Guide Manager

GUIDE MANAGER

REPORTS TO:

Director of Operations & People

RATE OF PAY:

£36887 per annum

HOLIDAYS:

25 days plus bank holidays per annum

PENSION SCHEME:

LGPS East Riding Pension Fund

HOURS OF WORK:

42 hours (5 days) per week on a 4 week rota basis, working two weekends in four. Hours are worked to meet the needs of this diverse department and The Deep’s opening hours, and are therefore normally 8.45am to 6pm for four days per week, with one midweek day being an early finish.

This is a permanent position.

The Deep is an education and conservation based charitable aquarium in Hull with the mission “To create a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the world’s oceans and inspire positive change for their survival.” As a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, The Deep provides inspiring formal and informal conservation education to a diverse audience. Providing uncompromising levels of animal care and welfare, The Deep contributes to breeding programmes and field conservation. Forging partnerships with key governing bodies, conservation organisations and other prominent zoos and aquariums, The Deep is working to make an impact in the protection of our oceans. Public engagement is at the heart of The Deep’s mission, and the Guide Manager is a critical link between all that The Deep is; and its audience.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Guide Manager leads the guiding team to create memorable and enjoyable informal education experiences through engagement with diverse audiences at The Deep. The Guide Manager maximises the potential of The Deep’s exhibits through guiding and interpretation activities to inspire all visitors.

The Guide Manager also takes a leading role in the Duty Management of the building to oversee, on a daily basis, a high quality and safe operation of all visitor-facing aspects of The Deep visitor attraction.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Effective and dynamic management of the guide team including:

Support and performance manage the team, including induction, planning and implementation of training and development, appraisals, coaching and mentoring.

Develop, deliver, evaluate and manage all informal guide-led learning and customer service to provide an accessible, innovative and engaging environment.

Ensure quality experiences and visitor guide-led activities, such as presentations and exhibit talks, art and craft, hands-on science demonstrations and story-telling, as well as occasional guided tours and virtual outreach talks, off-site outreach events and conferences. Work with other departments to plan, develop and deliver an events calendar.

Support a culture of care and integration with other departments within The Deep, recognising the value of collaboration and information sharing to ensure consistent and appropriate messaging in line with The Deep’s charitable objectives.

Proactively work to ensure that interpretative content is current, scientifically accurate and relevant to the living collection.

Ensure informal educational outputs are compliant with Zoo Licensing requirements and follow sector best practice.

Manage related administrative duties such as efficient (and on budget) rota production, holiday allocation, time management and recruitment planning.

Manage Health & Safety within the Guiding department and all related activities.

Ensure representation of The Deep’s informal learning outputs at relevant sector conferences and meetings.

Assist in the development of new visitor engagement opportunities, products and services, to include innovative ways of engaging with hard-to-reach audiences.

Support the promotion of The Deep through collaboration with the marketing department.

Manage car park staffing (currently through agency personnel).

Duty Management responsibilities include overseeing the smooth operation of all visitor-facing aspects of The Deep visitor attraction and site on that day/night, including (but not limited to):

Carry out documented daily operational procedures and safety checks (on a timely and regular basis)to ensure efficient and safe running of The Deep, its car parks and grounds (including cleaning and maintenance as required).

Deal effectively with customer queries/complaints.

Collect and secure cash at the end of the day.

Manage emergency situations for example evacuations, first aid incidents, security breaches and implementation (when required) of the Crisis PR and Disaster Recovery Plans.

Liaise with emergency services where necessary.

Liaise with other stakeholders (for example, Business Centre clients, events Crew, corporate clients and security contractors) where necessary.

Liaise with, and provide support to, all departments to help manage customer flow, events and Crew resources.

Pro-actively communicate with visitors, including: in-person, through social media, telephone and in writing.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Essential

Recognised qualifications relevant for the role, for example in general management, leisure & tourism.

Track record of continuing professional development and a culture of encouraging development and progression of others through coaching, training and people development.

Evidence of leading a culture of new opportunities and innovation, teamwork, professionalism and service.

Reliable and highly motivated, with a responsible attitude towards work. Excellent time management skills, able to adjust daily outputs dynamically to fulfil the requirements of this dual role.

Self-motivated and able to inspire, motivate and encourage continuous improvement in others.

Public presentation experience (aquarium/zoo/science/museum/environment/heritage and attractions sector, with communication to family audiences, highly preferred).

Excellent soft skills and a desire to support your team in the pursuit of excellence.

Robust understanding and proven experience of team leadership and pro-active people management, ideally within a similar, changeable, seasonal environment.

Project management experience of forward planning activities, training and staffing levels.

Strong report writing skills for the planning, documentation, review and evaluation of learning outputs of guiding activities and events.

Scientific acumen, the ability to assimilate scientific information and re-present in an accessible and flexible format.

Financially aware and numerate.

Excellent personal presentation, smart appearance, polite and courteous.

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.

Ability and willingness to use initiative and adaptability to deal with changing situations at short notice and prioritise workload, staffing and incidents accordingly.

Ability to use initiative to solve problems quickly and remain calm under pressure.

Understanding and experience of Health & Safety management, including the ability to ensure that risk assessments and Safe Systems of Work are adhered to and that changing situations are dynamically assessed.

Ability to provide excellent customer service, with fantastic interpersonal skills, showing an understanding of customers’ needs both in person, on the telephone and in writing.

Excellent customer service skills, including ability to handle difficult customer situations through conflict resolution.

Good understanding of the environmental and sustainability issues of the day.

Interest in The Deep and a drive to deliver the charity’s objectives in marine conservation and education.

Please note that a satisfactory DBS check would be required for this post-holder.

Desirable

Experience of Duty Management responsibility within a large public facility.

Membership of a relevant professional body (for example Chartered Management Institute) and/or active role within a relevant sector body.