Job Description ESP/ESTDM16

Project: EastSide Tourism

Job Title: EastSide Tourism Development Manager

Location: EastSide Visitor Centre

Reports to: Chief Executive, EastSide Partnership

Terms and conditions

Salary:NJC Point 38, £32,778 + 7.5% pension

Contract:This is a permanent post, however it is dependent on future funding, which is currently secured fromApril 2016 until September 2017.Job subject to 6 month probation period.

Work hours: 37.5 hours per week. Some of the specified hours will be at unsocial times

EastSide Partnership is only able to accept applications from those individuals who are currently eligible to work in the UK. We may only interview those applicants who appear, from the information provided, to be the most suitable in terms of the person specification.

Main Purpose of Job

To develop and manage anEastSide Tourism strategy

To develop and manage the EastSide Visitor Centre including; visitor servicingand retail to deliver a complete visitor experience

To promote and market EastSide Tourism, including the EastSide Visitor Centre and develop an annual events programme

To build relationships with arts, tourism and hospitality sectorstodeliver tourism in east Belfast

Summary of responsibilities and personal duties

  1. To develop a tourism strategy and manage the delivery of EastSide Tourism strategy
  1. To establish EastSide Tourism as a company
  1. To advise the Board of EastSide Tourism and relevant staff in EastSide Partnership on all relevant matters relating to tourism in east Belfast, across the city and within Northern Ireland
  1. To be responsible for the overall EastSide Visitor Centre experience including visitor information; static information, digital information/ screens, leaflet displaysetc
  1. To manage the relationship between EastSide Partnership/ EastSide Tourism and the Visitor Centre café operator
  1. To ensure the Visitor Centre building is fit for purpose and attractive to visitors, with high standards of quality, tidiness and cleanliness required to comply with retail and visitor service standards
  1. To develop and manage the non- café space in the Visitor Centre- third and fourth floors including any trading operations; retail/merchandise development, room hire, ticketing, events etc.
  1. To provide support to arts, hospitality and tourism sectors and to organisations and businesses in promoting tourism in east Belfast
  1. To develop budgets for approval and manage efficiently and securely the finances within the agreed budget
  1. To identify, apply for and secure annual and other funding from statutory organisations, business sponsors etc
  1. To support EastSide Tourism and EastSide Partnership in the development and implementation of organisational policies, programmes and strategies, arranging regular meetings, providing information, taking and distributing minutes and writing Board papers etc
  1. To design and produce publicity leaflets, up to date website, manage media and social media and promote and publicise the activities of EastSide Tourism and EastSide Visitor Centre, reinforcing the brand while working with partners eg local media, Visit Belfast Welcome Centre, Tourism Northern Ireland and EastSide Partnership etc
  1. To take a lead in the roll out of the EastSide Brand including encouraging use amongst the hospitality/ business/ tourism sectors in east Belfast
  1. To develop a plan for the George Best House (currently a holiday rental property)
  1. Initiate, build, maintain and develop relationships with partner organisations and key stakeholders within Northern Ireland including central Government, Government agencies, local authorities and the private sector
  1. To be responsible for recruitment, training and performance management of relevant staff and volunteers
  1. To monitor and report on progress as necessary and attend progress meetings
  1. To take the lead in shaping the delivery of tourism in the EastSide area
  1. To advise the EastSideTourism Board and relevant staff in EastSide Partnership on all relevant matters relating to tourism in east Belfast, across the city and within Northern Ireland
  1. To report to Visitor Centre funders on key performance indicators and provide evaluation reports when necessary
  1. To be the main keyholder for the Visitor Centre
  1. To undertake such other relevant duties as may from time to time be required

Person SpecificationESP/ESTDM16

Essential Criteria:

Experience: A minimum of two years management experience gained in the last five years in the hospitality, retail or tourism sectors. Experience of managing budgets.

Sector Knowledge: Knowledge and understanding of the tourism sector and knowledge of Belfast as a tourism destination.

People Management and Leadership: Ability to co-ordinate, motivate and lead staff.

Planning and Organisation: Excellent organisational skills, including the ability to work without direct supervision, using own initiative to prioritise work and manage workloads. Ability to plan, organise and oversee activities/ events.

Relationship Management: Evidence of success in building and maintaining excellent working relationships and partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders, individuals and organisations to achieve common goals.

Communication: Well developed communication skills including oral, written and presentation skills for a variety of audiences including the media.

Information Technology: High level of computer literacy including the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the use of the internet and social media as well as the ability to update websites.

Customer Service: Effective customer service skills and commitment to quality standards.

Hours of Work: Willingness and ability to work outside normal working hours.

Equality of Opportunity: Understanding of, and commitment to, equal opportunities in employment and service delivery.

