Head of Guest Operations

Ampleforth Abbey Trust; York; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent heritage organization in York seeks a Head of Guest Operations to ensure outstanding visitor experiences. Responsibilities include overseeing all guest operations, leading a dedicated team, and improving service quality. Ideal candidates will have experience in hotel management or visitor attractions, strong customer service skills, and a commercial mindset.

Benefits

Up to 8% employer-matched pension

Life assurance

Free lunch during working hours

Free on-site parking

20% discount at the Abbey Shop

Cycle to Work Scheme

Christmas Closure

Qualifications

• Proven success in operational leadership of visitor destinations or hotel management.
• Commitment to high standards of food production and customer service.
• Outstanding people leadership and management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead guest operations ensuring a seamless experience.
• Monitor and improve operational standards.
• Oversee reservation and catering teams.

Skills

Operational leadership

Customer service

Budget management

Team management

Communication

Job description

Head of Guest Operations

Salary: Highly competitive, dependent on experience and skills(£45,000 - £50,000)+ Benefits

Hours: Full-time, permanent (40 hours per week,) – no split shifts.

Based at Ampleforth Abbey YO62 - 5 days over 7 per week(based on site)

Closing date: 29thAugust 2025

Benefits

• Up to 8% employer-matched pension
• Life assurance
• Free lunch during working hours
• Free on-site parking
• 20% discount at the Abbey Shop
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Christmas Closure

About Ampleforth Abbey

Ampleforth Abbey is home to the UK’s largest Benedictine monastic community, rooted in the Rule of St Benedict. Our mission is to seek God through prayer and service, and to invite others to experience faith in action.

Located in the Howardian Hills near York, the Abbey sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and welcomes thousands of visitors each year to its Retreat Centre, Visitor Centre, Shop and Tea Room.

Ampleforth Abbey Trust, a registered charity, works alongside the monastic community to support this mission. With around 60 lay staff, the Trust delivers on a five-year strategy, choosing a Future Together, to ensure a sustainable, faith-led future for the Abbey and its valley home.

We are looking for a leader who is strategic and hands-on, who can think and adapt to different situations quickly, and who is able to communicate calmly in frequently changing situations. The responsibilities of the role are broad and involve moving rapidly between planning for the future and managing in the everyday.

This role requires a hands-on approach, whereby you are expected to lead by example and have a good understanding of menu development and delivery as well as strong customer service.

Main Responsibilities but not limited to:-

• Lead and ensure the smooth and efficient running of all guest and visitor operations from reservation to operational delivery
• Deliver new activities that complement our existing offer.
• Monitor and evaluate operational standards and identify ways in which we can improve the visitor and guest experience.
• Monitor and evaluate key commercial metrics to ensure all activities are contributing to the overall mission.
• Act upon feedback to improve the overall visitor and guest experience.
• Ensure all health & safety and safeguarding compliance requirements and documentation are fulfilled across the visitor and guest experience.
• Ensure we are collecting, using and reporting on the right data.
• Ensure that staff and volunteers are kept up to date with appropriate and timely communication.
• Oversee the reservation team, ensuring it takes enquiries, makes accurate bookings, maintains a smooth flow of communication with staying guests, builds the function sheets and ensures a seamless guest experience.
• Oversee the catering and housekeeping departments to provide best of class facilities and service.

What we are looking for:

Experience

You will have:

• Proven success of operational leadership of a similar visitor destination or in hotel management/operations
• A commitment to the highest standards of food production and customer service
• Outstanding people leadership and management skills, with the ability to organise, inspire and motivate a large front of house team.
• Excellent customer awareness.
• Demonstrable success developing, implementing and evaluating strategic plans which improve the visitor offer.
• Proven experience in a line management role, including experience of recruiting, managing performance, coaching and developing a team.
• Proven budget management experience and a commercial approach,
• Good knowledge of drawing on audience research, data and trends to inform visitor programming, experiences and operations.
• Experience of directing, and contributing to, the marketing function.

Skills and Attributes

You will bring:

• Excellent communication
• Integrity, professionalism and a positive, agile mindset

Ampleforth Abbey Trust is committed to the highest standards of safeguarding. All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Interested? If you feel that you possess the relevant skills and experience, then please submit your latest CV.