Visitor Services

To support the garden and grounds team to ensure that the gardens and policies of Culzean Castle are managed and maintained as an internationally-recognised landscape of outstanding historical importance; contributing to the property’s overall conservation and development, and its enjoyment by visitors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensuring the conservation and practical maintenance of the gardens and grounds.
• Ensure all work is delivered to the highest standard as agreed by the Head Gardener.
• Working with the rest of the Garden & Grounds team in preparing the estate for visitors’ enjoyment, this will include:
o Grass Cutting
o Strimming
o Weeding
o Assist with waste disposal, (ranging from domestic waste bins to large scale skip and recycling)
o Hedge Trimming
o Pathways, Boardwalk, small bridge repairs.
o Assisting with brush/ scrub/ tree clearance
o Other tasks as required

SCOPE OF ROLE

Technical
• Responsible for carrying out reasonable instructions given by the Head Gardener/Grounds person.

People Management
• Is not a line manager
• Will have regular daily interactions with members of the public of all ages and abilities

Tools/Equipment
• Will be a frequent user of driven vehicles such as tractors, ride-on mowers, Grounds vehicle and other maintenance equipment
• Will be a frequent user of hand-tools such as spades, forks, picks, rakes

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications
• A full clean driving license, valid for driving within the UK

Skills, Experience & Knowledge Essential
• Sound knowledge of basic tool and machinery use and maintenance;
• Ability to learn good Health and Safety processes and procedures and the ability to work effectively within these processes;
• The ability and confidence to interact politely with visitors & skills in dealing with people generally. The ability to represent the Trust when speaking with visitors.
• An understanding and commitment to the aims and objectives of the National Trust for Scotland.
• The ability and willingness to learn and try new things, to be flexible and step outside of your comfort zone.
• An open and honest way of communicating, ready to ask others for their ideas and to be open to hear and consider different points of view.

As a front-line member of the Culloden team your job is give an amazing welcome and tell the story of this iconic site. You will be responsible for delivering our commercial offer which includes membership, general admission, donations, some retail products and travel trade. You will be part of our Visit Scotland 5-star team acting as an ambassador for the site and the National Trust for Scotland.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

This role will assist the wider Welcome team to deliver high quality visitor experience at Culloden Battlefield (including but not limited to):

• To provide excellent customer service.
• Be responsible and proactive. Ensuring all day-to-day tasks are completed including responding to customer enquiries, answering the telephone, cleaning, recording statistics etc.
• Working with the Visitor Services Manager (Welcome) and a Visitor Services Supervisor (Welcome) to deliver membership targets and KPI’s
• Cash reconciliation duties including end of day and administration tasks. Ensuring cash is handled accurately and there is continuity across all sales platforms
• To ensure perpetually high levels of accuracy are maintained for all transactions and data recording
• Working with the Visitor Services Manager (Welcome) and a Visitor Services Supervisor (Welcome) to deliver audio guide systems and other services efficiently to visitors
• To actively drive-up selling opportunities through strong product knowledge and an excellent customer service to maximise sales of admission tickets, membership and donations.
• Be able to take responsibility for your own development and learning.
• Answer historical questions and booking enquiries and process bookings appropriately
• Have a flexible approach to working hours and days including working weekend and Bank Holidays as appropriate.
• To work across departments when necessary, supporting the wider Culloden Cluster team
• To develop a working knowledge of the history of the site and being able to relate that to visitors in a friendly and engaging way
• To provide consistently excellent customer service when dealing with high volumes of customers
• Adhering to the property’s quality standards including wearing of uniform.
• Ensuring health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines. This includes working within the property’s “Safe System of Work” (the system for managing Health & Safety).

• The current duties of this job do not require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

As part of the team which cares for our sites across the Scottish Borders, a Seasonal Ranger plays a crucial role in ensuring that our conservation ambitions go hand in hand with welcoming our local community and visitors from across the globe to this well-loved place.

To provide a warm and informative welcome for visitors to Grey Mare’s Tail nature reserve and be a passionate advocate of the site and the National Trust for Scotland. Giving our places a voice and improving the visitor experience for all.
You will work out in the landscape, on walking routes, in our parking areas, acting as an ambassador for the National Trust for Scotland, building awareness and support for our charity. You’ll leave those you meet with a desire to respect, protect and enjoy this special natural environment and an understanding of how they can help do this.

You will work on your own and with other staff and volunteers, on a variety of tasks to help us achieve the high presentation and habitat management standards expected of a National Trust for Scotland sites.

You will contribute to the long-term sustainability of our region through income generated at paid-for events, memberships and donations inspired by our work, growing our capacity through volunteers and cost-effective use of resources.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Combine responsibilities across the following areas of work with direct implementation yourself and by overseeing the work of others such as contractors, volunteers, and colleagues:
Nature conservation
 Survey wildlife and habitats and feed this knowledge into management decisions, marketing of natural heritage, and further development of our voice.
 Maintain and manage habitats, wildlife with the aim of protecting species and increasing biodiversity.
 Contribute to the planning and lead the delivery of practical conservation to deliver the outputs agreed in the property’s budget.

