The Core at Corby Cube is looking for a Commercial and Customer Experience Manager to combine their passion for people, customer experience and commercial success.
You’ll lead our customer-facing teams, develop venue hire and commercial opportunities, build strong client relationships and find new ways to grow income — all while helping create an exceptional, inclusive experience for everyone who walks through our doors.
If you’re commercially savvy, people-focused and love the buzz of a live venue, this could be the role for you!
Job Purpose:
- To provide strategic and operational leadership for the venue's customer experience and commercial activity, developing services, systems, people and income opportunities to support the long-term sustainability and success of The Core at Corby Cube.
- Manage the operation and development of the venue’s customer-facing areas including bars and back stage dressing rooms and green room to achieve the highest levels of service for customers and clients whilst maximising sales and profits.
- To maximise commercial income and profitability in conjunction with the business plan and budgeted targets with a focus on increasing revenue from commercial hirers of the venue’s spaces as well as maximising revenue from secondary spend and working in collaboration with the marketing and development team to drive increased individual giving, supporting tertiary income targets.
- To oversee the customer service staff and volunteers, ensuring they are highly trained and equipped to deliver exceptional experiences for all guests of The Core at Corby Cube.
- To be the designated safeguarding lead for the organisation.
- To support the general operation of the organisation including supporting an extensive creative learning and youth engagement programme.
Key Task Areas:
Customer Services
- To set, monitor and continuously develop customer experience standards across all customer and client-facing areas of the organisation.
- To act as a duty manager as required on a flexible schedule across the week, including evenings and weekends as required.
- To actively manage the front of house and Duty Manager’s attending to work on event shifts as appropriate which will involve evening, weekend and bank holiday work.
- To ensure the Customer service team are provisioned to maintain a welcoming presence for all customers, clients and visitors.
- To review customer feedback, complaints, compliments and operational reports, identifying trends and implementing improvements where appropriate.
- To lead on the development and review of customer service policies, procedures and standards, ensuring these are effectively communicated and embedded across the Customer Experience team.
- To be the first point of contact for potential corporate hirers of the venue and to manage their event with the venue from first interaction through to successful delivery and final invoicing, liaising with the technical and other departments as and when required.
- To support the smooth operation of the Project M Youth Space in Corby Town Centre, providing duty management cover and support for hirers of the space as needed.
Commercial Management
- To develop and implement a proactive commercial sales strategy to increase income from venue hire, corporate events, meetings and other commercial opportunities.
- To identify and develop new business relationships, actively seeking opportunities to increase the use of The Core's spaces and facilities.
- To maintain relationships with existing clients and develop repeat business, identifying opportunities for additional sales and long-term partnerships.
- To work with the Marketing and Development teams to develop effective campaigns and sales activity to promote commercial hire opportunities.
- To monitor commercial performance against agreed targets and budgets, taking appropriate action where performance is below expectation.
- To identify and develop new income-generating opportunities across the customer journey, including secondary spend, commercial partnerships and other appropriate revenue streams.
Operational
- To ensure that day to day building safety checks are adhered to by all staff.
- To oversee procurement for the customer service department, including bar stock, cleaning consumables and equipment.
- To oversee all aspects of the bar management and operation.
- To make sure all Company cash handling procedures are closely adhered to by the customer service staff.
- To regularly inspect the venue (internal and external), acting on maintenance/ cleaning issues, managing the contracted cleaners and liaising with the technical department to quickly resolves any maintenance issues.
- To work with the Technical and Facilities Manager in the enactment and development of the organisation’s health and safety policies, procedures and training.
- To lead on environmental reporting, assessments and implementation of improvements across all departments of the organisation.
- To ensure accessibility remains a high priority in both decision making and in customer experience, working with the technical and facilities manager to stay up to date with the latest industry developments with regards to accessibility.
- To work with the Director and the Technical and Facilities Manager on the management and delivery of capital and improvement projects.
- To lead on first aid provision for the organisation, ensuring training is kept up to date and all equipment is ready for use as required.
- To be the designated safeguarding lead for the venue.
- Ensure that venue licencing requirements are regularly reviewed and kept up to date.
- To ensure a consistent, inclusive and accessible customer experience across all activities delivered by The Core.
Health and Safety
- Devise and deliver a training programme and maintain training records for all members of the front of house and volunteer teams in collaboration with the Technical and Facilities Manager.
- Ensure that all accident reporting is detailed and up to date and that follow ups are undertaken in a timely manner as appropriate in collaboration with the Technical and Facilities Manager.
- Be an active member of the Health and Safety Committee.
