Visitor Experience Assistant

We’re looking for a team player with excellent people skills combined with a passion for
connecting people with nature and securing vital support for delivering our nature conservation
objectives. Working at Burton Mere Wetlands at the heart of our Dee Estuary
reserve, you will make sure our visitors are warmly welcomed, enthused about the resident
wildlife, and ultimately encouraged to support the RSPB’s conservation work now and into the
future.

The Dee Estuary is one of the RSPB’s largest and most diverse reserves
spanning over 6,000 hectares straddling the England-Wales border. Habitats range from tidal
saltmarsh, mudflats, sand dune and shingle beach to the freshwater reedbed, wet grassland and
ancient woodland at Burton Mere Wetlands, where our increasingly popular visitor facilities
serve as the gateway to the estuary’s impressive wildlife spectacles.

It’s renowned for the winter wildfowl flocks, a large egret colony and abundant birds of prey,
and is managed carefully for breeding waders including lapwing, redshank and the iconic avocet.
Having steadily grown in stature since the visitor hub opened in 2011, now
almost 50,000 visitors enjoy the reserve each year, with a new café encouraging further growth
making it a particularly exciting time to join the team.

What’s the role about?

We are looking for someone to ensure that every one of our visitors has a unique and memorable
experience, inspiring their support through membership, donations, buying from our shop and
attending events. This is a diverse role where you will be getting involved
with everything from delivering a profitable events programme including at the Dee Estuary’s
smaller satellite sites, creating informative and inspiring social media content, whilst
supporting all visitor hub functions including membership recruitment and retail.

Supported by the Visitor Operations Manager and Visitor Experience Officer, you
will ensure a coherent visitor offer is delivered and income opportunities are
maximised, whilst leading volunteers to ensure the highest quality of RSPB visitor experience
for both new and existing audiences. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who is keen to
develop and grow in visitor engagement and event delivery.

You will be:

• Working with colleagues to ensure the effective, efficient and safe running of the visitor
  hub, guaranteeing a high quality, on-brand, visitor experience.
• Working with the visitor experience and site management teams to achieve financial targets
  and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to deliver against our business goals.
• Expected to ensure every visitor has positive and memorable contact with staff, whether
  they are individuals, small groups, large groups, school groups, people with disabilities,
  families etc.
• Assist with the facilitation of activities and events, contributing ideas and suggestions
  to enhance the visitor experience.
• Ensure the visitor hub, together with its environs, visitor facilities and equipment are
  maintained and presented to a high standard.

Essential skills, knowledge & experience:

• Ability to enthuse people to support wildlife and nature with good people engagement and
  communication skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads
• Good problem solving skills and be able to work on own initiative
• Ability to manage and respond quickly to customer needs and feedback
• Ability to work as part of a team, to motivate and inspire people
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships
• Ability and willingness to work flexibly including weekends and occasional evenings

Additional Information

This is a Full-Time, 6-month fixed-term contract, which will be worked on a rota of 5 days in
7, including regular weekend work.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from week commencing 2nd
September 2024. For further information please get in touch with Visitor Operations
Manager Dan Trotman on [email protected] 

As part of this application, you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an
application form where you will have the opportunity to explain how you meet the criteria set
above.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone
feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a
world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People
of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate,
sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled,
we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any
additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 1974.

This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have
a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.