DIRECTOR – MICHELHAM PRIORY

Job Description

JOB TITLE: / Director - Michelham Priory
LOCATION: / Upper Dicker, Nr Hailsham, East Sussex
PAY. / £ 30 000
RESPONSIBLE TO: / The Chief Executive Officer, Sussex Archaeological Society
RESPONSIBLE FOR: / The staff team (Approx 9 full and part time) and 40-60 volunteers.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB: / To provide overarching leadership and management for Michelham Priory. To lead on strategic, budgetary and resource management. To direct personnel. To take overall responsibility for day to day management of site and gardens. To be responsible for partnerships. To oversee the success of site based commercial services. To be responsible for maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in business, site management and heritage interpretation. To lead on the promotion of Michelham Priory and Gardens both locally and nationally.

Key Accountabilities

To manage Michelham Priory as a successful heritage business.

To direct on site business processes and to develop and implement a new business and income generation strategy for the site.

To direct and performance manage the MPstaff.

Todirect visitor services and audience development.

To provide overarching strategic management for Michelham Priory

To provide overarching leadership and management for the catering and commercial services.

To directon site conservation and interpretation.

To oversee physical, financial, IT and other key resources

To overseemarketing and communication

To take lead responsibility for health and safety

To ensure high professional standards of access, equality and diversity are maintained at MP

To ensure that relationships with key stakeholders including external partners and the Friends of Michelham Priory are effectively managed and new business and heritage partnerships are developed

To provide overarching management for the volunteer programme across the site

To work alongside The CEO and senior staff team within the Sussex Archaeological Society and to help develop the sustainability and strategic direction of the wider organisation

This job description sets out the accountabilities of the post at the time when it was drawn up. Such accountabilities may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the accountabilities or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading or pay of the post.

Person Specification– DIRECTORMICHELHAM

Essential Criteria / Desirable Criteria / Method of Assessment/
Source of Information
Key Skills & Abilities /
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills including writing structured reports.
  • Demonstrable proficiency in managing a heritage organisation
  • Strong analytical and research skills
  • High level of attention to detail & accuracy
  • Excellent numeracy and literacy skills
  • Strong ICT skills
  • Ability to use own initiative
  • Ability to organise and prioritise own work to meet tight deadlines
  • Excellent interpersonal and public relations skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Excellent personnel and performance management skills
  • Ability to fundraise and manage income generating services
  • Excellent strategic thinker
  • Business planning skills
  • Budget management skills
/
  • Ability to oversee public events
/
  • Application, assessment and Interview

Education &
Qualifications /
  • Degree or equivalent qualification
  • Full driving license
/
  • Museums or heritage qualification
  • Tourism or business qualification
/
  • Certificates

Knowledge /
  • Good working knowledge of policies & procedures and legislative requirements relevant to Heritage sector
  • Significant knowledge of health and safety.
/
  • Knowledge of Health & Safety Legislation
  • Knowledge of Archaeology of Sussex
  • Working with community groups
  • Charitable governance
  • Heritage education
  • Security
  • Marketing
/
  • Application, assessment and interview

Experience /
  • Experience in historic site management.
  • Experience in event management
  • Minimum of three years successful experience in managing a staff team
  • Experience of drawing up and managing budgets.
  • Experience of project management.
  • Knowledge of museums/historic properties sector.
  • Fundraising
  • Buildings and site management.
  • Network and partnership management.
/
  • Experience of recruitment, supervision and management of volunteers
  • Conservation volunteering
  • Working on HLF projects
  • Leading guided tours on historic sites
  • Retail/catering management
  • Quality Assurance
/
  • Application, assessment and interview

Personal Attributes /
  • Self-motivated with the ability to enthuse and motivate others
  • Authoritative
  • Customer orientated approach to work
  • A commitment to personal development and training
  • A commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
  • Show tact, diplomacy and empathy
  • Flexible approach
  • Proactive stance to health and safety
  • Excellent decision making skills.
/
  • Committed to history and archaeology
/
  • Application, assessment and interview

Other /
  • willing and able to work occasional long days and weekends
  • post holder required to undergo enhanced CRB disclosure
  • car owner
/ Interview

SCOPE OF THE POST

Michelham Priory is a beautiful historic site set in stunning grounds. The post holder of Director MP has an extremely important and challenging role. They need to combine managing, day to day substantial visitor and commercial operations, with the task of helping to develop a new strategic vision for audience and business development for the site.

