Visitor Experience Officer

We’re looking for team players with excellent people skills combined with a passion for connecting
people with nature. Working at Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre reserve, you’ll be providing a
unique and fascinating visitor experience inspiring our visitors to support nature conservation
now and in the future. This role is fundamental in ensuring we have the highest quality of
visitor experience for both new and existing audiences.

Rathlin Island is home to an internationally significant breeding colony of seabirds including
puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and kittiwakes. The Seabird Centre attracts many
thousands of visitors every year, including scientists and wildlife filmmakers as well as the
general public. The island is a stunningly beautiful place with an astonishing variety of
wildlife to see and several reserves to explore. The island has a vibrant resident community
and there is a great programme of cultural events throughout the season.

You will be working with the Visitor Experience Manager and volunteers to ensure a coherent
visitor offer is delivered whilst also working with the HQ team to ensure the highest quality
of RSPB visitor experience.

The ideal candidates will have strong communicating skills, proven experience at delivering
events and a high standard of visitor experience – if that’s you we’d love to hear from you!

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Computer literate to include professional use of social media to adhere to brand
  requirements.
• Working knowledge of visitor engagement techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to plan and prioritise workloads.
• A team player who can motivate and inspire people.
• Problem solving skills and ability to work on own initiative.
• Ability to manage and respond to customer needs and feedback.
• Ability to maximise opportunities for visitor engagement and income generation.
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships.
• A full driving licence that is valid in the UK.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of managing and delivering against targets and KPI’s.
• Experience of analysing and interpreting data in a visitor experience environment.
• Successful experience of managing or supporting a team of staff and/or volunteers.
• Having contributed to a successful visitor project or visitor attraction.
• Tourism or leisure related qualification, ideally at HND level or equivalent.
• Working knowledge of Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
• Health & Safety in the workplace.
• Work experience in hospitality and delivering exceptional customer service.

This is a Fixed-Term role for 6 months, Full-Time for 37.5 hours per week. 

Staff accommodation may be available to rent on the Island.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further
advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 22 to 26 January 2024. For further
information please contact [email protected].

As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including
evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed 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.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes.