Full Time

About the Chocolatarium:

The Chocolatarium is one of Edinburgh’s best-loved visitor attractions, boasting a 98% 5-star rating from visitors! Located in Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, we are a chocolate-themed visitor attraction where guests can discover the wonders of chocolate through engaging tours. We also have a well-stocked gift shop filled with delicious treats and online chocolate store.

We are currently looking for a hard-working, organised, responsible, proactive, and friendly Assistant Manager to support the business in running the day-to-day operations.

Who We’re Looking For:

The ideal candidate is a brilliant communicator, warm and approachable, with a proven track record of delivering exceptional customer service, ideally in the visitor attraction sector. You’ll be confident in managing a small team, fostering a supportive working environment, and delivering an unforgettable experience for visitors.

While experience in chocolate is not essential, a passion for it certainly is! During your training, you will become an expert in chocolate, with ongoing opportunities to learn more about this fascinating industry. Don’t worry if you’re lactose intolerant or vegan, as long as you love chocolate!

Key Responsibilities:

Duty Manager Role: Take responsibility for the smooth running of the attraction in the absence of the Attraction Manager, including rota management and sickness cover
Guiding Tours: Lead and deliver fun, engaging, and informative tours that consistently earn 5-star reviews.
Tour Preparation & Cleanup: Set up for and tidy up after tours to ensure a smooth, professional operation.
Gift Shop Operations: Serve customers, maintain stock, and ensure the shop is always presented to the highest standard.
Customer Service and Managing Tour Bookings: Respond to customer email and social media inquiries, handle group and special event bookings, handle complaints, and ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.
Inventory Management: Help manage deliveries, orders, and supplies for both the tours and the gift shop.
Supervising, Training and Recruitment: Assist in recruiting, training, and managing a team of guides, fostering a supportive and positive team environment.
Strategy & Improvements: In time, suggest and implement new tour ideas and strategies to attract more visitors and enhance their experience.
Operations & Compliance: Ensure all staff follow company policies and maintain health and safety standards.
Depending on the interests and career goals of the successful candidate, the may be involved in other aspects of the business such as marketing, chocolateering or product development.

Essential Skills & Experience:

A brilliant tour guide with a proven track record of consistent 5-star reviews and passion for providing an unforgettable visitor experience.
Adaptable and flexible mindset, essential for working in a dynamic, growing company and positive, can-do attitude.
Ability to manage and support staff and willingness to take on responsibilities.
Ability to remain calm under pressure and troubleshoot tricky situations.
Computer literacy.
Ability to take on an on-site, full-time role (37.5 hours per week) that will include evening and weekend working.

How to Apply:

If you are ready for a new challenge and feel you have the right skills, experience, and passion for this role, we’d love to hear from you!

Please send your CV and a short covering letter to hr@chocolatarium.co.uk and complete the Assistant Manager Application Form on the Work for Us page of our website.

Summary

The National Trust for Scotland is passionate about Scotland’s heritage, we are here to make a difference to what makes Scotland so special. Brodick Castle, Gardens & Country Park comprises of gardens, woodlands and waterfalls, a grand baronial castle and estate, and Woodland café, park café, gift shop and holiday lets. Set in the picturesque town of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, Brodick Castle is Britain’s only island country park. This heritage site attracts visitors from far and wide so as Visitor Services Manager (VSM), you will be someone who enjoys a varied and dynamic working environment.

As Visitor Services Manager you will be responsible for supporting the operational leadership, optimisation of property facilities and services and the smooth running of the property, gardens and country park. Specific areas of responsibility include:

People Management of Staff and Volunteers.

Financial Sustainability.

The Conservation of the property and its contents.

Promotion of heritage related to the property.

Visitor enjoyment.

The National Trust for Scotland prides itself in visitor service excellence, therefore, the Visitor Services Manager will have a passion for customer service and visitor experience to ensure staff and volunteers exhibit high levels of service for our visitors. This extends to all areas of Brodick Castle, Gardens and & Country Park.

JOB PURPOSE

The Visitor Service Manager is a hands-on role, supporting the Operations Manager to ensure close collaboration between operational teams and central teams, namely, retail, membership, collections conservation and curatorial. The Visitor Services Manager has first line responsibility for all retail sales, admissions income, Food and Beverage sales, NTS membership and visitor data at Brodick Castle as well as the care for Brodick Castle and collections.

