Canal & River Trust
Working hours Part time – 1-3 days per week, Apr – October 2024 – see below for various hours opportunities
Did you know that Anderton Boat Lift was built in 1875 and still carries narrowboats 50ft up in the air and people travel from all over the world to see it? It’s even featured in TV dramas and is an exciting and iconic venue right here in Cheshire, alongside the wonderful rivers and canals of the Canal & River Trust.
This unique venue is so special that we are on a mission to ensure that visitors have a fantastic welcome and a memorable visit, and that is where our Seasonal Attraction Assistants come in. We are looking to increase our teams during our busy season, between May & October, to ensure that every visitor has a memorable experience.
Find our more about Anderton Boat Lift here Anderton-boat-lift-visitor-centre
As an Attraction Assistant (Retail & Catering) you will be part of a team working across different departments of retail, food and beverage, as well as providing a wonderful warm welcome to everyone you see, doing your utmost to make sure that every visit is memorable. The role is incredibly diverse and may include welcoming tour groups, selling popular merchandise, assisting with events and activities, making the most amazing cappuccino’s & tasty sandwiches, directing families around the site, selling ice cream, dressing up in traditional costume, assisting with demonstrations and working very closely with volunteers and the national collections and archives team….. the list of activities goes on and can be very diverse.
The Canal & River Trust is one of the UK’s largest charities, we maintain 2,000 miles of historic canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs, along with museums, archives and the country’s third largest collection of protected historic buildings – preserving them for future generations. Find our more about us by visiting our website here ttps//canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us
We will be aiming to open to visitors most days of the week in 2024 during our visitor season from April – end October and there are multiple seasonal roles available.
Vacancies
Attraction Assistant (Retail & Catering)
- 3 days per week (22.5 hrs per week)
- 2 days per week (15 hrs per week)
- 1 day per week (7.5 hours per week)
Working hours are organised through a team shift rota in advance and may include weekend/bank holiday working as we are expecting to be open most days of the week.
Full training & uniforms will be provided.
Responsibilities of the role will include
- Provide a warm welcome and a positive customer experience whether this be serving in the café, providing expert knowledge about the attraction, selling retail items or supporting an activity at an event, ensuring every visitor feels welcomed and is keen to return after a memorable visit, through great engagement & service
- Ensure that customer excellence is a priority at all times – being approachable and helpful in responding quickly to questions and dealing with enquiries, particularly when on the welcome desk, or by phone/email
- Actively participate in the promotion and delivery of special events to continually aim to increase visitor numbers and their experience
- Flexible approach to the rota to work across departments involving café, retail and admissions/welcome desk & conferences.
- Work as a team to ensure retail and catering stock is kept up to date, replaced, recorded and help to prepare any stocktaking counts.
- Support the team with general administrative duties that arise throughout the day such as distributing post, receiving and recording general deliveries
About You
You’ll know how important an exciting and fun day out is for our visitors and for the success of our attraction. You’ll understand how the role you play in every customer contact can really have an impact on their enjoyment of their visit to us – whether holiday, special event, educational day out or quick visit for with friends. You’re able to commit to work to an agreed working pattern (part time) so that the team can plan and ensure we are there for our visitors each day, and you can offer some flexibility when needed from time to time. Opportunity to tap into your creativity and imagination may also arise when we are planning events and programmes together as a team, always looking for new ways to attract new and returning visitors, and to offer a great fun visit every time.
Skills & Experiences
- You may have some relevant experience in a similar customer facing environment (e.g retail, hospitality), however more importantly, you can demonstrate you understand what a great customer experience is
- basic IT skills – using Microsoft Office email & Internet , and willing to learn our systems
- demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills – courteous and helpful
- ability to work well under pressure during busy periods and thrive on a busy working environment
- attention to detail
- ability to prioritise tasks and manage workload
We need strong and inclusive team players who value & support colleagues and our many volunteers – you will love to get involved whether it’s a visitor activity, event or pulling together to meet a tight deadline.
If you’d love to spend April/May – October working in a unique and fun visitor attraction with a pretty special iconic status, then we’d love to hear from you.
As multiple roles are available we will be reviewing candidates whilst vacancy is open. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with one of the recruitment team at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
These are fixed term opportunities, and your rate of pay will be based on the full time equivalent salary of £21,742 per annum. It will be paid on a pro rate basis for the hours you work during your season with us.
In addition to your salary, we offer a generous Defined Contribution (DC) pension scheme and other benefits. Further details can be found here.
At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of. All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job. Many of our vacancies can be considered for people who wish to work flexibly, job share or part time.
Find out more about the work we do and opportunities we have on our website https//canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us
You will be working with a great small team to deliver an very important service offering our customers and visitors across the waterway a positive experience and a desire to return. Get involved in organising and delivering great, fun events that spread knowledge and understanding of the Canal & River Trust and the great work we do.
To apply for this job please visit careers-canalrivertrust.icims.com.