- Ensure food safety and hygiene records and recorded in accordance with recommended best practice and risk assessments.
- Oversee risk assessment creation, review and dissemination for the department.
Staff/Volunteer Management
- To provide effective line management, leadership, support and development to the Front of House Manager, ensuring clear objectives, regular communication, performance management and professional development.
- To support the Front of House Manager in addressing significant staffing, conduct or performance concerns and take responsibility for formal performance management processes where appropriate.
- To ensure an effective management structure is in place for Duty Managers, Customer Service Assistants, Volunteers and Cleaners, with clear responsibilities and accountability at each level.
- To oversee all inductions for the front of house and volunteer teams with support from the Front of House Manager.
- To instil a positive, can-do attitude and ethos amongst the Customer Service team.
- To be instrumental in maintaining the staffing levels of the Customer Service department.
- Manage and be responsible for the cleaning contractors, cleaning regime and regular checks.
Budgetary & Reporting
- To manage the customer service budgets, ensuring that procedures laid down in trust’s financial regulations are adhered to.
- To oversee both internal and external recharges and ensure timely reporting of codes to finance to ensure that recharging is done effectively and in a timely fashion in accordance with the organisation's financial regulations.
- To be responsible for delivering against income targets related to commercial hires by proactively seeking out new clients and business, maximising profits whilst ensuring excellent customer and client care throughout.
- To ensure reporting relating to the Customer service department as required by ACE and other funder’s is produced accurately and in a timely manner.
- To support fundraising efforts at The Core and contribute positively to collaborative efforts across the team to drive tertiary income.
- To ensure high standards of stock control and efficiency to ensure that as high a margin as possible with low levels of stock wastage is always achieved.
- Liaison with the marketing team to ensure that secondary and tertiary sales opportunities are highlighted throughout the customer journey.
- Ensuring a clean and welcoming back of house experience for all incoming companies and a proactive approach to meeting the needs of visiting clients, recognising opportunities for further sales as appropriate.
Additional Responsibilities:
- Promote and adhere to the organisation’s culture and values ensuring a collaborative approach is maintained at all times and fostering and promoting a strong team culture across the organisation and with colleagues at Northamptonshire Arts Management Trust.
- To support in creating a safe, pleasant, respectful and productive work environment setting an example of positive professional standards.
- To be responsible for ensuring that all licensing for the venue is up to date.
- To be aware of and adhere to any legislative requirements consistent with the overall duties of this post, with regard to Health and Safety policies and procedures, General Data Protection Regulations, Equal Opportunities, and Food Hygiene regulations.
- To be the designated safeguarding lead for the organisation.
- To undergo relevant training and development as required.
- To carry out any other tasks that will, from time to time, be allocated by the Director on an ad hoc or continuing basis, commensurate with the general level of responsibility of the post.
Essential Experience:
- Proven significant customer service management experience at a senior level in a subsidised/commercial theatre or other similar venue.
- Proven experience in an entertainment/customer driven environment.
- Proven experience in training and dissemination of policies and procedures.
- Managing a team of Customer Service staff and/or volunteers.
- Experience of planning and delivery of Events and Hires.
- Engagement with clients to interpret needs and secure bookings.
- Planning, managing and controlling multiple budgets.
- Experience of managing a bar and stock control.
Essential Knowledge/Qualifications:
- Commercial Sales operation.
- Qualified First Aider*
- Personal Licence Holder*
- Knowledge of Working Time Regulations.
Essential Skills/Abilities:
- Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel, EPOS)
- Excellent people management and staff deployment skills.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Excellent written communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to deal effectively and confidently at all levels, both internally and externally.
- Excellent customer service skills.
- Ability to write reports, strategic documents and policies and procedures.
- An aptitude for problem solving prioritising and quick, pragmatic thinking under pressure.
- Willing to work flexibly and adaptably.
- Attention to detail.
- Decision making.
- Able to use initiative and work independently or as part of a team.
- Managing Budgets
- Managing Health and Safety
Desirable Experience:
- Experience of supporting customers with access needs.
- Experience of managing contracted services such as cleaning.
- Trainer
- Experience of working with young people and developing youth skills through employment.
Desirable Knowledge/Qualifications:
- Commercial bar operation
- Understanding of booking and diary software
- Understanding of CRM software e.g. Tessitura
- Understanding of Theatre operations
- Awareness of Safeguarding Legislation
- Licensing Law – Theatre PEL, alcohol
- Food Hygiene Level 2*
- Cellar Management
Closing date: Tue 8 September 26
Interviews: TBC
Please note that we will be reviewing applications as they are received and may close the recruitment process early if a suitable candidate is appointed.
