Visitor Experience Manager - RSPB Fairburn Ings & RSPB St Aidan’s Nature Reserve

Job Description

Would you like to work at two of Yorkshire's most exciting wildlife locations, less than half an hour from Leeds? We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated leader to join our team as Visitor Experience Manager for the Aire Valley.

You'll be working across two ecologically important landscapes, RSPB Fairburn Ings and RSPB St Aidan’s. These sites boast some of the most inspiring wildlife scenes in Yorkshire and provide essential habitat for a number of rare species.

In this role, you’ll share your passion for connecting people with nature to provide a unique and fascinating visitor experience that will inspire our visitors to support nature conservation now and in the future. Our Aire Valley sites attract a broad spectrum of visitors throughout the year, creating exciting opportunities for an ambitious events programme. You and your team will deliver this programme of seasonal events for the local community, our members, and new audiences.

What's the role about?

The Visitor Experience Manager will be responsible for leading and delivering the RSPB visitor experience offer. This includes a busy events and activities programme including working with 3rd party event organisers. You'll also work on reserve interpretation, lead volunteer recruitment and management for the Visitor Experience function and work with our Communications Team to deliver promotional activities, particularly social media content.

You will be working with the Visitor Operations Manager to ensure a coherent visitor offer is delivered, whilst meeting reserve KPI’s and quality standards, help increase footfall and repeat visits and work closely with the HQ team to ensure the reserves' delivery is aligned with RSPB strategy.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in event management, visitor experience and communications - if that's you we'd love to hear from you.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• A natural leader who can motivate and inspire people at all levels
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Problem-solving skills and ability to work on own initiative
• Ability to manage and respond to customer needs and feedback
• Ability to maximise opportunities for visitor engagement and income generation
• Working knowledge of running events and activities
• Proven track record of managing a successful visitor project or visitor attraction
• Experience of managing and delivering targets and KPI’s
• Experience of analysing and interpreting data in a visitor experience environment
• Experience of managing a team of staff and/or volunteers

Desirable qualifications and knowledge:

• Tourism/leisure related qualification
• Working knowledge of Equal Opportunities & Diversity
• Health and Safety in the workplace
• First Aid

Additional Information

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position on Friday 14 October and Friday 21 October 2022. For further information please contact Teresa Wetton at Teresa.Wetton@rspb.org.uk or Tom Harman at Tom.Harman@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. This role will require the completion of a safeguarding level 2 certificate in addition to the standard pre-employment checks.

Before applying to this role we would encourage you to read through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of our advert. The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.