The post represents a wonderful opportunity for a dedicated hard working professional to help create the future of this wonderful historic site.

Details of the scope of the post.

The post holder will:

  • Take lead responsibility for a budget in the region of £ 300 000
  • Manage a historic Property which attracts approximately 30 000 visitors.
  • Manage a staff team of 9 full and part time staff.
  • Oversee the work a team of volunteers (scale – 40-60)
  • Manage relationships with key stakeholders and drive initiatives with key partners

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

There are a range of specific responsibilities which the post holder will be accountable for on taking up the post. These represent both ongoing and dynamic targets. As the dynamic targets are achieved, new targets will be set by the Chief Executive Officer.These are detailed below:

-Oversee the development and implementation of a new audience development strategy for MP and identify a fundraising programme to finance this. This is to be achieved by March 2013.

-Evaluate and report on the business performance of key areas of site based activities including: Visitor income, retail and catering performance, gift aid, grants, donations and bequests, the learning programme, partnerships, room hire, events and functions.

-Draw up and implement plans to maximize income generation for all the above business performance areas.

-Oversee the relationship with the Friends of Michelham Priory .

-Work with the CEO and the senior staff team within the Sussex Archaeological Society to help take the whole organisations forwards.

-Direct Volunteer management

-Oversee the development of a strategic plan for the future development of the site and its services.

-Oversee the commercial functions on the site

-Manage relationship with neighboursand other local stakeholders

-Oversee the development and implementation of a Property Plan for the site.

-Direct internal communications across Property.

-Oversee establishment of effective marketing strategy for site

-Review effective usage of grounds and develop plan for maximizing visitor use of grounds.

-Ensure buildings, plant and equipment maintenance is effectively managed.

-Ensure high standards of Health and Safety are adhered to across all activities undertaken on the site.

-Examine and make recommendations around the development of new partnerships which support the business, learning and research targets for the site are developed.

-Ensure that the site and the SAS are effectively represented in the local and wider community.

A timeframe for the achievement of these responsibilities will be set by the CEO and agreed with the director MP within a month of their appointment.

The successful achievement of these responsibilities will be reviewed through the SAS performance management programme and form part of the ongoing review and appraisal of the post.

PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT

Due to the recent business performance of the site the CEO and Trustees have decide to offer this post on a one year basis in the first instance. The continuation of this post will be dependent on the performance of the site and the wider organisation. The evidence for the actual and future business performance of Michelham Priory and the Society will be clear by December 2012 when a decision will be made in relation to the future of this post

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

  1. Full time, fixed term appointment of 12 months duration with an anticipated start date of April 1st 2012.
  2. Salary £30,000 per annum paid monthly in arrears
  3. Living on site may be a requirement of this post in which case accommodation will be provided as part of the employment package.
  4. Pensionable post after three months of employment
  5. Probationary period of 6 weeks duration during which time the notice period is 2 weeks, thereafter one month’s notice from either party.
  6. Working pattern based on 37 hours, 5 days per week. During the season (March to end of November) when the property is opened 7 days / week the working pattern will incorporate some week end working. Out of season, the working pattern will be Monday to Friday 9.00 to 17.30 hours
  7. Where additional hours are worked, time off in lieu (TOIL) can be taken at a mutually convenient time.
  8. There will be a requirement for some bank holiday working.
  9. Contractual holiday entitlement of 22 days per annum plus 8.5 public / bank holidays.
  10. Business mileage reimbursed at 40p / mile. tb/jn Jan 11

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