Cruise Welcome Ambassadors Part Time Seasonal Post April to October 2025 On-call Zero Hours Contract Based at Cruise Welcome Hub and outside the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre. Closing Date: 12 noon, Monday 31st January 2024 Do you enjoy telling people about our amazing city and Northern Ireland? about the stories and the people?, the things to see and do and even taste? Then this seasonal role could be the new opportunity you are looking for. You will be one of the first faces our guests will see. You will help signpost visitors and sell tickets for various attractions and give that big Northern Ireland welcome. Belfast was recognised as the Best UK & British Isles Port of Call at the 2024 Cruise Critic UK Editors Picks Awards. Cruise Critic, a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, is the worlds leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community. At the 15th annual awards Belfast took home the prize for Best Port Call for the 2023 cruise season, a year when the city enjoyed a record cruise season, with 159 cruise calls from 57 ships from 32 different cruise lines in 2023. That was an 8% increase on the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. The Cruise Welcome Ambassadors are responsible for meeting and greeting cruise passengers and crew as they disembark the ship, therefore you will be working outdoors and in all weathers. You will be responsible for directing them towards the shuttle bus services from the Terminal at D1 on Airport Road West and Stormont berth in the North of the city. As some of the cruise ships will charge and issue tickets for the shuttle buses, your role will be to take the tickets as they queue for the shuttle bus. In the event that passengers do not have a ticket you will take their name and cabin details. Cruise Welcome Ambassadors will also be required to provide a warm welcome to visitors as they move through the cruise terminal, provide visitor information on Belfast and Northern Ireland, and also provide assistance with tickets and retail sales within our gift shop. Working evenings, weekends and bank holidays, early or late shifts will be a normal part of the duties as a Cruise Welcome Ambassador. Please see the full job description and specification for further details. There are a number of positions for Cruise Welcome Ambassadors. Please refer to the full job description and specification for further details of the post. Having read the job description for the post please submit your CV along with a short letter on how you feel you meet the essential criteria for the post along with an indication if it is the contracted or causal hours post. Remuneration The hourly rate for these positions is £12.00 per hour from 1st April, under review Location For this job role you will be mainly based at the Cruise Welcome Terminal on Airport Road West. Free parking is available on-site. Visit Belfast also operates off-site Visitor Information Centres (VICs), Belfast International Airport (BIA), the Cruise Welcome Hub at Belfast Harbour and pop up information desks. It is envisaged that Cruise Welcome Ambassadors will be located between mainly at the Cruise Welcome Hub and outside the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre on Donegal Square North. Hours of Work This is a casual seasonal position. Which will require you to work occasional weekends, Bank Holidays and evenings as required. Bank Holidays will be paid double time, all other hours of work with be at the agreed rate. Annual Leave The leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December. Annual leave entitlement is 25 days per year pro rata. Holiday accrual is paid every quarter for casual and seasonal staff, June, September, December, and March. Pensions Visit Belfast is a member of the NI Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC) pension scheme, with a 20.5% employer contribution. Other Benefits Visit Belfast participates in a number of HMRC approved salary sacrifice schemes which allow employees to benefit from goods and services through monthly payroll deductions which provide tax and national insurance savings. About Visit Belfast Visit Belfast (formerly Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau) is a public/private sector partnership funded and supported by Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland, and the private sector. It is the official tourism marketing and destination management agency for the Belfast City Region, dedicated to promoting Belfast as a city break, conference and cruise ship destination. It is also responsible for the operation of four gateway visitor information centres, Including Visit Belfast Welcome Centre, Desks at Belfast International and George Best Belfast City Airports and the Cruise Welcome Hub. Visit Belfast represents more than 500 tourism businesses and services across the industry including accommodation providers, attractions, conference venues and services, tour operators, transport providers, entertainment venues, restaurants and cafes, pubs and clubs and event organisers. It provides an extensive range of marketing platforms for tourism businesses to promote their products and services to travel trade and consumers. In marketing Belfast as a world class destination, we are keen to work with businesses that reflect the best of what the city has to offer potential visitors. Visit Belfasts core purpose is to create and service visitors for Belfast and Northern Ireland in order to generate economic benefit and inclusive growth, creating jobs and prosperity for the city region, enabling Belfast to become a more sustainable place to visit, meet and live in. More information about Visit Belfast can be viewed on our website! Job Description POSITION: Cruise Welcome Ambassador Seasonal, on-call Zero Hours Contract and average 16 Hours per week Contracts DEPARTMENT: Visitor Servicing, Visit Belfast Welcome Centre REPORTING TO: Cruise Ship Coordinators, and Head of Visitor