Visitor Engagement Officer - Shrewsbury Prison
Are you passionate about history and education? Do you enjoy engaging with people, sharing knowledge, and facilitating immersive learning experiences? We are looking for a Visitor Engagement Officer to join our team at Shrewsbury Prison, where you will ignite curiosity, engage visitors, and play a key role in delivering our educational programmes.
The Opportunity:
As a Visitor Engagement Officer, you will be at the heart of our educational efforts, leading dynamic and informative tours while also delivering our Education Behind Bars programme to a variety of educational groups. You will ensure that each visitor walks away with a deeper understanding of the history, heritage, and stories of Shrewsbury Prison.
Your role will involve:
* Delivering Educational Programmes: Facilitate our Education Behind Bars programme for groups of all ages and learning needs, ensuring each group has a memorable and enriching experience.
* Interactive Tours: Lead guided tours, focusing on the history, archaeology, and life at Shrewsbury Prison, while answering questions and encouraging engagement.
* Creating Immersive Experiences: Bring history to life by participating in special events and portraying characters from the past, offering visitors an immersive and educational journey.
* Public Speaking & Engagement: Use your public speaking skills to keep groups engaged and make educational content come alive.
Key Responsibilities
Achieve Organisational Objectives:
* Responsible for contributing to the company’s overall delivery of excellent customer service and visitor engagement. This includes delivering top-rated tours and educational programmes.
* Developing a deep understanding of all products and services offered at the attraction to effectively help visitors.
Visitor Interaction:
* Ensure a high-quality, educational and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
* Encourage visitor interaction, participation and fostering engagement.
* Interact with visitors on self-guided visits and participate in special experiences and events, such as history days, by portraying costumed characters from the past.
* Maintain constant supervision of visitors during tours, ensuring their safety and well-being.
* Interact with visitors respectfully and professionally, addressing questions raised.
* Leading the way in delivering first class customer service and engagement.
* Ensuring compliance with day-to-day health & safety, ensuring the safety of all visitors and staff members.
* Resolving customer complaints promptly and professionally, aiming for swift and satisfactory resolutions, as well as escalating additional needs to the appropriate department or manager.
Tours:
* Conduct guided tours with visitors, presenting detailed information on history, heritage, archaeology and prison life.
* Responsibly answer visitor queries related to the prison's historical aspects and encourage visitor engagement.
* Learn scripted content provided and present this information for consistency, whilst bringing your own personality and interest to a tour.
* Supporting management in the development and improvement of tours.
Educational Programme:
* Facilitate the Educational Programme for education groups with varying sizes and learning needs.
* Learn scripted content provided and present this information from memory.
* Support management in the development and improvement of the educational programme.
Problem Solving:
* Identify and resolve any challenges or issues that may arise, finding solutions and mitigating problems effectively.
Effective Communication:
* Ensure clear and transparent communication with visitors, colleagues and with other departments.
Visitor Satisfaction:
* Ensuring visitors have their expectations exceeded during their visit.
About You:
We are looking for someone who has an interest in history and heritage. The ideal candidate will be:
* Skilled in public speaking and maintaining an audience’s attention.
* Hardworking and committed to achieving excellence.
* Able to accept responsibility, work unsupervised and use initiative with a focus on achieving business goals.
* Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport with a diverse range of visitor groups.
* Excellent listening skills to understand needs and preferences.
* Energetic and enthusiastic, with a genuine passion for creating memorable visitor experiences.
* Detail-oriented and organised, capable of managing multiple tasks efficiently.
* Resilient and adaptable, capable of thriving in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Desired Experience
* Previous experience in a tourism, event or theatre environment.
* Previous experience in customer-facing roles.
This role is £13 per hour, 20 hours a week (80 hours over a 4-week pattern) – 1040 hrs per annum. Working patterns will be variable and flexible but the average shift will be 5 hours a day, worked over 4 days. Working various patterns including peak holidays; weekends and mid-week and some evening work depending on business requirements.
Qualifications
* GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
About the Attraction:
Shrewsbury Prison is a heritage led tourist attraction. Built in 1791 and servicing as Shropshire’s County prison until its closure in 2013. Opening in 2015, Shrewsbury Prison began its journey of developing into a heritage attraction. It is now considered the world’s most interactive prison tourism company, alongside being Shropshire’s number 1 tourist destination, and the world's 6th dark tourist attraction.
Shrewsbury Prison provides visitors an authentic Georgian, Victorian, and modern-day prison experience, led by ex-prison officers with a wealth of experience and time ‘served’. There are a wide range of tours, activities and events happening at the prison, as well as education visits, team building, private hire, and production usage.
Working for Shrewsbury Prison allows you to be part of Cove Group, owner of Shrewsbury Prison Ltd. Cove Group aspires to be a global brand, recognised as a hallmark of excellence and innovation. Driven by unwavering ambition, we continually strive to harness our diverse enterprises to inspire, empower and enhance the world we live in, one venture at a time.
Experience:
* Customer service: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person, Shrewsbury Prison
Seniority level: Entry level
Employment type: Full-time
Industries: Travel Arrangements
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