This includes supporting the Operations Manager to ensure the highest standard of service and experience is offered to our visitors through all responsible areas. The post holder will lead retail, hospitality/events and membership teams to exceed sales budgets through exceptional customer service training, merchandising, upselling and experiences. This role will also lead a team looking after the Castle and its collections, supporting the curator and conservator to ensure the highest standard of collections care is delivered and engage with our visitors through written and people led interpretation.

The Visitor Services Manager will ensure that all managed departments are safe, secure, clean and comfortable environments in which staff, students, and volunteers can effectively work, and visitors can enjoy. Weekend working is required, and the post-holder will be expected to work flexibly, taking time off in lieu, in accordance with Trust policy.

As a key member of the wider management team at Brodick Castle the role will work with the team to deliver an overall visitor experience strategy, promoting good communication across the property and a joined-up service provision. This role will be part of the property leadership team and will act as Duty Manager for the property on a rota basis.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Retail and Membership

You will be responsible for setting and achieving stretching budgets across visitor services departments as well as food and beverage/events and key KPI’s.

You will effectively plan and grow income and profitability as well utilising NTS tools to control costs.

You will develop business plans across visitor services departments, food and beverage, key KPI’s and castle/collections, ensuring teams have exceptional product knowledge and the skills to deliver amazing days out.

You will monitor results regularly and take necessary action to achieve budgets, working with central support teams when required.

You will create a great environment for your team of staff and volunteers to work.

You will develop and coach teams, driving strong performance through setting clear objectives.

You will lead a culture of amazing service and will monitor through regular reviews.

You will maintain the highest level of visual merchandising.

You will lead and advocate for a culture of amazing customer service and experiences.

HEAD OF UK SALES (SPECIALITY RETAIL): a business development and whisky expert, operating in this UK leadership role. Responsibility for leading and managing our speciality retail channel and assigned speciality retail team, helping to shape the UK Retail and UK On Trade strategy, ensuring consistent and successful delivery against all of our commercial aims and ambitions.

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***no agency contact***

Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd… ‘An international, entrepreneurial, brand-led, successful, sustainable and respected, family business’

We appreciate and value your interest in this opportunity with Ian Macleod Distillers. We own some of the world’s best loved brands such as Glengoyne, Tamdhu, Rosebank and Edinburgh Gin. If you haven’t already, please browse around our company internet pages and immerse yourself in our colourful history and sample the details of some of our exquisite brands. As we start to tantalise your taste buds and whet your appetite for a career here with us at Ian Macleod Distillers, you will get to understand just why our team members and customers are indeed so passionate about all things Ian Macleod!

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Setting the scene

Our UK business is evolving and as part of our refreshed strategic plans, we now have an exciting opportunity for someone to join us in the role of Head of UK Sales (Speciality Retail).

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Our opportunity and ideal candidate

This role will report directly to our UK Commercial Director and will be responsible for leading our UK speciality retail channel and assigned speciality retail team. This role will help shape the UK Retail and UK On Trade strategy to ensure consistent and successful delivery against all commercial aims and ambitions.

We are looking for a highly commercial and innovative premium-prestige retail expert, with considerable whisky knowledge. The role will be wholly accountable for delivering continued and profitable distribution growth of our Fine & Rare portfolio, our Single Cask programme, as well as our core range of whiskies. This role will also be responsible for growing Fine & Rare operators who have a multi-channel approach, ensuring distribution into the On Trade, as well as into retail and eCommerce. Another key responsibility will be targeting high-net-worth-individuals through innovative brand marketing and authentic, passionate and commercially focussed customer engagement.

Having responsibility also for the direct line management of two regional sales managers, this role will effectively lead a high-performing team through progressive coaching and empowerment, also responding to and being proactive about, any developmental needs. The importance of working cross-functionally across the wider Ian Macleod business is exceptionally important, doing so with integrity, and demonstrating a passion and understanding of the needs of customers as well as our business and brands.

We are looking for someone highly skilled in negotiation and influencing, combined with a depth of character and strong commercial acumen, with the ability to effectively evaluate, interrogate and manage their own P&L. The successful individual will need to demonstrate strong senior level business expertise. Being able to effectively and efficiently hunt and farm their channel account base, ensuring the right commercial decisions are made, all will be a critically important part of this role. The ability to foster and develop ongoing authentic, extensive and highly effective relationships across premium and prestige operators will be essential, aligned to a breadth of understanding and support for customer objectives at the heart of our ongoing ways-of-working within the team and across the wider business.