Services Operations. SALARY: The hourly rate for these positions is £12.00 per hour from 1st April, under review PURPOSE: The Cruise Welcome Ambassador is responsible to the Cruise Ship Coordinators and the Head of Visitor Services Operations, for the provision of an on-shore ticket handling and customer service for cruise visitors arriving into Belfast. This season, Visit Belfast expects to welcome over 140 cruise ships between April and October The Cruise Welcome Ambassador will work on a rota to support these arrivals details of the cruise schedule will shortly appear on our website. RESPONSIBILITIES: The Cruise Welcome Ambassador is responsible for meeting and greeting cruise passengers and crew as they disembark the ship, directing them towards the shuttle bus services. As some of the cruise ships will charge and issue tickets for the shuttle buses, your role will be to take the tickets as they queue for the shuttle bus. If passengers do not have a ticket you will take their name and cabin details. The collection of tickets at the Harbour will initially happen in the morning. From mid-morning you will be expected to do the same for the return journey from outside the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre (Donegall Square North) where the shuttle bus departs to return to the ship. You will also be responsible for responding to passengers questions about the shuttle bus service as well as providing general tourist information about Belfast and Northern Ireland. You will be required to work occasionally at the Visitor Information Desk and in the small gift shop. DUTIES AND SPECIFICATIONS: Provide a warm welcome for all visitors coming into Belfast and Northern Ireland from cruise ships. Assist the Cruise Ship Coordinator to ensure that all information is made available in advance of the cruise ship arrival. Maintain and monitor the number of people using the shuttle buses. Provide records at the end of the day and hand both the tickets and forms to the Cruise Coordinator or Ground Handler as advised. Familiarise yourself with the shuttle bus timetables and daily Whats On information in its different formats. Ensure cruise visitors form an orderly queue for the shuttle buses (crew from the cruise ship should only be permitted to board once ALL cruise passengers are accommodated). Assist the Cruise Ship Coordinator in ensuring the shuttle buses are running on time. Feedback any concerns to the Cruise Coordinator or Ground Handler on duty. Ensure the completion of allocated number of visitor satisfaction surveys using the tablet provided. Submit monthly returns of hours worked to the Visitor Services Operations Manager at VBWC. Provide visitor servicing services and visitor information on Belfast and Northern Ireland at the Cruise Terminal at Belfast Harbour. Assist with attraction ticket sales and retail sales when requested. Provide any other form of service with which the post holder may be charged in accordance with the Visitor Servicing departments general activities. Communicate effectively with other Visit Belfast departments as appropriate and support the team in the development and maintenance of effective working relationships with Visit Belfasts partners, sponsors and the industry as appropriate. Assistants are expected to be polite and courteous at all times. UNIFORM You will be provides a uniform with Visit Belfast corporate branding. The Cruise Welcome Ambassador uniform will consist of a branded polo shirt and rainproof jacket which should be worn along with plain black jeans and shoes. HOURS OF WORK Cruise Welcome Ambassadors will operate across three types of shift, but this pattern may change, therefore, applicant flexibility is important: 8-9 hour day (inc. a 30 minute lunch break). Shifts will typically and. Typically begin at 8am and finish at 3pm; or start at 12 noon and finish at 8pm. Typically and finish at 11am; or start at 4pm and finish at 8pm. Not all cruise ships will require shuttle buses, but a welcome service will be provided for most ships. Any additional ships that require this service will be added to the list as the season progresses. Larger ships will need up to 3 people (2 for the longer day shifts and 1 for the shorter shift). Smaller ships may only need 1 to 2 people. There will be free parking at the dockside and employees can use the shuttle buses to get to and from the city centre on the days that shuttles are running. On the days shuttles are not running staff will have to make their own way to and from the Cruise Terminal. You also may need to start your shift before the first shuttle, so you will need to make your own arrangements to get to the Cruise Berth. SMOKING POLICY Visit Belfast operates a no smoking policy. Smoking is strictly prohibited within Visit Belfast sites. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Visit Belfast is an equal opportunity employer. Personnel Specification: Cruise Welcome Ambassadors (Seasonal)Essential Criteria Qualifications A minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grade C or above, including English and Maths. Relevant Experience One years administration, clerical, or customer service work experience. Special Aptitudes Excellent written and spoken English. Excellent organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills. Ability to work on own initiative, with energy, enthusiasm, and as part of a team. A good knowledge of Belfast and Northern Ireland as a tourist destination. Excellent customer care skills, as well as a smart appearance. Proven sales skills. Circumstances Available to work outside normal hours as required. Good flexibility and availability. Ability to get to and from Cruise Terminal for early and late shifts. Desirable Criteria Qualifications Third-level qualification or equivalent. Relevant Experience Experience working in the tourist information service, hospitality sector, or port/harbour trade. Circumstances Access to own vehicle for travel to and from the Cruise Terminal.