Visitor Welcome & Retail Supervisor
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is looking for an energetic and motivated Visitor Welcome & Retail Supervisor to join the team.
The Gardens are in a period of change and have recently secured a Stage 1 NHLF grant towards a £14m capital project. The project aims to restore the historic glasshouses, upgrade site infrastructure and displays and improve the visitor experience for all. If you would like to be part of this exciting project, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) are keen to see applications from people of all backgrounds and communities and are committed to representing the diverse nature of the city. The Gardens look forward to receiving applications from all suitable candidates and will conduct inclusive recruitment processes based on attitude, experience, and qualifications. BBG are also committed to ensuring that no-one invited to interview should be excluded due to financial circumstances and will reimburse anyone attending interview (related costs must be supported by receipts) if required.
About the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Opened in 1832, Birmingham Botanical Gardens (registered charity number 528981) is one of just two independent charitable botanical gardens in the UK.
Spread across 15 acres, just one mile from Birmingham City Centre, BBG consists of over 7,000 formally documented plants, making it the largest and most diverse botanic collection in central England.
BBG’s heritage is woven into Birmingham’s history – once the most important manufacturing town in the world – and the site welcomes over 180,000 visitors each year.
As well as the gardens, which are a green sanctuary within the city, the charity also provides a unique educational resource for learning about plants, conservation, and the environment. We welcome visits from nurseries, schools, and colleges, as well as organised groups, and run adult courses and workshops in photography, nature, wildlife, heritage, and culture.
As an independent charity, we rely on the support of visitors, supporters, donors, and grants, as well as generating income from our trading arm, hosting weddings and special events. This support ensures that we can deliver our key charitable objectives, maintaining our Victorian glasshouses and our 15-acres of wonderful gardens, and developing educational projects for the Birmingham community.
A diverse botanical world that enhances all our lives: our mission is to support plant biodiversity and an understanding of its importance to the natural environment through conservation, education, engagement, and enjoyment.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is an independent educational charity aiming to offer world class environmental education in a green environment to audiences in all sectors of the community.
ROLE PURPOSE
The Visitor Welcome & Retail Supervisor will be responsible for the day to day management of Visitor Welcome and Retail teams, along with our volunteers. The Visitor Welcome & Retail Supervisor will ensure that the highest level of customer service is offered to visitors in person, by telephone and by e-mail to create a positive visitor experience, to maintain a well presented environment and to maximise sales for the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensure that the Welcome and Retail teams deliver an outstanding impression for all visitors to Birmingham Botanical Gardens delivering the warmest of welcomes and highest levels of customer service to create a positive visitor experience.
- Achieve sales, profit and conversion targets as agreed with the Head of Commercial & Visitor Services. Communicate all relevant targets and KPI’s to the team, monitoring, reporting on these and taking action to ensure that they are met.
- Be responsible for budget setting with the Head of Commercial & Visitor Services and the management of budgeted income and expenditure.
- Be responsible for visual merchandising in the Gift Shop and ensure that the principles are understood and followed by the teams.
- Be responsible for the rostering of the team, managing holiday requests, sickness and ensuring that staffing levels are adequate to meet the needs of the business.
- .Be responsible for the coaching, training and development of the Welcome & Retail teams. Holding regular 1:1 meetings with individuals, team meetings and carrying out the Gardens’ performance appraisal process.
- Be proficient in the use of our ticketing and CRM system (Spektrix) to train Welcome and Retail teams to process bookings for day admission and special events, upsell memberships, donations, and our EPOS system (Vector) to make retail sales in the Gift Shop & Plant Sales.
- Working with the Head of Commercial & Visitor Services be responsible for the buying of ranges and lines ensuring that they are relevant, appropriate and profitable for the Gardens.
- Responsible for ensuring that cash is handled, and credit card transactions are processed in accordance with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens opening and closing procedures.
- 9.To act as the point of contact for escalated customer service issues and complaints.
- Responsible for ensuring the Gardens’ Health & Safety fire procedure is adhered to by Welcome & Retail teams.
- To communicate the Birmingham Botanical Gardens programme and upcoming events to the team and ensure that this information is imparted accurately to our visitors and members.
- Manage deliveries of stock and supplies and process accordingly to Birmingham Botanical procedures.
- Manage enquiries and the delivery of individual photography and commercial filming and photoshoots.
- Manage the relationship with the operator of the Gardens third party car parking operator.
- To understand and support the aims and objectives of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and to ensure these are reflected in the delivery of the role.
SUPERVISION
Working under the direction and/or supervision of Head of Commercial & Visitor Services and Duty Manager.
Supervising a team of Welcome & Retail Assistants and volunteers.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Customer facing environment.
Alternate weekends and occasional evenings.
Seasonal adjustments to weekly hours to meet the needs of the business and to reflect the Gardens opening hours.
Work in hot or cold environments.
Manual handling.
Contract Type: Full time, permanent
Salary: £28,000 p/a
Please click here to download the PDF for further details and person specification.
To apply: Please send your CV and covering letter to jobs@birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk.
Closing date: 1st June 2023