliance & Safety
  • Ensure all Front of House operations comply with health and safety, safeguarding, licensing and accessibility requirements.
  • Maintain clear and effective Front of House procedures and operational standards.
  • Oversee staffing rotas to ensure efficient, safe and financially responsible deployment of teams.
  • Work closely with Operations and Building teams to ensure public areas remain clean, safe, welcoming and presentation‑ready.
  • Support the smooth operational delivery of a varied programme of performances, events, hires and civic activity.
• Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
  • Monitor audience satisfaction, operational performance and service standards across both venues.
  • Use feedback, data and operational insight to identify areas for improvement and implement meaningful change.
  • Contribute actively to the wider organisational culture of learning, improvement and ambition.
  • Stay informed about best practice in audience experience, hospitality and venue operations.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience leading Front of House, hospitality, events or visitor experience operations within a busy public‑facing environment.
• Experience managing or supervising customer‑facing teams to deliver high standards of service.
• A strong understanding of what exceptional audience and customer experience looks like in practice.
• Ability to lead confidently and positively within live operational environments.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and problem‑solving skills.
• Experience handling customer concerns and complex situations with professionalism and sound judgement.
• Knowledge of health and safety, accessibility and licensing requirements within public venues.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• A collaborative and proactive working style.
• Commitment to high standards, continuous improvement and team development.

Desirable

• Experience working within arts, culture, heritage, entertainment or civic venues.
• Experience developing volunteer programmes or working with volunteers.
• Understanding of the relationship between audience experience and commercial performance.
• Experience contributing to organisational change or service improvement.
• Knowledge of Cheltenham’s cultural sector and local community.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Consistently high‑quality audience experiences across both venues.
• Strong, visible and confident Front of House leadership.
• Positive audience feedback and improved customer satisfaction.
• Well‑led, motivated and professional Front of House teams.
• Improved operational consistency and presentation standards.
• Strong collaboration across departments.
• Growth in repeat attendance, customer loyalty and secondary spend.
• A culture of pride, accountability and continuous improvement across Front of House operations.

This is not a desk‑based management role. Visibility, operational judgement and hands‑on leadership within the venues are essential. We are looking for someone who is ambitious about standards, passionate about audience experience and excited to help shape the future of two important civic and cultural venues.