Visitor Services Manager
This role will be based on the University campus. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.
Are you committed to outstanding service delivery? Are you committed to removing barriers to access to our world-class cultural collections and to supporting the needs of a diverse range of visitors? Can you lead and inspire staff to deliver a high quality service in a research collections and gallery environment?
Recent major investments in our physical spaces have created an outstanding environment for research access, student education, public and community engagement. The Brotherton Research Centre offers facilities for teaching, learning and research making use of unique and distinctive cultural collections. You will be responsible for the development and delivery of its high-quality services and spaces. You will support the long-term development needs of the service and its audiences, and plan and seek resources accordingly. You will contribute to expanding the use of the Research Centre and the collections, through liaising with our audiences, particularly our academic audiences, and help to deliver new and innovative ways of engaging with collections and cultural assets.
Our two on-campus galleries, The Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery and The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery have a strong track record of reaching diverse public audiences and offering community engagement opportunities. You will ensure that these spaces are appropriately staffed and that our visitor services team offers a warm and welcoming environment to all our gallery visitors.
You will manage a team of staff with responsibilities for the daily operation of the research and teaching support services and gallery spaces, who also support curatorial staff on collections management and engagement work. You will therefore be the vital link between our visitor services and curatorial operations, responsible for co-ordinating activity and ensuring duties are balanced against priorities. Through your line management of the Research Centre & Galleries Supervisor, you will have oversight of the day-to-day workings of the service across all its service points.
Working closely with the Audience Development Manager, you will ensure that our services map to our audience development strategy and that appropriate audience data, customer feedback and collections usage metrics are fed into future planning and development of our services, collections work, engagement priorities and Customer Service Excellence standards. You will act as the main contact with Library Customer Services Managers, to ensure integration with wider policies and procedures as appropriate. You will work with various cross-Library teams to ensure the maintenance and improvement of the physical environment, including enhancements to collections management and storage.
You will have substantial experience of working in a library, cultural or heritage collections environment, with demonstrable experience of delivering excellent customer service and continuous service improvement. You'll be an experienced people manager with an ability to foster a positive and collaborative team culture, and encourage the generation of new ideas and working practices. You'll also have excellent stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to represent and advocate for the service both internally and externally.
Get to know us: Visit Your career at University of Leeds Libraries to find out about our values, culture and ambitions.
Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
What we offer in return:
- 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
- Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5% of salary
- Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
- Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
- Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.
And much more!
To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:
Tim Procter, Collections & Access Manager
Email: T.J.Procter@leeds.ac.uk
Further details:
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