Visitor Experience Assistant Manager

Salary: £26,000 - £28,000 per annum

Riverside Studios is seeking a Visitor Experience Assistant Manager to help deliver a world-class customer experience to all those who visit the venue.

Riverside Studios is a newly-renovated arts centre on the bank of the River Thames in Hammersmith, West London, housing two 400-capacity theatre studios, a 200-capacity studio, a 200-capacity cinema, a 50-seat cinema, a restaurant, cinema bar and various other events spaces. Where you find us today, reflects an extraordinary history of creativity. Since 1976, we have welcomed a phenomenal variety of collaborators and audiences, embracing our position as an intersection for the arts and a hub for our community.

We believe in the power of creativity to bring people together, unlock potential, and spark positive change in the world. Our currency is the arts and creative expression. We are clear, focussed and single-minded in our mission to make the world a better place, starting with our local community. We present an artistic programme and operate an arts centre that is inclusive and accessible.

We care passionately about the visitor experience encountered by each and every member of our audience and aim to ensure that our staff match the quality of our presentations.  We will provide a proactive, friendly and professional welcome to all visitors to the venue, and a high standard of consistency will be our benchmark.  We are committed to:

• Ensuring that our visitors always have the best experience
• Ensuring the safety and comfort of all our visitors
• Sharing our enthusiasm and passion for Riverside Studios and its activities
• Supporting and strengthening the new building and its facilities with staff and endeavouring to create positive experiences for all members of the public, partners, trustees and contractors.

Duties and responsibilities

The Visitor Experience Team has a focus on delivering world-class customer service to all those who visit Riverside – either to be an audience member, or to work in one of our spaces. 

The team is led by our Visitor Experience Manager and comprise three Assistant Managers and a pool of Assistants who work on a rota basis to service the needs of the business. The Assistant Managers will lead the team on their shifts, organising work duties and assigning priorities. The Assistant Managers will provide further support to the Manager, by assisting with getting films and productions on sale, and managing the website and box office back end. Critically, all Assistant Managers and the Manager will be able to attend to any aspect of the portfolio, ensuring a seamless service to customers and both internal and external stakeholders.

The specific areas of responsibility for the Assistant Managers are as follows:

Leadership

When on duty to be the primary point of contact in the building for all queries related to Front of House issues. To manage the team such that it is professional and performs to a high standard, and that training/coaching and guidance needs are identified and implemented.

Front of House & Reception

To assist the Visitor Experience Manager in running all aspects of the Front of House & Reception operation including but not limited to the following:

• To ensure staffing is suitable for all events and that visitors’ needs are provided by the team.
• Close liaison with third party users of the building, such as RTVS, Sam’s and other tenants, to ensure that their Front of House needs are properly met.
• To ensure the smooth and efficient management of all audiences coming to Riverside, from checking tickets through to seating and dispersal following a performance/recording/film/event.
• To anticipate, where possible, and manage all audience complaints, enquiries and issues as they arise.
• To be aware of and able to implement all aspects of Riverside’s Health and Safety, Fire and Risk policies, and ensure that the policies are adhered to by all users of Riverside.
• Answering the main phone number and taking all other enquiries, taking messages and directing as required, dealing with calls and enquiries promptly and professionally.
• Responsible for ensuring that the door access codes and fobs are dealt with responsibly and only given out to authorised personnel.
• Ensuring that the Front Desk is always attended and that it, as well as the Cloakroom and Operations Office, is tidy and presentable.
• Informing all areas of the building in the event of an emergency by using the agreed methods, and ensuring the staff are all suitably trained in event of an evacuation.
• Ensuring that marketing collateral (posters, flyers and brochures) are up to date and well stocked.
• Actively assist in the maintenance of the Mailing List and any development schemes.
• Notify and log any customer comments and complaints and pass on to the relevant member of management.
• Report any problems which fall outside the direct responsibility of the Reception to the relevant member of staff e.g. building maintenance, cleaning, alarm procedures.

Box office & website

To assist the Visitor Experience Manager in fulfilling all aspects of the Box Office & Website operation, including but not limited to the following:

• Ensure that staff receive appropriate training on the box office system and that they are briefed and fully aware of all details concerning current and future events.
• To work with the programming and marketing teams, as well as outside producers, to explore all ticketing needs prior to shows going on sale.
• To build shows on Red61 in liaison with all appropriate teams.
• To manage allocations and the appropriate and relevant reconciliations.
• To take responsibility for all aspects of box office operations including (but not limited to) handling enquiries of all forms, refunds, reseating and staff tickets.
• To deliver reporting, internally and externally, as required.
• Manage all data within current UK guidelines including GDPR, and full compliance with the Data Protection Act.
• To collate any specific information regarding customers to support Riverside Studios marketing and audience development initiatives.
• Deal with all financial elements of the role as required with accuracy, confidentiality and integrity.
• Ensure that any customer complaints, and any issues are suitably logged and responded to, developing suitable protocols and procedures to avoid any repeat.
• Ensuring seamless integration between the website and the Red61 booking system.
• Ensuring that all on-sale items on the website are current and accurate.
• To monitor the Box Office & Visitor Experience Managers email inboxes and ensure all relevant tasks are settled by end-of-shift.
• On evening shifts, to assist with the closing of the building including any end-of-day reporting. On daytime shifts, to ensure the building was opened correctly by the VEA on duty.

Venue and facilities

To work with the Venue & Facilities Manager to ensure all spaces in Riverside are correctly set up for visiting companies/clients/audiences.

Administration

To work with the Riverside Finance and HR teams to ensure that all staff records, timesheets and reporting is accurate and is provided in a timely fashion. To assist the Visitor Experience Manager in drawing up suitable rotas for staff and managing changes/updates as the week progresses.

General

• Attend weekly Operations, Visitor Experience Managers & All Staff meetings (when available). Attend monthly Visitor Experience Team meetings (when available).
• Liaise with other departments as required on any other duties which need completing.

More details

Contract type: Permanent, full-time.
For full details including a person specification, click here.

To apply

Email your CV and cover letter to: careers@riversidestudios.co.uk

The closing date for this position is 27/03/2022 at 23:00