Head of Retail and Visitor Experience The Head of Retail and Visitor Experience is a key role within Freemasons Hall. The postholder will support the Commercial & Hospitality Director in leading the retail function of their award-winning shop and the Museum of Freemasonry Visitor Experience team. This new role is accountable for developing strategic initiatives and plans that grow profitability and provide first class customer service to our members and public visitors. The postholder should have proven experience in handling all aspects of retail management and operations from financial reporting and data analysis, stock management and team leadership through to the creative side of product development, visual merchandising and customer experience. A strong customer service background is also desired to maintain our reputation of delivering an outstanding visitor experience and engaging guided tours of the Museum and Freemasons Hall. Background Freemasons Hall is a unique art deco building in the heart of Covent Garden and welcomes more than 200,000 people from all over the world through its doors every year. Since 1775, Freemasons Hall has been a gathering place for Freemasons, an institution built on knowledge, tradition and philanthropy. The current building was completed in 1933 as a peace memorial to those who fought and died during First World War. Located within the building is the Museum of Freemasonry which houses one of the finest collections of masonic artefacts and archives in the world. Open daily for guided and group tours, the Museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors each year. The building boasts over 20 striking lodge rooms including the Grand Temple and Vestibules which are regularly used for major films shoots, high profile corporate events and weddings. Main duties Buying & Merchandising Lead merchandise planning and buying, product development, sourcing, supplier negotiations and pricing for both online and in-store. Supervise stock control through forecast sales and appropriate stock cover. Implement a replenishment process to ensure orders are placed in a timely manner and core items are stocked at all times. Manage the visual merchandising, with clear direction on standards for visually appealing and commercially driven retail layouts and displays. Online Shop Direct the development and delivery of an eCommerce strategy which grows revenue and profitability through increasing traffic, conversion rate and average order value. Manage the Shopify account effectively and efficiently, supported by the eCommerce Executive, maximise the appeal of the online product range and ensure accurate stock control across the EPoS and Shopify platforms. Oversee day-to-day website performance identifying potential issues and viable solutions in relation to trading performance, analyse and interpret sales data, market trends, and competitor activity to inform strategic decisions. Operations Lead, inspire and motivate the Retail and Visitor Services Team to optimise profitability, encouraging them to achieve and exceed budgeted targets. Oversee the smooth and safe running of daily operations to include health and safety issues, annual performance development, staff rotas, cash handling, banking and EPoS reporting. Audit review of current systems and processes to improve profitability, activity management, reporting and operations. Collaborate with Communications department to develop and implement a marketing strategy for Retail, eCommerce and Guided Tours. Implement strategies and external partnerships to enhance the visitor experience and develop the Guided Tours programmes. Implement a new programme of customer feedback surveys; identify key trends through analysing data, reports and customer feedback to make continuous improvements. Oversee volunteer recruitment and retention programme. Financial Agree strategies with the Director of Commercial and Finance Director. Ensuring that the shop achieves its financial budgets from a sales and costs point of view. Responsible for implementing all financial procedures within the shop (Shopify) and visitor services online ticketing platform (Eventbrite). Ensuring that all financial transactions are accurately recorded, and procedures adhered to by all staff. Contribute to monthly and year end reporting requirements including data analysis of online sales, stock provision and stock on hand reports. Working in collaboration with other departments identify revenue generating and cross promotional opportunities. Skills and experience Experience required: Proven track record in retail management with specific profit and loss responsibility. Solid knowledge of Ecommerce platforms (ideally Shopify). Line management, supervision and motivation of staff. Operational and customer service experience of producing management information, strategy documents and operational procedures. Skills & Abilities Excellent financial, data analysis and planning skills with proven budget management responsibility. Strong supplier management and negotiation skills. Brilliant communication and interpersonal skills gained through experience of managing multi-disciplinary teams, plus the ability to demonstrate this with both internal and external stakeholders. Ability to think creatively and pragmatically, whilst driving improvement and change in a busy environment Collaborative approach to problem solving Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Computer literate with good word processing and Excel skills and experience of using databases, EPOS and stock control systems. Desirable Background in museum and/or cultural heritage venues Hours of work Full time 35 hours per week Salary and Benefits Competitive salary (subject to experience) plus the following benefits package: BUPA private medical cover Pension (3.5% employee & 9% employer contributions increasing to 12%) Life Assurance Holiday (25 days increasing to 30 days) Interest free season ticket loan Gym membership (subsidised) Employee Assistance Programme Flexible working policy Equal opportunities employer, awarded silver status in Investors in People Application details To apply please send your CV and covering letter to: Elizabeth Gay - Director of HR - United Grand Lodge of England via email provided. CVs received without a covering letter will not be considered. Closing date for applications is 0900 on Monday 21 st April 2025. ADZN1_UKTJ