Customer Experience Manager

Securitas UK; Northampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal & Derngate is seeking a Customer Experience Manager to lead the delivery of outstanding guest service across both venues. You will oversee Front of House operations, set staffing, brief teams on event needs, and ensure a welcoming, inclusive journey for all visitors.

You will manage volunteers, lead a culture of safety and compliance, oversee budget and commercial activity, and collaborate with visiting companies and partners to continuously improve the customer experience.

Qualifications

• Significant customer-facing management or supervisory experience in hospitality or leisure sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of an exceptional customer experience across both venues.
• Oversee Front of House operations, staffing and rotas within budget.
• Brief teams on event requirements, risks and customer priorities.
• Liaise with visiting companies, hirers and colleagues to ensure smooth operations.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness and customer facilities; resolve issues promptly.
• Lead volunteers, induction, training and ongoing management.
• Manage income and expenditure within budgets and monitor performance against targets.
• Ensure Health & Safety compliance and incident response when required.
• Collaborate across Royal & Derngate and Northampton Filmhouse to represent the organisation professionally.

Skills

Customer experience

Front of House

Leadership

Volunteer management

Budget management

Job description

Job Description

Key Task Areas:

Customer Experience & Customer Journey

• Lead delivery of an exceptional customer experience across both venues.
• Maintain a visible, approachable presence, particularly during busy periods.
• Ensure a consistent, welcoming and inclusive customer journey.
• Identify and implement customer journey improvements.
• Ensure Front of House teams consistently deliver Customer Experience Handbook standards.
• Work across the organisation to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Ensure inclusive support for customers with access requirements.
• Promote a strong culture of hospitality.

Front of House & Venue Operations

• Oversee effective Front of House operations during all activity including keyholder and alarm responsibilities.
• Set staffing and rotas to meet operational, service and safety needs within budget, correcting actual or forecast variances.
• Brief teams clearly on event requirements, risks and customer priorities.
• Liaise effectively with visiting companies, hirers, artists and colleagues.
• Ensure venues are prepared, presented and staffed before opening including VIP Lounge and related services.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness, presentation and customer facilities.
• Check customer areas regularly and resolve issues promptly.
• Resolve operational issues and resolve appropriately.

Leadership & People Management

• Act as Duty Manager when required and provide visible, supportive leadership to Customer Experience colleagues.
• Line manage designated colleagues, providing supervision, feedback and development.
• Manage performance, attendance, conduct and employee relations with the Head of Customer Experience.
• Identify training needs and support the Customer Experience training programme.
• Ensure colleagues understand and can fulfil their responsibilities.
• Recognise excellent service and team performance.

Volunteers

• Support volunteer recruitment, induction, training and management.
• Ensure volunteers are briefed, supported and valued.
• Develop volunteer engagement, training and progression with the Head of Customer Experience.
• Ensure volunteers understand their role in the customer journey and culture.

Commercial, Budget & Financial Management

• Manage relevant income and expenditure within agreed budgets and targets.
• Monitor actual and forecast performance against budget and identify material variances promptly.
• Correct income shortfalls or overspends and escalat
• Support budgets and forecasts with accurate operational information on pressures and opportunities.
• Control staffing and other costs within budget while maintaining service and safety.
• Support commercial objectives through service and secondary-spend opportunities.
• Coach teams to increase appropriate upselling and customer spend without compromising experience.
• Oversee bars, retail and other customer-facing commercial activity.
• Monitor sales and financial performance against budget, understand variances and act on underperformance.
• Ensure effective stock, ordering, cash and EPOS controls to minimise waste, loss and discrepancies.
• Maintain high presentation standards in retail and bar areas.
• Implement commercial initiatives, promotions and new products.

Health, Safety, Safeguarding & Compliance

• Maintain a safe environment for customers, colleagues, volunteers and visiting companies.
• Ensure Health & Safety procedures are followed and communicated.
• Manage emergency procedures, including evacuation, lockdown and vulnerable-person incidents.
• Identify hazards, risks and maintenance issues and ensure action is taken.
• Ensure compliance with licensing and relevant legislation.
• Hold, or work towards, required First Aid qualifications.
• Contribute to relevant Health & Safety, Operations and safeguarding meetings.

General

• Work collaboratively across Royal & Derngate and Northampton Filmhouse.
• Represent the organisation professionally with customers and partners.
• Support organisational sustainability initiatives and ensure that customer experience minimises its impact on the environment.
• Attend relevant meetings and training.
• Undertake other reasonable duties as required.
• Work evenings, weekends, Bank Holidays and other hours required by venue operations.

Responsibilities are shared across the Customer Experience Manager team. Each post-holder has specific accountabilities while collaborating to provide consistent operational leadership across both venues.

Essential Experience:

• Significant customer-facing management or supervisory experience in entertainment, hospitality, leisure, cultural or