United Grand Lodge seeks a Head of Retail and Visitor Experience, a key role supporting the Commercial & Hospitality Director in leading the retail functions (online and in-store) and the 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.
We require a person who has proven experience in handling all the aspects of managing and operating a small retail business from stock replenishment, merchandising and invoicing through to the creative side of product development and visual merchandising.
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
UGLE is the governing body of Freemasonry in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Man consisting of 48 Provinces roughly based on the old county boundaries and 32 Districts overseas. English Freemasonry is a membership organisation of 175,000 people meeting in more than 7,000 Lodges across the globe. Membership is open to any man over the age of 18 irrespective of their background, race or religion, with students also able to join one of 87 University Scheme Lodges. The largest Province in UGLE is Metropolitan in London with many Lodges meeting at Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden which also serves as the Headquarters for English Freemasonry worldwide.
Freemasons’ Hall is a unique art deco building which can date its origins back to 1769 when Freemasons first started meeting at this site. The current building was completed in 1933 as a memorial to those who died in the Great War. It houses 22 meeting rooms including some unique spaces regularly used for major international events and as film locations. The Hall itself provides a magnificent meeting place for UK and international masonic lodges. It is open to both Freemasons and the general public who are provided with both self-guided audio tours as well as guided tours of the facilities. The Museum of Freemasonry with one of the finest collections of masonic artefacts and archives in the world, is housed within the building.
The United Grand Lodge of England is an equal opportunities employer.
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 and Visitor Experience
- 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 Public Tours.
- Implement strategies and external partnerships to enhance the visitor experience and develop the Guided Tours programmes.
- Ensure a communication structure is in place between Visitor Services and Room Bookings department, to maximise public guided and group tour potential.
- 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 cost 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, particularly use of Shopify.
- Senior management experience.
- Operational and customer service experience of producing management information, strategy documents and operational procedures.
Skills & Abilities
- Excellent financial, business management 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
Understanding of Freemasonry
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%)
- Free Life Assurance
- Holiday (25 days increasing to 30 days)
- Interest free season ticket loan
- Gym membership (subsidised)
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Flexible working
Application details
To apply please send your CV and covering letter to: Elizabeth Gay - Director of HR - United Grand Lodge of England via email to [email protected]
CV’s received without a covering letter will not be considered.
Closing date for applications is close of business (5pm) on Monday 6 January 2025