Security check: A willingness to undergo an AccessNI check. (This is a requirement as the successful candidate may be in contact with vulnerable adults and children

Desirable Criteria:

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

  • Experience of managing a profitable trading operation or visitor attraction
  • Experience of undertaking consumer and desk research on target markets and product development opportunities
  • A relevant degree/ professional/ industry qualification
  • Customer service training/ recognition
  • Multilingual

Application ProcessESP/ESTDM16

Application

  • An application pack can be downloaded from
  • Completed applications must arrive by 4.00pm on Wednesday 30th March2016
  • Applications will only be accepted by email to nd will be acknowledged by email. If not acknowledged please contact Geraldine on 028 9045 1900
  • Application MUST be by letter outlining how you meet all of the criteria in the person specification. The letter must be no longer than 2 x A4 pages, minimum font size 10. We suggest you use all the headings in the person specification to ensure that you address the criteria. You may also include a CV (max 2 x A4 pages, minimum font size 10) but please ensure that if you enclose a CV, you cover how you meet all criteria as detailed in the person specification, in your letter
  • To be accepted the application must include the monitoring form
  • Only information contained in the letter and accompanying CV will be taken into account, so please ensure that you include all relevant information. Any content exceeding the 2 x A4 limit will be disregarded.
  • We may only interview those applicants who appear, from the information provided, to be the most suitable in terms of the person specification provided.

Equal Opportunities

  • EastSide Partnership is an equal opportunities employer. EastSide Partnership does not permit unlawful discrimination of any kind against any person on grounds which include gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religious belief or political opinion, race or disability. Unlawful discrimination is defined as treating a person less favourably than others are, or would be treated in the same or similar circumstances.

Canvassing

  • Canvassing in any form will, if proved to the satisfaction of EastSidePartnership, disqualify a candidate for the appointment

Shortlisting

  • Shortlisting will take place on Monday 4th April 2016 after which you will be informed by email whether or not you are to be called for interview, and at what time. The panel may decide to only interview those candidates who best meet the essential criteria.

Interviews

  • Interviews will be held on Monday 11th April 2016. Please ensure your availability for interview on this date prior to application, as it will not be possible to arrange an alternative date

Job Description

  • The duties outlined in the Job Description serve as a guide to the current and major responsibilities of the post. These will inevitably vary as the role develops and the Job Description will be reviewed on a regular basis. Changes will be subject to consultation with the post holder.

Further Information

  • Further information on EastSide Partnership can be viewed on our website at:

Supplementary InformationESP/ESTDM16

EastSide Visitor Centre

EastSide Visitor Centre, funded with support from Tourism NI, Belfast City Council and the Social Investment Fund, is based in the heart of east Belfast, at Holywood Arches (402 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1HU) and adjacent to the exciting new C.S. Lewis Civic Square, part of the £40 million Connswater Community Greenway project. The building will open in April 2016.

EastSide Visitor Centre C.S. Lewis Civic Square artist

exteriorimpression

The EastSide Visitor Centre is a 4storey, 325 square metres building which will be fully fitted to a high standard, ready for opening in April 2016. The centre will contain:

Ground floor/Information about the EastSide tourist

First floorattractions, a visual exhibition highlighting the EastSide brand, a high quality espresso bar and tourism related retail space

Second floorSpace for meetings, exhibitions etc

Third floorOffice space

Espresso Bar

An operator will be responsible for the Espresso Bar within the centre. A level of service/ product will be expected from the espresso bar to compliment the high standard of the centre. It is expected that both a ‘sit in’ and ‘take-away’ service would be operated.

Retail

The retail offering will focus on the visitor market. The EastSide brand will be reflected in the range of goods for sale, e.g. books written by EastSide writers, CDs by EastSide artists etc.

Other goods could include high quality craft products and a range of lower cost souvenir products. The Tourism Development Officer will be given considerable freedom to decide on a range of products consistent with the EastSide brand, using his/her commercial retail experience and expertise.

The above are suggestions only and the new Officer will be encouraged to put forward their own ideas.

EastSide Brand

With support from Belfast City Council, we have recently developed a new tourism led brand based around the musicians, writers, sportspeople and industrialists associated with this part of the city. The brand is ‘EastSide, Inspiring Belfast’.

EastSide, Inspiring Belfast brand on site hoardings

EastSide Tourism

EastSide, as a destination, has much to offer the visitor to Belfast. Here are some examples of the products available:

  • Connswater Community Greenway
  • CS Lewis Square (incl public art & performance venue)
  • Strand Arts Centre
  • EastSide Arts Festival / CS Lewis Festival / other arts events
  • Yardmen/ Shipyard/ Titanic connection
  • Famous sons and daughters of east Belfast
  • Museum of Orange Heritage
  • Belmont Tower
  • Stormont Estate
  • Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory
  • Streamvale Open Farm
  • Dundonald International Ice Bowl
  • Eastpoint Entertainment Village
  • Odyssey and SSE Arena
  • Titanic Quarter

EastSide Partnership believes it has a co-ordinating role in relation to the development of tourism in east Belfast and in the development ofEastSide as a successful tourist destination, within Belfast, Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form ESP/ESTDM16

Ref No: ESP/ESTDM16Private & Confidential

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on grounds of religious belief or political opinion. We practice equality of Opportunity in employment and select the best person for the job.

To demonstrate our commitment to equality of opportunity in employment we need to monitor the community background of our applicants and employees, as required by the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998.

Regardless of whether we practice religion, most of us in Northern Ireland are seen as Catholic or Protestant. We are therefore asking you to indicate your community background by ticking the appropriate box below.

I am a member of the Protestant community

I am a member of the Roman Catholic community

I am a member of neither the Protestant nor Roman

Catholic community

Please indicate whether you are:Female

Male

If you do not complete this questionnaire, we are encouraged to use the “residuary” method, which means that we can make a determination on the basis of personal information on file/application form.

Note: It is a criminal offence under the legislation for a person to “give false information in connection with the preparation of the monitoring return”.