Operational Duty Manager

North Music Trust; Gateshead; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A prominent music venue in Gateshead is seeking an Operational Duty Manager to oversee customer experience and operational management. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, experience in event delivery, and a commitment to excellent customer service. This role involves ensuring health and safety compliance, supporting team development, and contributing to operational planning. Working hours are part-time, and the position offers a competitive salary. Join us to enhance the customer experience in live events and music performances.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams during live events.
• Proven experience in high-quality customer service.
• Knowledge of health and safety procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Audience Experience and Front of House teams.
• Ensure health and safety policies are followed.
• Support operational planning and team development.

Skills

Leadership in Event Delivery

Customer Service Excellence

Team Management

Operational Planning

Emergency Procedures Knowledge

Education

Leadership or Management Qualification

Tools

Microsoft 365 Suite

Job description

Job Advert

Operational Duty Manager

Deadline for applications: 12 noon, Wednesday 28th January 2026

Reports to: Audience Experience Manager / Head of Audience Experience & Operations

Location: The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

Working hours: 8 hours per week

Salary: SCP 26, £14.60 per hour

About The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

We’re a place where you can hear rock legends or pop icons on the same night as folk trios or opera singers. New musicians are nurtured and showcased on the same stages as platinum‑selling performers. Youth choirs and tambourine‑shaking toddlers practice in the same spaces as our acclaimed orchestra Royal Northern Sinfonia. Whether you’re front of house, waiting in the wings or keeping things running behind the scenes you will be part of a team that means 2 million people enjoy top‑notch gigs, concerts and classes in our own venue at Gateshead Quays, out in communities across the North East and through live‑streamed performances and digital lessons.

About you

Are you self‑motivated, happy working in a team environment and flexible enough to adapt to a changing environment? If this sounds like you, read on to find out how you can hit the ground running.

About The Operational Duty Manager

As a designated Duty Manager (DM), you will work in one of the region’s most iconic venues as a senior member of the Audience Experience and Front of House team. You will provide effective leadership across the customer experience function, working closely with colleagues across the organisation to deliver the highest standards of customer service across a wide range of activities. The role is primarily focused on live event delivery and operational management. You will also contribute to operational planning and team development, working with the Audience Experience Manager and colleagues to establish the Audience Experience & Front of House team as in‑house operational experts supporting the wider organisation.

Experience and Knowledge of

• Leadership in Event Delivery: Experience leading teams during live events and ensuring smooth operational execution.
• Customer Service Excellence: Proven experience leading teams to deliver high‑quality customer service, especially in live event or public‑facing environments.
• Team Management and Task Management: Experience in leading and managing a team, including task allocation and performance management.
• Operational Planning: Experience with operational planning, including rota planning, and working with colleagues to ensure the required staffing levels for various events and operations.
• Evacuation Procedures and Health & Safety: Knowledge of emergency evacuation procedures and experience leading them during an event. Also, experience ensuring that health and safety procedures are followed, including first aid and emergency protocols.

It also helps if you have

• A leadership or management qualification.
• Enhancing Visitor Experience: Demonstrated ability to proactively identify and implement ways to enhance the visitor experience.
• IT literacy including use of the Microsoft 365 suite (Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook).

You’ll be responsible for

Operational Duties

• Act as a key holder, opening and securing the building as part of the designated management team.
• Lead evacuation procedures when on duty.
• Ensure adequate first aid cover is in place at all times.
• Ensure all health and safety policies and procedures are followed by on‑duty staff, supporting and challenging colleagues to maintain best practice.
• Support the CET Systems Operator and Audience Experience Coordinator with rota planning, using operational insight to ensure appropriate staffing levels.
• Deliver excellent customer service.
• Remain fully compliant with health and safety requirements.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of operational planning timelines, meetings, and reports.
• Support Front of House and programming colleagues with operational and FOH queries.
• Ensure all incidents are reported immediately and in line with established policies and procedures.
• Prepare and deliver clear, concise shift briefings with a focus on safety and excellent customer service.
• Proactively share best, learning, and ideas with the Audience Experience & FOH management team to support continuous improvement.
• Identify and act on opportunities to enhance the visitor experience.
• Complete daily operational reports accurately and on time, including:
  • House reports
  • Daily handovers
  • Staff software updates
  • First aid reports
  • Incident reports

