Visitor Services

Job Title: Creative Instigator

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £31,179 to £38,950

Grade: FC07

Hours: 36 Per Week

Location: Iona House, Kirkcaldy

Job Reference: ON000470

We are OnFife and as Fife’s largest cultural organisation and 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.

As we are an accredited Living Wage employer paying the Scottish Local Government Living Wage, we guarantee that you will always earn more than the National Minimum Wage regardless of your role in the organisation.

As an employer, 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

Supporting the Head of Creative Development on creativity and innovation leadership across OnFife, inclusive of teams in Cultural Heritage & Wellbeing and Programming and liaising closely with our Customer Engagement team in the development, delivery and promotion of a range of exciting and relevant creative activities and opportunities for the people of Fife.

You will also develop work in partnership with stakeholders through high quality and innovative practice, researching and developing funding & sponsorship opportunities, lead the delivery of community exhibitions across venues and activities in the Design Suite at Adam Smith Theatre. You’ll work with the Creative Development team on its creative vision and framework.

This role is full-time, with evening and weekend work required on occasion. Although you’ll be based at our Head Office in Kirkcaldy, we are currently working from home, with a move to a Hybrid Working model coming soon. You will also be required to work at any of our venues throughout Fife as needed. This is a rare opportunity to join a busy creative team and help shape and deliver an exciting service with/for the people of Fife!

The full description can be found here.

About You

You’ll be an innovative thinker, collaborator, leader, and supporter. You’ll have experience of multitasking in a creative project management environment, as well as curating exciting and engaging programmes and working at busy, yet welcoming events.

You’ll have varied experience of engaging communities and facilitating exciting activities online and in venues. You should enjoy working as part of a team as well as independently. You’ll also be confident using a range of creative technology and handling budgets.

As the remit of this role is Fife wide, you will ideally have a driving license, or access to transport, and due to the nature of work you will be expected to be a member of the PVG scheme (we can facilitate this if you aren’t a member yet).

How to Apply

If you would like to find out more information about this role before applying, please contact Dan Brown, Head of Creative Development for an informal chat. Please email dan.brown@onfife.com to arrange this. Please download and complete our application form and return this along with a completed equal opportunities form to our HR Team at hr.fct@onfife.com.

The closing date for applications is 10am on Thursday 15 February 2024.

Interviews will take place week commencing 19 February 2024.

OnFife is an equal opportunities employer.

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

Visitor Services Manager, Scottish Storytelling Centre
£29,033 – £32,025 per annum
Fixed term – 1 year
Full time, 35 hours per week on a rota
Edinburgh

An exciting opportunity to head up the Visitor Services team at a vibrant visitor attraction and arts venue in central Edinburgh. The role includes aspects of arts administration, heritage tourism and events management and you will work with colleagues and partners to provide a warm welcome and high standard of customer care to all visitors to John Knox House and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

As well as having significant customer service experience, you must also be able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills will have the ability to manage a variety of tasks/projects simultaneously and under pressure.

You will work 35 hours per week on a flexible rota which will include evenings and weekends.

The Scottish Storytelling Centre is a partnership between The Church of Scotland and TRACS – Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland. The SSC is a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family events, and festivals.

Vacancy Ref: 05/24

Closing date: 12noon Monday, 29 January 2024

The Church of Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland SCO11353

Pitmedden

Pitmedden Garden is a vibrant and exciting garden to work within. Its long and varied history underpins the whole estate and its management with the gardens forming a major part of the overall visitor experience. The gardens are always evolving within its historical framework both as a formal layout and as a living work of art.

Pitmedden is known for its Great Garden, originally created in the late 17th century by Sir Alexander Seton. While that framework remains the current main content there has been the recent addition of a major garden development created by an award-winning designer.

The garden is divided by many fine walls with gates and pillars. The main feature of the lower terraces are the Parterres; based on James Gordon’s 1647 designs of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Herbaceous borders were added at the time of the Trust’s re-development along with many wall trained Fruit trees and Orchards. The designed landscape extends out to the rectilinear features of field enclosures and drives and overlaid with informal elements such as ponds and dykes. It is lightly wooded with tree belts and small woodlands.

Haddo
Haddo House gardens are a vibrant and exciting garden to work within. Its long and varied history underpins the whole estate and its management with the gardens forming an integral part of the overall visitor experience. The gardens are always evolving within its historical framework both as a plantsman’s garden and as a living work of art.
The formal gardens have resonance with Pitmedden in content and style while having their own character. Annual bedding schemes alongside informal open woodland enhance vistas that permeate to the wider designed landscape of the Haddo Estate.