We too are looking for someone who is curious, accountable and proactive, being able to continuously improve and seek out more effective and efficient ways-of-working, all with the ability to embrace and adapt to change.

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Next steps…

If after reading through, you feel that this opportunity lights a fire, then we would love to hear from you! Please remember that you will need to clearly demonstrate how your skills and previous experiences are a perfect fit to what we are looking for. If you have all of what we are looking for combined with a positive, fun and engaging personality and attitude, then do get in touch!

To apply for this opportunity, click the apply button below to create your own recruitment account with us and submit your application and CV. Along with your CV, you will need to answer some key questions and submit a tailored cover letter, clearly outlining why your skills and previous experiences are a perfect fit to what we are looking for! Your cover note is your opportunity to make yourself stand out from the crowd!

Please note, this is an open application window therefore we may close the advert at any point depending on the candidate applications received, so our recommendation is that you apply early to ensure you do not miss out

***no agency contact***

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Proudly supporting the #OpenToWork movement.

Here at Ian Macleod Distillers (IMD), we are an equal opportunity employer and proud members of the Scotch Whisky Association, Drink Aware and the Portman Group. We have developed our ‘Responsible Spirits’ approach, also following best practice to help shape our commitment to wider social responsibility and industry standards and promoting responsible selling and consumption of alcohol.

Eden Scott is delighted to be working with the National Trust for Scotland, Scotland’s leading conservation and membership charity dedicated to protecting and promoting Scotland’s natural, cultural and built heritage. They care for historic sites, landscapes, and collections across the country, ensuring they are preserved and enjoyed by future generations.

The National Trust for Scotland is a fundraising charity with a successful and high performing fundraising team. 2023/24 continued their sustained philanthropic growth, raising £16.8 million, against a target of £10.9 million. They see this as a positive step towards embedding fundraising in everything they do. This is critical to enabling their charity to work towards their strategic objectives by delivering a stream of sustainable, flexible and strategically-focused income.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the team at the Trust as Deputy Head of Philanthropy and this newly created post will be critical to achieving this ambition.

The post holder will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the fundraising strategy of the National Trust for Scotland. This position will support the Head of Fundraising in driving income generation across income streams, including individual giving, major gifts, trusts and foundations, and legacy fundraising. The successful candidate will demonstrate leadership, strategic vision, excellent supportive line management, organisational and tactical expertise, and a passion for philanthropy.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities include:

Strategic Leadership:

Work with the Head of Fundraising to develop and implement the overall fundraising strategy.
Collaborate with Fundraising Managers to ensure development and delivery of plans which maximise income.
Support measurement and evaluation of activity, working with team to identify and explore new fundraising opportunities and income streams.
Team Management:

Provide leadership and management to the fundraising team, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
Set clear objectives, provide regular feedback, and support professional development of team members.
Donor Engagement and Stewardship:
Lead on development and delivery of cross team donor journeys to deliver first class stewardship to supporters.
Maintain personally a group of donors and prospects as part of the fundraising team stewardship plan.
Take an overview of the creation and delivery of tailored proposals, reports, and communications to engage donors and prospects across teams.
Campaign and Appeal Management:

Working with Head of Fundraising, lead Fundraising Managers on major fundraising campaigns and appeals, from planning to execution and evaluation.
Working with Fundraising Manager Operations to ensure the Fundraising Team employ effective management of their donor database and processes to plan, deliver, analyse, evaluate and report activity.
Monitor and report on campaign progress, financial targets, and KPIs.
Budget Management:

Assist in developing and managing the fundraising budget.
Monitor income and expenditure, ensuring financial targets are met.
Contribute to development of financial reports and forecasts
Collaboration and Partnerships:
Work closely with Head of Fundraising to align fundraising activities with wider charity priorities.
Represent the National Trust for Scotland at events, conferences, and networking opportunities.
Key skills and experience required:

You will have significant experience across income generation areas, with a depth of understanding and a proven track record of managing high-performing and successful teams.
You will be results focused with proven experience in delivery of strategic fundraising campaigns
Strong leadership and team management skills.
This role offers an excellent competitive salary within a range of £53,676 – £59,368 with significant company benefits.

Can be based anywhere across Scotland with occasional travel to Edinburgh for meetings.

Eden Scott is dealing exclusively with the Trust on this vacancy so to be considered for this exciting opportunity, please submit your CV online and for an informal chat or to receive the full role information pack please call Sally on 07776 662506.

Closing date is 5.00pm Friday 27th September 2024