Operations Manager

National Museum of the Royal Navy; Yeovil; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group pension plan

Annual leave 25 days + BH

Flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Free admission to other national sites

Shops and cafe discounts

Family and friends tickets

Cycle to work

Reservist leave

Job summary

National Museum of the Royal Navy is seeking an Operations Manager for RNM Naval Aviation at Yeovilton. You will lead the Visitor Experience team, driving exceptional guest service while ensuring health, safety and security across the site.

The role involves operational planning, rota management and resource allocation to deliver memorable experiences. We expect strong people-management skills, retail/catering operation knowledge and familiarity with EPOS systems.

Qualifications

• Strong people-management experience in a customer-focused environment.
• Good understanding of retail and catering operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership for RNM Naval Aviation visitor experiences.
• Lead and develop the Visitor Experience team to deliver high standards of service.
• Maintain safety, security and compliance across the site and events.
• Plan day-to-day operations and manage rotas and resources.

Skills

People management

Customer service

Communication

Organised

Tools

EPOS systems

Job description

Salary (Grade 5) – £31,064 - £32,507 per annum (dependent upon experience)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (including alternate weekends and callout rota) – Permanent

Location: Royal Navy Museums (RNM) Naval Aviation, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset, BA22 8HT.

Linking Navy to Nation with inspiring stories and experiences. Here you can come aboard the most famous ships, planes, and submarines of the Royal Navy and experience them through the stories of the people who served on them. As well as being truly captivated by the thousands of unique, emotional, and sometimes quirky stories that have shaped the Royal Navy into what it proudly stands for today.

You are pivotal in us achieving our vision, and to support this we embrace diversity and want everyone to feel valued and have a sense of belonging.

This is a great opportunity to join the team:

RNM: Naval Aviation is a vibrant and varied visitor attraction, bringing together ticketing, retail, catering, events and a wide range of visitor experiences across the site. Our Visitor Experience team works across all these areas to help every visitor feel safe, welcome and inspired.

As Operations Manager, you’ll be a visible and approachable presence for both colleagues and visitors. You’ll be actively involved in day-to-day operations and will be visible and accessible across the site, providing operational leadership, supporting the team and responding calmly and effectively to situations as they arise.

You’ll lead, motivate and develop the Visitor Experience team, empowering colleagues to create memorable experiences for our visitors. You’ll also identify practical opportunities to strengthen commercial performance, improve ways of working and make the best use of available resources.

Working closely with the Visitor Experience Manager and Visitor Experience Supervisors, you’ll help create a confident, collaborative and empowered leadership team that can deliver our shared goals. You’ll play an important role in maintaining high standards of health, safety and security, helping to provide a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who works at or visits the site.

Reporting to the General Manager, you’ll turn the site’s visitor experience and commercial priorities into clear, effective day-to-day plans and actions.

What you can bring:

We’re looking for someone with strong people-management experience, ideally gained within tourism, heritage or another customer-focused environment.

You’ll bring a good understanding of retail and catering operations, with experience of EPOS systems for ticketing, retail or catering. Experience of supporting public events or corporate functions would also be an advantage.

You’ll bring a strong commitment to health, safety and site security, supported by a good understanding of compliance and risk management. Just as importantly, you’ll care about providing excellent service and creating an environment where visitors, colleagues and partners feel safe, respected and welcome. As part of the role, you’ll also act as a First Aider, with full training provided.

You’ll have experience of leading, motivating and developing a team, including supporting colleagues through periods of change. You’ll also be confident managing rotas, deploying resources effectively and delivering consistently high standards of customer service.

You’ll be a positive and engaging communicator, able to build effective relationships with a wide range of people. Organised and self‑motivated, you’ll be comfortable working independently, balancing competing priorities and meeting deadlines. You’ll also bring sound judgement, a practical and proactive approach, and the flexibility to respond positively when circumstances change.

What we offer:

• The opportunity to be part of a friendly and diverse workplace within a unique heritage environment.
• Group pension plan with Royal London (6% employer contributions, 2% employee contributions and death in service benefit).
• 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) pro rata for part time employees, increasing to 30 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) after 5 years’ service, pro rata for part time employees, with the option to purchase additional annual leave.
• Enhanced maternity/adoption and paternity pay.
• Flexible working.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Free admission to other national museums and attractions within the reciprocal agreement.
• Discounts at our shops and cafes.
• Free and discounted tickets for family and friends.
• A range of other benefits including cycle to work
• Paid reservist leave.