Senior Guest Experience Project Manager

Chester Zoo; Chester; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

33 days annual leave pro rata

Staff pass

Cycle to work

Healthcare plan

Discounted gym

Perks discounts

Pension contributions up to 9%

12 month fixed term contract (maturity

Job summary

Chester Zoo is seeking a Senior Guest Experience Project Manager to lead a portfolio of guest experience projects and visitor propositions from concept to launch.

You will combine audience insight, creativity and operations to deliver exceptional experiences that support our conservation mission and drive commercial success.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading complex visitor, guest, live event, attraction or experiential projects from brief through to successful launch.
• Proven project management expertise across planning, budgeting, procurement, governance, risk management and mobilisation.
• Experience managing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously with clear plans, budgets and governance.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including working with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Experience commissioning and managing external creative agencies, contractors, suppliers and partners.
• Strong commercial awareness with ability to balance creative ambition, operational practicality and ROI.
• Experience using audience insight, customer feedback and performance data to drive decision making.
• Strong understanding of health and safety, contractor management and compliance requirements.
• Experience leading and developing teams in a collaborative and inclusive way.
• Excellent organisational, communication and facilitation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of significant new guest experiences and visitor propositions from concept through to launch.
• Bring together guest insight, creative thinking and operational expertise to design experiences that delight visitors and support Chester Zoo's conservation mission.
• Create strong briefs and ensure the finished experience delivers against the original ambition, guest needs and commercial objectives.
• Deliver multiple high-profile projects simultaneously, with clear plans, budgets, governance and success measures.
• Manage suppliers, agencies and contractors to ensure projects are delivered safely, effectively and on schedule.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely and effectively to agreed quality, budget and timescales.
• Manage project risk, governance and health and safety requirements, including contractor and CDM considerations where relevant.
• Translate Chester Zoo's guest experience strategy into meaningful improvements across the visitor journey.
• Champion accessible, inclusive and consistently high-quality experiences for all guests.
• Use audience insight, guest feedback and performance data to inform decisions and evaluate success.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners, agencies and suppliers.
• Influence and align multidisciplinary teams to create clarity, momentum and shared ownership.
• Lead and support the Guest Experience & Programming team, fostering creativity, ambition and continuous improvement.
• Ensure creative ambition is balanced with audience demand, commercial return and operational feasibility.

Skills

Guest experience project leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Vendor & agency management

Commercial awareness

Audience insight & data

Health and safety compliance

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Senior Guest Experience Project Manager

We are Chester Zoo

We’re not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that’s home to 32,000 incredible animals inside 128 acres of stunning gardens. We’re not just the UK’s most popular zoo. We’re a major wildlife charity that’s committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. And, as the world faces an extinction crisis, we’re making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it’s needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

The Role

We now have an exciting opportunity for an outstanding Senior Guest Experience Project Manager. Reporting to the Brand & Marketing Director, you'll lead the development and delivery of a portfolio of major guest experience projects and visitor propositions, taking ambitious ideas from initial brief through creative development, mobilisation and successful launch.

You'll bring together audience insight, creative expertise, operational capability and stakeholder collaboration to create exceptional experiences that delight our guests, deliver strong commercial outcomes and help bring Chester Zoo's conservation mission to life.

During this maternity cover period, you'll also provide leadership and support to our Guest Experience & Programming team, helping to deliver our annual programme of events and experiences.

We’re looking for someone who can:

Develop outstanding guest experiences

• Lead the development of significant new guest experiences and visitor propositions from concept through to launch.
• Bring together guest insight, creative thinking and operational expertise to design experiences that delight visitors and support our conservation mission.
• Create strong briefs and ensure the finished experience delivers against the original ambition, guest needs and commercial objectives.

Lead complex projects

• Deliver multiple high-profile projects simultaneously, with clear plans, budgets, governance and success measures.
• Manage suppliers, agencies and contractors to ensure projects are delivered safely, effectively and on schedule.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely and effectively to agreed quality, budget and timescales.
• Manage project risk, governance and health and safety requirements, including contractor and CDM considerations where relevant.

Bring our guest experience ambition to life

• Translate Chester Zoo's guest experience strategy into meaningful improvements across the visitor journey.
• Champion accessible, inclusive and consistently high-quality experiences for all guests.
• Use audience insight, guest feedback and performance data to inform decisions and evaluate success.

Lead through collaboration

• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners, agencies and suppliers.
• Influence and align multidisciplinary teams to create clarity, momentum and shared ownership.
• Lead and support the Guest Experience & Programming team, creating an environment where creativity, ambition and continuous improvement can thrive.
• Ensure creative ambition is balanced with audience demand, commercial return and operational feasibility.

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes…

We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place.

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 400 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost our career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey.

Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

The Package

• 12 month fixed term contract (maternity cover)
• 40 hours per week (full time)
• Competitive salary of £46,460 per annum (based on 40 hours per week)
• Hybrid working opportunities
• 33 days annual leave – pro rata, plus the option to buy or sell up to 5 days
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
• Cycle to work scheme
• Healthcare plan
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%

Our Requirements

• Significant experience leading complex visitor, guest, live event, attraction or experiential projects from brief through to successful launch.
• Proven project management expertise across planning, budgeting, procurement, governance, risk management and mobilisation.
• Experience managing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously while maintaining quality, pace and stakeholder confidence.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including experience working with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Experience commissioning and managing external creative agencies, contractors, suppliers and specialist partners.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance creative ambition, operational practicality and return on investment.
• Experience using audience insight, customer feedback and performance data to drive decision making and evaluate success.
• Strong understanding of health and safety, contractor management, project risk and compliance requirements.
• Experience leading and developing teams in a collaborative and inclusive way.
• Excellent organisational, communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Although not essential, the following would be desirable:

• Experience within visitor attractions, tourism, leisure, cultural, entertainment, hospitality or event environments.
• Formal project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, APM or equivalent).
• Experience of delivering projects involving construction, infrastructure, themed environments or immersive visitor experiences.
• Knowledge of accessibility and inclusive design principles within guest-facing experiences.

Please be aware we reserve the right to close our vacancies earlier than the listed date if we have received a high level of applications. We would recommend that if you do wish to be considered that you complete the application as promptly as possible as shortlisting and interviews may be taking place whilst the advert is live.