KEY PURPOSE
This job exists to ensure that the garden and policies of Pitmedden Garden and Haddo House are managed and maintained as nationally recognised gardens of high horticultural importance, contributing to the property’s overall conservation and development, and its enjoyment by visitors and supporters in line with the Trust conservation procedures and Heritage Garden Management Plan.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Key Purposes of the job will be met by:

1. Ensuring the conservation and practical maintenance of the garden and policies – whether through delegation to other staff/volunteers, or personal participation – in terms of:

a. Practical horticulture (e.g., managing trees and shrubs, roses, herbaceous plants, vegetable and fruit gardens and bulbs; turf care; pest/disease/weed control; composting and soil improvement; hard landscaping; path care, plant propagation; plant sales management, tree care, Arboricultural techniques, care & maintenance of garden machinery, tractors, and estate management equipment).
b. Plantsmanship (e.g., the identification, recording (using Plant databases), labelling of individual plants and other collections).
c. Research and development (e.g., research into historical precedents and practical contemporary solutions to inform proposed activities and projects).
d. Interpretation (e.g., through the development and delivery of events such as introductory talks, guided tours or practical demonstrations, contribution to guidebooks or leaflets).

2. Ensuring an appropriate management regime of the gardens and policies that includes the management of:
a. Staff: including the Regional Grass Cutter and volunteers (recruitment, induction, development, performance management) such that they are fully equipped and motivated to undertake their duties to the required Trust standards.
b. budgets (setting, phasing, monitoring, pro-active and re-active adjustments) such that both gardens’ finances are sustainable within the context of the wider property budgets.
c. health, safety and the environment in line with stated Trust policies and approaches to ensure the health and welfare of staff/volunteers.
d. recognition of the Trust’s Environmental Policy with respect to sustainable gardening activities, including energy, water, recycling, carbon reduction, peat & pesticide-use.
e. daily, weekly, yearly and longer-term operational work plans and reporting in the context of the properties’ statements of significance and action plans (and contribution to these action plans) to ensure that activities are prioritised and planned to optimize the use of resources.
f. customer service and care from garden staff/volunteers, and in the broader sense of facilities and “visiting experience”, to ensure that the properties’ reputation for excellence is maintained and enhanced.
g. Taking a lead property role in monitoring and reporting on hazardous tree inspections
h. administration to enable gardening activities to be undertaken and recorded efficiently.

3. Participating fully in the property’s wider “management team” including
a. supporting the Operations manager strategically and practically with the operation of the properties, and assuming the role of “duty manager” as required
b. taking an active role in promoting the gardens and properties through digital media, events, workshops, presentations, and talks.
c. Managing turf areas, traffic flow and protecting the estate landscape features during major events including supervision of contractors.
d. Snow, ice, and storm management
e. Fire and security duties on a rota basis

The current duties of this job do require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

JOB PURPOSE
To maximise our visitors’ enjoyment of Mar Lodge Estate by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income and ensuring that the property and its assets are clean, tidy, protected and safe.
This exciting and varied role will support our rangers, visitor services, events and holiday let activities when required, helping to make the property the best possible place to visit and work.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
To provide a consistently high standard of visitor care at all times
• Welcoming visitors to the estate/property in a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable manner, answering queries and providing information about the property, facilities and the local area.
• Provide a positive visitor experience to the estate by assisting with housekeeping, carparking, fire patrols, property checks, tours, events and onsite activities when required.
• By maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income, and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure you will be a vital part of furthering the valuable work of the National Trust for Scotland
• Promoting National Trust for Scotland brand to include our Membership scheme, events, upselling other properties and any promotional campaigns, being proactive in the selling of Membership and Gift Aid;
• Welcoming visitors with special needs / impairments and providing a high level of service in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act.

To maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation at all times
• To assist with the general ongoing operational servicing and delivery of visitor facilities across all areas of the property, including our car parks, public toilets, public rooms and spaces, holiday accommodation and other outlying visitor facilities throughout the property.
• Ensuring the property is clear of debris, rubbish etc and that signage is befitting of a Trust property
• Ensuring the property is ready to accept and welcome visitors by the set operational times
• Wearing correct uniform, name badges, or PPE as required.
• Reporting all instances of damage and wear and tear issues promptly to your line manager
• Participate in a duty rota to ensure that visitor’s needs out with normal working hours are supported.

