St Paul\'s Cathedral - Visitor Operations Supervisor

We are currently seeking Visitor Operations Supervisors to join our Visitor Engagement team in one of the most iconic buildings in the world, St Paul’s Cathedral. In this role you will be responsible for leading a team of Visitor Experience Assistants in delivering a warm welcome and an excellent customer service experience to visitors.

Main Duties

• Ensure that the VEA team (including any agency support staff) are providing a warm welcome to all visitors.
• Assist visitors during their visit to the Cathedral.
• Support VEA team members with any issues, feedback or complaints raised by visitors.
• Be the first point of contact for resolving any visitor complaints and issues.
• Provide hands on support to specific areas of the Cathedral operation such as the admissions area and the galleries.
• Work with fellow supervisors, to ensure that there is constant supervisory presence on the galleries and at the West End of the Cathedral, when the Cathedral is open.
• Complete and record pre-opening checks.
• Share any defects with the Works department.
• Coordinate daily floor walks and safety checks of escape routes.
• Manage the start and end of day till procedures, handle the cash and investigate any discrepancies.
• Gain a full understanding of the daily operating procedures including fire, safety and safeguarding, to effectively train and coach the VEA team as required.
• Compile daily briefing notes to be shared and delivered to the VEA team.
• Prepare the daily staff rosters for the following day.
• Troubleshoot operational activity and coordinate changes to the daily staff roster where necessary.
• Complete timesheets each day for the VEAs.
• Work with the Visitor Operations Managers (VOMs) on preparing the start times for the VEA team each month.
• On a rota basis, ensure there is supervisor cover from 8am to 6pm each day, and later, on days where the Cathedral is hosting special events and services.
• Act as Duty Supervisor on a rotational basis.
• Support the VOMs with general administrative tasks as required.
• Maintain a focus on commercial income for the Cathedral and support the team in increasing the sale of guidebooks on the point of entry, the upselling of tours and other potential initiatives such as membership schemes and gift-aid donations on admissions.
• Play a leading role in any evacuation by becoming a trained fire warden.
• Be aware of risk assessments, policies and procedures in order to safeguard yourself and the team while at work.
• Process complimentary tickets for the staff and volunteers of the Cathedral.

Leading the Team

• Take a lead role in the recruitment of new VEA team members.
• Ensure that new VEA’s have had a full induction as well as completed the bespoke training programme.
• Lead a team of VEAs and support the setting of objectives which are set annually by the Head of Department.
• Monitor the standards of performance and competency of the VEAs and address any shortfalls quickly and positively.
• Identify further coaching and development that may be required for VEAs and liaise with VOMs on how that can be delivered.
• Support the VOMs in the delivery of appraisals for your VEA team.
• Actively promote the setting of high standards of presentation and customer service across the Cathedral to ensure an excellent visitor experience.
• Deliver engaging briefings to the team on a daily basis, to ensure that they are well informed.
• Be mindful of the welfare of the VEA team and ensure that they are provided with the correct uniform, PPE and outerwear for working in different weathers.

Person Specification

The individual will have a broad range of skills with a key strength in creating and motivating effective teams and delivering exceptional customer service and driving an increase in footfall. Experience of delivering culture change will be vital as will the ability to understand the diverse needs of our visitors.

Essential experience, knowledge and skills:

• A passion for visitor engagement and excellent customer experience.
• Experience within a heritage, public engagement or visitor attraction.
• Experience of coaching and training more junior staff to ensure a high level of performance and delivery of objectives.
• Experience of proactively addressing minor issues of performance and conduct with more junior staff.
• An effective communicator, written and verbally.
• Good initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Experience of dealing with customer complaints.
• Experience of producing, changing and coordinating rosters.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• A commitment to high standards of presentation.
• A good team worker, able to build strong working relationships.
• Demonstrable personal resilience and supports others to develop the same.
• Ability to understand the process of decision-making within a complex organisation.
• An understanding of the unique nature of St Paul’s as a place of worship, education, visitor attraction and a place of national focus.

Desirable experience, knowledge and skills:

• Experience of managing staff in a heritage/religious establishment.
• Experience of working successfully with volunteers.
• Experience of using ticketing and travel trade vouchers.
• The individual will be in sympathy with, and in their work support, the Christian aims and mission of St Paul’s Cathedral.