Team Development

• Lead the Audience Experience and Front of House teams to deliver excellent customer service.
• Manage frontline task allocation and line management for FOH CET employees and workers, and task and line management for facilities CET employees and workers.
• Escalate issues to the Audience Experience Manager and/or Head of Audience Experience & Operations as required.
• Contribute to the development of a comprehensive training programme, including:
  • First aid provision
  • Fire safety and evacuation
  • Customer service standards
  • Complaint handling
  • HR policies and procedures
• Support the development of robust HR processes within the FOH team, including:
  • Recruitment
  • Uniform standards
  • Personnel records
  • Sickness, absence, and timekeeping
  • Staff benefits
• Commit to personal development opportunities provided by The Glasshouse.

General Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain excellent knowledge of The Glasshouse programme and audiences.
• Work collaboratively with all departments to identify commercial FOH opportunities, particularly within Food & Beverage, Public Engagement, and Marketing.
• Adhere to all health and safety requirements.
• Comply with GDPR guidelines.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties appropriate to the role.
• Deputise for the Audience Experience Manager or CET Systems Operator when required.
• Occasionally work additional hours as Duty Manager. Wherever possible, advance notice will be given. Additional hours will be paid at the standard SCP 26 rate and classed as unguaranteed overtime.

Our commitment to your development

At The Glasshouse, we’re always learning. And we know that when it comes to training, everyone is different. So you will work closely with your manager to identify what your training journey will look like. If you have a specific interest or you would like to develop your skills in a certain area, we want to hear about it. This may be through gaining a qualification, on‑the‑job training or learning within your team, but whatever path you take, through training and support we’ll help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to thrive in your role.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At The Glasshouse, we encourage a working environment that’s welcoming, inclusive, and diverse. Different backgrounds, views and experiences are valued so everyone can be themselves. Our venue and programmes are for everyone, so we want to make sure this opportunity is available to everyone, no matter your background or the challenges you’ve faced.

For example, we would love to hear from you if you:

• Are D/deaf. Have a disability, learning difficulty or significant long‑term health condition which affects your daily life.
• Describe yourself as neurodiverse (this might include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autistic spectrum, and others).
• Grew up in a family receiving Universal Credit or state benefits.
• Have ever lived in council or social housing or been on the housing register.
• Have ever lived in sheltered accommodation or experienced homelessness.
• Experienced being in care at any point in your life.
• Have been a refugee or asylum seeker.
• Are from the African, South, East and South–East Asian, Middle East, Latinx or North African diaspora, or have experienced racism.
• These are some common examples of challenging circumstances but there may be others. Everyone is welcome to apply.
• We do not discriminate because of race, colour, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or expression, age, disability or any other protected characteristic as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expect all those that work with us to share this commitment. We operate a robust safeguarding framework and continuous assessment and development to support safer working practice across our workforce. Our roles are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes relevant background checks and the disclosure of criminal records, sanctions, and investigations where appropriate.

Right to Work

We welcome applications from candidates already eligible to work in the UK or those that can apply for a visa granting permission to work in the UK (e.g. dependent visas, ancestry etc.) that do not require sponsorship. You will be asked to share proof of this prior to receiving any offer of employment.

Our application process

Closing date for applications: 12 noon, Wednesday 28th January 2026

Interview date: Monday 2nd February

We understand that interviews can be a nerve‑racking experience. We want you to feel comfortable so you can be yourself and shine, so if you have any questions about the role or the application process, please get in touch.