Customer Experience Manager

THE NORTHAMPTON THEATRES TRUST LIMITED; Northampton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free Employee Assistance Programme

Complimentary show tickets

Discount on bars and theatre shop

Job summary

Royal & Derngate in Northampton seeks a Customer Experience Manager to lead the guest journey across both venues. You will provide visible leadership across frontline teams, volunteers and operations, ensuring welcoming, safe and commercially successful venues.

The role requires managing staffing, budget discipline and service standards while driving continuous improvements to customer experience and accessibility. Flexibility for evenings and weekends is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant customer-facing management or supervisory experience in entertainment, hospitality, leisure, cultural or visitor environments.
• Experience leading and motivating teams in fast-paced operations.
• Experience delivering consistently high customer service standards.
• Experience dealing professionally with diverse customers.
• Experience resolving challenging situations and customer issues.
• Experience with EPOS/till systems.
• Experience managing or supporting volunteers and/or casual staff.
• Experience working evenings, weekends and busy periods.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of an exceptional customer experience across theatres and venues.
• Oversee Front of House operations and staffing within budget and safety needs.
• Line manage and develop Customer Experience team members and volunteers.
• Identify training needs and support customer journey improvements.
• Ensure policies on accessibility, inclusivity and safety are followed.

Skills

Excellent communication

Leadership

People management

Customer service

Decision-making

Time-management

Tools

EPOS systems

Job description

Royal & Derngate Job Description

Department: Customer Experience

Job Title: Customer Experience Manager

Responsible To: Head of Customer Experience

Responsible For: Customer Experience Team Members, Supervisors and Volunteers

Job Purpose

• Ensure every customer receives an exceptional, welcoming and inclusive experience across all venues.
• Provide visible, effective leadership across Front of House, customer service, volunteers and customer‑facing operations, ensuring safe, welcoming, well‑presented and commercially successful venues.
• Lead by example, developing colleagues to deliver excellent service and make confident decisions.
• Combine operational, people, customer, financial and safety leadership, managing relevant income and expenditure to budget and acting promptly on variances.

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 escalat...

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 escalate significant risks or variances.
• 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.

Additional Responsibilities

• Promote and adhere to the organisation’s culture and values.
• To support in creating a safe, pleasant, respectful and productive work environment setting an example of positive professional standards.
• To be aware of and adhere to any legislative requirements consistent with the overall duties of this post, with particular regard to Health and Safety policies and procedures, General Data Protection Regulations and Equal Opportunities.
• To be aware of and adhere to policies and procedure related to Safeguarding.
• To undergo relevant training and development required by the Head of Customer Experience and wider organisation.
• To carry out any other tasks that will, from time to time, be allocated by the Head of Customer Experience on an ad hoc or continuing basis, commensurate with the general level of responsibility of the post.

It is a requirement of Northampton Theatres Trust that all colleagues work in a flexible manner compatible with their jobs and in line with the objectives of the company.

Essential Experience

• Significant customer‑facing management or supervisory experience in entertainment, hospitality, leisure, cultural or visitor environments.
• Experience leading and motivating teams in fast‑paced operations.
• Experience delivering consistently high customer service standards.
• Experience dealing professionally with diverse customers.
• Experience resolving challenging situations and customer issues.
• Experience of working with EPOS/till systems.
• Experience managing or supporting volunteers and/or casual staff.
• Experience working evenings, weekends and busy periods.
• Experience managing income and expenditure against budgets or targets and acting on variances.

Essential Knowledge/Qualifications

• Strong understanding of customer experience and the customer journey.
• Understanding of Health & Safety and safe working practices.
• Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities.
• Understanding of equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
• Understanding of commercial service and secondary‑income opportunities.
• Understanding of theatre, cinema or comparable venue operations.
• Willingness to develop knowledge of licensing and relevant legislation.

Essential Skills/Abilities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Calm, confident and solution‑focused under pressure.
• Excellent organisational and time‑management skills.
• Strong decision‑making and problem‑solving ability.
• Ability to prioritise in a busy, unpredictable environment.
• Ability to build positive relationships with customers, colleagues, volunteers and partners.
• Ability to coach colleagues and improve performance.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness; able to manage budgets, explain variances and take corrective action.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and operational systems.
• Ability to use data and feedback to improve customer experience.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and a welcoming environment.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in theatre, cinema, arts, cultural or entertainment environments.
• Experience of managing Duty Managers or Front of House teams.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Experience delivering customer or operational training.
• Experience developing or implementing customer service standards.
• Experience managing events, performances or large customer operations.

Desirable Knowledge/Qualifications

• Personal Licence Holder, or willingness to obtain one.
• First Aid at Work qualification.
• Knowledge of licensing law and premises/event licences.
• Knowledge of EPOS and stock management systems.
• Understanding of theatre/cinema operations and cross‑departmental working.

Royal & Derngate Terms & Conditions

Job title: Customer Experience Manager

Contract: Full-time Permanent

Hours of work: 37 hours per week, working flexibly including evenings and weekends as required to support busy periods to ensure the successful delivery of the role.

Salary: £29,500 per annum Paid monthly on 20th of each month

Work location: Royal & Derngate, 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP.

Holidays: Annual leave year is April to March 31 days per annum including statutory holidays (pro‑rate in first year) 33 days per annum per annum after 3 years continuous service 36 days per annum after 5 years continuous service

Pension Scheme: Contributory staff pension - 5% employee and 3% employer

NTT pension scheme is provided by NOW pensions

NTT will contribute after 3 months service

Benefits

• Free Employee Assistance Programme run by Health Assured
• Complimentary tickets available on selected shows throughout the year
• 10% discount at our bars and theatre shop

Employment Subject to: Satisfactory references Compliance with Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 and the Immigration Act 2016 Six‑month probationary period