Senior Visitor Experience Officer - The Guardian : Job Details

Working as part of Belfast Portfolio Operations Team within the Northern Ireland region of the National Trust, you will be working at one of our flagship countryside sites in the region. Divis & the Black Mountain is the largest greenspace in Belfast and the biggest National Trust property in the region. You’ll work closely with your colleagues in the volunteer and community & programming teams, as well as those in the Divis National Lottery Heritage Funded project team.

Divis and the Black Mountain provides a wealth of public benefit to many, and we collaborate with a wide range of local community organisations who help us develop the many ways that this special place can support people and nature.

This role is a 7 month fixed term contract. 

What it's like to work here

Divis and the Black Mountain offers a spectacular viewpoint for walkers seeking panoramic views over Belfast and beyond. Resting in the heart of the Belfast Hills, this mountain provides a beautiful backdrop to the city's skyline. This 2000-acre site acquired by the National Trust in 2004 with Heritage Lottery Fund support contains internationally significant priority habitats and species, including at risk peatland habitat that we have a duty to restore and protect. Explore this rich, varied archaeological landscape and discover how it is home to a host of wildlife. The walking trails through heath, on stone tracks, along boardwalks and road surfaces offer a diverse array of terrains to interest all walking levels with views of Strangford Lough, the Mournes and the Sperrins, as well as Donegal and Scotland.

We are currently in the delivery phase of ‘Divis: A View to the Future’, a National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and Garfield Weston funded project. Our vision is to implement a conservation approach that enhances and restores this valuable natural asset, and to enable and support meaningful connections with the mountain for local communities to transform lives for the better. We know that this will only be successful if it responds to needs identified by local communities. 

What you'll be doing

As Senior Visitor Experience Officer for Divis & the Black Mountain you will be responsible for the development and delivery of the operations plan for the site alongside the NLHF funded Divis Project. You will be responsible for leading for and delivering a quality visitor experience and visitor operation that welcomes everyone, working extensively with visitors and partners across the city. You will have a specific remit for overseeing the visitor operation, analysing and interpreting audience data/insight, championing the audience voice, and will work with project and regional colleagues to improve the visitor journey and visitor programming in order to meet the needs of the project and our visitors.

You will be responsible for leading for quality standards in interpretation, presentation, signage and communication with our visitors both onsite and digitally. You will lead for our exceptional service culture across all aspects of the visitor experience and visitor journey, working collaboratively with members of the site team, the Belfast Portfolio and whole Trust teams to meet these standards. You will have responsibility for strategically planning and budgeting for the visitor experience and working alongside the Programming & Partnerships Manager, you will support with the development of effective and engaging programming for a wide range of audiences. You will lead a team of Welcome & Service Assistants and volunteers as well as the Divis Facilities Assistant to deliver for our visitors and the community groups we engage. You will contribute to the wider NLHF project development and delivery, working alongside the project team and the Volunteering and Community Team.

As a champion of meaningful and inclusive visitor experiences, you'll play an essential role in helping us grow support on Divis & the Black Mountain in a variety of ways including volunteering, local fundraising and corporate sponsorship.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what is possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

This job is all about providing a service. We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• experience of delivering inspirational engagement activities
• people skills, enabling good working relationships with those in your team and across the property
• understanding of how to interpret significant collections to varied audiences.
• excellent organisational skills, and the ability to time manage projects successfully
• strong interpersonal skills, able to deal with visitors in a variety of situations
• flexible customer focused approach with experience in delivering high standards of customer service
• experience of working with and supervising volunteers

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme 
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
• Flexible working whenever possible
• Employee assistance programme
• Free parking at most Trust places.