Other duties (where applicable)
• To actively upsell products and services to facilitate the visitor’s enjoyment.
• To work flexibly across departments and sites as needed.

Health and Safety
• To ensure site meets with Health and Safety legislation in liaison with your department manager.
• To use personal protection equipment as provided and directed by your line manager

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE
Qualifications
• No formal educational qualification required.

Skills, Experience & Knowledge
Essential
• Demonstrable experience in a customer-facing role, delivering impeccable customer care through excellent inter-personal skills and personal standards.
• Excellent “front of house” persona – warm, welcoming, patient, understanding with a flexible and helpful outlook.
• Be responsible and proactive, ensuring all day-to-day tasks are completed as instructed
• Demonstrable excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise.
• Ability to work within a team or independently to a high and safe standard
• The ability to take the initiative and address problems or deal with tasks as they arise.
• Full UK driving licence and access to own transport
• Living the values of the National Trust for Scotland and encourage colleagues to do the same
o The ability and willingness to understand others’ perspectives and to consider the impact of your actions on them and to adapt your actions as necessary.
o The ability and willingness to learn and try new things, to be flexible and step outside of your comfort zone.
o 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.

JOB PURPOSE
To combine responsibilities on nature conservation, visitor management, education and community engagement to help deliver the objectives of Mar Lodge Estate and wider National Trust for Scotland.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Visitor Management / Engagement

• Ensure public-facing presence during peak tourist times, by staffing ranger hut at Linn of Dee and supervising car parks during busy periods.
• Actively and positively engage with visitors to help them make the best of their visits.
• Promote responsible access as outlined in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
• Undertake routine patrols to help safeguard the estate from wildfire risk.
• Use visitor engagement to promote and sell NTS membership.
• Undertake regular inspections of visitor infrastructure on the estate (car parks, parking machines, toilets, paths, litter, signage etc) and address any problems that arise.
• Undertake regular surveys of parking ticket compliance / visitor behaviour, for both internal and external reporting.
• Help devise and deliver public events such as guided walks, family events etc, to promote natural/cultural heritage of Mar Lodge Estate.

Learning & Volunteering

• Assist with educational visits to and from local schools/institutions.
• Help manage conservation/path maintenance volunteers.

Community Engagement / Partnership Working

• Engaging with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including local businesses, community groups, neighbouring landowners, other ranger services and fellow conservation organisations.
• Liaise with Cairngorms National Park Ranger Service to help facilitate their Deeside patrols.
• Source appropriate photos and other relevant content for Mar Lodge Estate social media channels.

JOB PURPOSE
This role exists to ensure a best-in-class visitor experience that compliments the quality of an internationally recognised heritage garden of outstanding horticultural importance; leading all staff to contribute fully to the operations overall commercial and conservation success.
You will be a member of the Inverewe welcome team assisting with the operational delivery of retail, admissions and the visitor experience at the property. Delivering performance standards and targets to ensure enjoyment of the property by visitors and members is maximized and key commercial, financial and development objectives are achieved to make the property fully sustainable. You will be part of a broader management team responsible for delivering an overall visitor service strategy, promoting good communication across the site, and joined up service provision. You will be based at Inverewe and report to the Visitor Services Manager.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
· Supervising/undertaking the day-to-day operation of the Visitor Centre to ensure an excellent customer/visitor experience. This includes:
o Supervision of the retail offer (including ordering, merchandising, sales targets);
o Membership sales (to targets) and general customer service (individuals, education visits, other groups.
o Health & Safety procedures, emergency procedures, and environmental procedures.
o Deputising for the Visitor Services Manager on-site and off-site as required.
· Responsible for day-to-day financial administration within the retail operation, including cash/till reconciliation, day-end and week-end reports and reconciliation, completion of the banking processes, and reporting of working hours for payroll.
· Supporting the Visitor Services Manager – Retail with the recruitment; induction; development; and management of all visitor services employees and volunteers such that they understand and are equipped to fulfill their roles to the standards required and that they feel valued, respected and supported.
· Working closely with other managers across the Property to deliver a programme of visitor events, which increase visitor numbers, drive secondary spends and support overall Property targets;
· Instil a Health & Safety culture across the property, ensuring the teamwork within the property’s ‘Safe System of Work’ to reduce risk of incidents and accidents to volunteers, employees and visitors.