Visitor Services
 Provide information to visitors to encourage more visitors and help people get more out of their engagement with natural heritage. Give more back to it including “upselling” (e.g.: of membership) using face to face and by other means of interaction such as social media.
 Participate in a programme of estate patrols at busy times and locations, including weekends and evenings, to engage with tourists, outdoor activity enthusiasts and campers, championing a “leave no trace” culture and providing practical advice based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
 Welcome customers in our car park in a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable manner, answering queries and providing information about the property, facilities and the local area.
 Contribute to the development and delivery of products that bring alive our stories, including on-site displays, self-guided trails, signage, guided walks, talks or other hands-on activities.
 Maintain countryside estate infrastructure at small, day to day scale (e.g. paths, gates, signs, vegetation management) to achieve ecological, visitor services and safety outcomes.
 Spending time in the interpretation trailer on site, delivering accurate and up to date information and providing a warm welcome.
 Assist with events such as public gatherings, NTS events and weddings.

Community engagement
 Communicate with local stakeholders, neighboring landowners, local businesses, local/regional agencies and others to increase understanding of their and our aims and develop collaborative working to help deliver our priorities.
 Develop and maintain sound relationships with representatives of key parties who have interests in the property including neighbours, local businesses, the local community and user groups.

Learning
 Provide educational and other outreach activities on site or to the community local to the natural heritage and to communities of interest, including for volunteers.

Other responsibilities
 Work with the wider Borders team and occasionally help with events and activities at other sites in the Borders cluster.
 Management of practical conservation and wildlife recording.
 Ensure that all activities undertaken are compliant with the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures including the safe system of work (SSOW), and environmental policy and practices.
 Undertake general retail duties on occasion, including property enquiries and cashing handling. Suitable training will be provided.
 Manage contractors and supervise volunteers.
 Develop and deliver visitor safety in the countryside.
 Engagement and involvement with projects as required.

Contract Type: Permanent 
Salary: £25,829 – £28,251 per annum
Grade: FC05 
Hours:  36 Hours Per Week 
Location: St Andrews Museum, St Andrews
Job Reference: ON000483

We are OnFife and as Fife’s largest cultural organisation we specialise in making jaws drop, hearts warm, eyes light up and imaginations run wild.  We work with a huge range of partners, artists and creatives and our spaces are some of Fife’s favourite places. An ambitious leadership-oriented charity, we’re built on strong values, and those values make us who we are – Fearless, Inviting, Fair and Exciting.  

We’re a real Living Wage employer, and we offer a local government pension scheme, generous holiday allowance and flexible working opportunities.  If you need to travel for work, we can provide pool cars if you’re near head office or pay travel expenses so you are not out of pocket! Along with this, you can also access discounted gym/swim memberships and other employee benefits. 

The Role 
This is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to join us as a Venue Supervisor based at St Andrews Museum. The post holder will also have operational responsibility for some smaller sites including Methil Heritage Centre, St Monans Windmill & The Laing Museum in Newburgh.

You will be a key figure, responsible for the promotion of all services within St Andrews Museum and the small museums across Fife and will be responsible for all aspects of people management for your team. You’ll have responsibility for administrative, budgetary and financial tasks along with ensuring all working and public areas are kept safe, and all our collections are secure. As a member of our Operations Management Team, you’ll work closely with various teams across OnFife to maintain and improve our customer experience.   

This is a full-time post, and your days and hours of working will flex to meet the business needs and this will include weekend and evening working. St Andrews Museum has seasonal opening hours so you may be required to flex your hours at different times of the year to reflect the operational requirements.

To view the job description, please visit our current vacancies page on our website. 

About You 
You’ll be an experienced people manager who loves a challenge, excels at building strong relationships and has a passion for providing excellent customer service and delivering exceptional visitor experiences. You will have a passion for culture, the arts, local history and bringing stories to life. You’ll be organised and have strong IT skills along with an understanding of Health & Safety in the workplace. 

How to Apply 
If you would like to find out more information about this role before applying, you can contact Tracy McCafferty, Venue Manager for an informal chat. Contact details can be found on our current vacancies page on our website.

When you’re ready to apply, please download and complete our application form, and return this along with a completed equal opportunities form to HR.FCT@onfife.com.

OnFife is an equal opportunities employer. 

We are proud to support the Armed Forces community and are committed to the Armed Forces Covenant.  

The closing date for applications is 9am on Thursday 7 March 2024.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
 To support with inspections and maintenance of countryside infrastructure (bridges, benches, steps, boardwalks, etc)
 To undertake trail management (strimming, cutting, remedial path work, etc)
 To demonstrate the Trust’s Health and Safety procedures
 To actively and positively engage with visitors to raise and improve public awareness of key issues, while promoting the Trust
 To support Rangers with preparation and delivery of events and education programme
 To help with biological recording and data entry
DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB
Countryside & Estate Management
 Undertake condition assessments of countryside infrastructure and report issues.
 To carry out basic practical countryside management including visitor infrastructure repairs, strimming, footpath maintenance and fencing as required.
 To carry out practical property management including litter picks.

Public Engagement & People Management
 Engage with visitors.
 Support with delivery of programme of events and education.
 Liaise with other property and other Trust staff and volunteers.
 Supervise volunteers assisting with delivery of practical estate management.

Natural Heritage Conservation
 Support biological recording and monitoring across estates – target species/habitats include bats, badgers, fen and ponds, and woodlands.
 Supporting with delivery of INNS management

Finance Management
 Not a budget-holder but will be expected to take responsibility for effective management of Trust resources in allocated areas.
Tools/Equipment
 Will be frequent user and conduct maintenance of tools, machinery, vehicles, and equipment subject to appropriate training.