Part Time - Centre Assistant - Fixed Term

Job Description

Are you able to deliver fantastic customer service, and would you like to work for an organisation that is making a big difference to our natural world? We are looking for an enthusiastic and hard-working people person to work in Burton Mere Wetlands' visitor centre at the heart of our Dee Estuary reserve.

The Dee Estuary is one of the RSPB’s largest and most diverse reserves spanning over 6000 hectares straddling the England-Wales border. Habitats range from tidal saltmarsh, mudflats, sand dune and shingle beach to the freshwater reedbed, wet grassland and ancient woodland at Burton Mere Wetlands, where our increasingly popular visitor facilities serve as the gateway to the estuary’s impressive wildlife spectacles.

Renowned for the winter wildfowl flocks, a large egret colony and abundant birds of prey, and managed carefully for priority breeding waders including lapwing, redshank and the iconic avocet. Having steadily grown in stature since the visitor centre opened in 2011, now almost 50,000 visitors enjoy the reserve each year, with the new café opening this year expected to encourage further growth.

About the Role

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, shop purchases and events.

The running of the visitor centre is planned via the use of rotas and would include weekend working. Full induction and training would be provided, with opportunities to learn about the running of a busy visitor centre and nature reserve operation.

Our visitor operations are a crucial part of what we do here, encouraging visitors to explore the reserve and giving them a great visitor experience, whilst generating vital support for our nature conservation work.

You will be able to communicate well with our visitors and offer excellent levels of customer care. Duties will include working on our meet and greet operation, welcoming visitors to the reserve, providing information, and encouraging visitors to support our work. You will also help lead our committed team of volunteers, support our café team as required when it opens, and undertake other duties typical of a busy visitor attraction.

You will be:

• Working with colleagues to ensure the effective, efficient and safe running of the visitor centre, guaranteeing a high quality, on-brand, visitor experience.
• Working with the visitor experience team to achieve financial targets to deliver against our business goals.
• Expected to ensure every visitor has positive and memorable contact with staff, whether they are individuals, small groups, large groups, school groups, people with disabilities, families etc.
• Assist with the facilitation of family activities and events, contributing ideas and suggestions to enhance the visitor experience.
• Ensure the visitor centre, together with its environs, visitor facilities and equipment are maintained and presented to a high standard.

This new role will play a key part in maintaining the high standards of visitor experience for existing and new audiences at an exciting time for the reserve as the new café project reaches completion through spring and summer. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who is keen to develop and grow in visitor engagement.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Ability to enthuse people to support wildlife and nature through good people engagement and communication skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Enthusiastic approach to work.
• Good problem-solving skills and be able to work on own initiative.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• Ability to manage and respond quickly and positively 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.
• Ability and willingness to work flexibly including weekends and occasional evenings.
• GCSE Maths and English or equivalent.
• Computer literate.
• Multi-tasking skills.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of working at a visitor attraction/customer-facing environment.
• Experience of sales or encouraging support.
• Knowledge of UK wildlife.
• Knowledge of health and safety in the workplace.
• Till operation and payment handling.
• Basic food hygiene knowledge.

This is a six month fixed-term role for 30 hours per week, with the possibility of extra hours as and when required. Ideally this would be worked as 4 full time days, but there is flexibility around this.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position in week commencing 13 February. For further information please contact daniel.trotman@rspb.org.uk

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.

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

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