DESCRIPTION

The Visitor Experience team works across the cultural programme at Somerset House, including commercial and live events, exhibitions, performance, talks and installations. We strive to provide a warm and friendly welcome for our visitors in a safe and secure environment.
Somerset House Trust is seeking Duty Managers to join the Visitor Experience department with primary responsibility for SKATE - hailed as one of the capital’s favourite winter experiences.
Contract Type: Fixed-term Casual Worker, 27.10.25 – 16.01.26 (except for Christmas Day).
Working hours: Hours of work are variable to support the operational delivery of SKATE. Shifts are between the hours of 7:30-23:30. Examples of shift types are: 7:45-15:30, 8:45-15:30, 9:15-15:30, 10:15-15:30, 15:00-22:15 and 15:00-23:15.
Successful applicants will be expected to attend compulsory training sessions on 30 October (10:00-18:00), 31 October (10:00-18:00), 3 November (10:00-18:00), 4 November (10:00-18:00), as well as on 5 November (14:00-22:00).
We are working hard to ensure our people, our onsite community, and our sector reflect, represent and include all of society. Somerset House Trust is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace, so if you’re a suitably qualified applicant, we encourage your application whatever your age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or socio-economic background.

WELCOME AND KNOWLEDGE

• Manage the day-to-day visitor experience and daily operations of SKATE at Somerset House.
• Be welcoming and attentive to the needs of our visitors, ensuring an exceptional and consistent level of service from the SKATE team.
• Be confident with customer complaint handling in line with Somerset House Policies and Procedures.
• Responsible for the daily operation of the onsite box office (Tessitura ticketing system) including opening and closure procedures, as well as managing any discrepancies that may arise including customer ticketing issues.
• Be the central point of contact for SKATE information, procedures, events and activities, with a good knowledge of all other events onsite.
• Have a clear understanding of the operational requirements of the rink and the importance of managing timeslots, ensuring the best experience for all our visitors.
• Provide clear and consistent leadership to the team of Visitor Experience Assistants, Ice Supervisors, and Ice Marshals.
• Daily brief Visitor Experience Assistants, Ice Supervisors and Ice Marshals on events, essential information and procedures.
• Gather and collate pertinent information to produce effective daily briefing sheets and distribute them to all relevant staff.
• Ensure staff are always punctual and presentable.
• Deal with staff performance issues and/or escalate to a Visitor Experience Manager or other relevant senior manager, if required.
• Edit the rota for any necessary amendments (shift swaps, lateness etc.).
• Work with key stakeholders including security, maintenance, cleaning teams and any third-party providers including bars and shops.
• Attend to visitor enquiries and complaints escalating where appropriate.
• Understand the impact of the rink on the rest of the Somerset House site - take responsibility and ensure a cohesive approach.
• Lead on the opening and closing of the rink.
• Ensure the delivery and smooth running of rink activities, including additional programming such as SKATE Lates, SKATE School, Kids Club, and wheelchair user sessions.
• Carry out other ad-hoc duties in line with the post which may be required.

ABOUT SOMERSET HOUSE TRUST

Somerset House hosts the UK’s largest and most exciting creative community right in the heart of London, and are always looking for new talent to join our team. We welcome 3 million annual visitors to share our unique combination of cultural events, the creative industries and history. This mix informs and powers our programme and organisational culture, making us a singular, compelling and inclusive place to visit and work.
Somerset House is actively anti-racist, you can read about our Anti-Racism Pledge and the action we’re taking here. We are working hard to ensure our people, our onsite community and our sector reflect, represent and include all of society.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion:
Somerset House is open to all, and we value everyone’s unique skills. Somerset House Trust is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We are committed to equal opportunity and encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.
Where candidates are equally qualified, we will seek to prioritise diversity to help us increase representation across the creative economy and the Trust.
We anonymise all job applications to help avoid discrimination in the initial screening stage of our recruitment process. This reinforces our commitment to focusing on the skills and qualifications of all applications from the start.
We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you perform at your best. We’re open to adjusting our process to accommodate your needs please email people.team@somersethouse.org.uk.
The Trust reserves the right to close a job before its application deadline.
Please only apply if you have the right to work in the UK; the Trust cannot currently offer sponsorships.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE FOR THE DUTY MANAGER ROLE:

Required:

• Experience leading a team to deliver an outstanding visitor experience.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety regulations for both public and staff, and experience of monitoring practices and leading in evacuation training.
• Experience of operational event management.
• A current working knowledge of ticketing systems.
• Experience of liaising and effectively communicating with a wide variety of people.
• Excellent proven customer service skills.
• Flexible in approach to work and hours including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
• Committed and focused approach to work.
• Must be proactive, with a hands-on approach.
• Innovative approach to problem solving.
• IT literate.
• Have the ability to stay calm under pressure and solve problems quickly and efficiently.

Desirable:

• First aid qualified.
• Tessitura trained.