Visitor Experience Officer

We are looking for a Visitor Experience Officer to ensure that every one of our visitors to Ham
Wall has a high-quality visitor experience. Working with a team, you will make sure our
visitors are warmly welcomed, enthused about the resident wildlife, and ultimately encouraged
to support the work of the RSPB through membership.

RSPB Ham Wall is a wetland nature reserve teeming with wildlife just outside of Glastonbury
with stunning views across the marshes to Glastonbury Tor. Created in 1994 to provide inland
habitat for bitterns the reserve is now one of the best places in the country to come and see
these elusive birds. Other key species include great white egrets, marsh harriers, bearded tits
and the winter starling murmurations.

What is the role about?

The role will be based at RSPB Ham Wall, which attracts around 65,000 visitors a year. In
addition to the amazing landscapes and wildlife, the site comprises of a Welcome Area with an
information point, membership recruitment and a take-away offer of hot and cold drinks,
pre-packaged snacks and ice creams.

We are looking for someone to ensure that every one of our visitors has a high-quality visitor
experience, where they are warmly welcomed, enthused about the resident wildlife and ultimately
encouraged to support the work of the RSPB through membership. You’ll be leading a team of
volunteers and working closely with the offsite membership team to achieve this.

You will work with the Visitor Experience Manager and Visitor Experience Assistant to assist in
delivering activities and events in a fun and innovative way.

You will be:

• Working with colleagues to ensure the effective, efficient and safe running of the Welcome
  Area Info Point and Catering Kiosk, guaranteeing a high quality, on-brand, visitor experience.
• Working with the visitor experience team and offsite membership team to achieve financial
  targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to deliver against our business goals.
• Expected to ensure every visitor has positive and memorable contact with staff and
  volunteers, whether they are individuals, small groups, large groups, people with disabilities,
  families etc,
• Managing, supporting, training, and recruiting volunteers to deliver elements of the
  visitor operation on the reserve.
• Grow the volunteer team to expand the capacity to deliver the visitor operation.
• Responsible for the catering operation including the ordering and monitoring of stock.
  Ensuring food hygiene and health and safety are followed to RSPB standards.
• Working with the Membership Team to facilitate and support the Membership Fundraisers who
  work at Ham Wall.
• Assisting with the facilitation of family activities and events, contributing ideas and
  suggestions to enhance the visitor experience.
• Ensuring the Welcome Area, together with its environs, visitor facilities and equipment are
  maintained and presented to a high standard.

Essential skills, knowledge & experience:

• Experience of delivering an exemplar visitor or customer service experience.
• Able to enthuse people to support wildlife and nature with good people engagement and
  communication skills
• Experience of managing and training volunteers
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads
• Good problem-solving skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and under pressure
• Ability to manage and respond quickly to customer needs and feedback
• Ability to work as part of a team, to motivate and inspire people
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Previous experience of working in a catering environment and a clear understanding of food
  hygiene
• Previous experience of planning and delivering events
• Experience of working at a busy visitor attraction dealing with large volumes of visitors
• Experience of managing and delivering against targets and KPI’s
• Health and Safety in the workplace

Please note that this role includes working most weekends, bank holidays and over
Christmas (not including 24 – 26 December). Lone working and working evenings will occasionally
be required. This role is based in a remote location and own transport
is required to move stock and equipment from the office to the
reserve.

This is a fixed-term 6 month contract, part-time for 22.5 hours per week.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 25th October 2024. For further
information please contact [email protected]

As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete
an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience
listed above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels
supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world
richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of
colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate,
sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled,
we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any
additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have
a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes
attached to the top of this advert.