Head of Visitor Experience-Irish Brand Homes
Location: The Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland (on site role)
Full Time, Permanent
Closing Date: January 7, 2025
About Us
Located in the heart of St. James's Gate Brewery, the Guinness Storehouse is recognised as the world's leading tourist attraction welcoming millions of visitors every year.
Since our launch in 2000, we've been on an incredible journey of growth and innovation. From our 360-degree panoramic Gravity Bar to our award-winning flagship store and the fascinating Guinness Archive, every corner is filled with immersive, sensorial guest experiences that tell our rich story.
In our inclusive culture, where we value each other and celebrate different perspectives, you'll be supported to thrive and recognized for your unique contributions, as we unlock a brighter, more exciting future together.
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About the Role
The Head of Visitor Experience is a pivotal role that demands a strategic leader with exceptional people skills, a commitment to excellence in customer service, and a strong commercial acumen. This role is responsible for making a significant impact on the overall visitor experience and contribute to the success and growth of the organisation. The role is responsible for managing all elements of the end-to-end physical visitor experience and for ensuring that all customer touch points and connections are carefully considered and developed. The role is responsible for ensuring that we have a highly engaged and trained customer experience team who deliver world class experiences and storytelling every day.
Responsible with the Head of Commercial Growth and other key members of the Leadership Team to deliver the agreed Net Promoter Score for each brand home. The visitor experience team from Guinness Storehouse, Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Roe & Co Whiskey Distillery will report to the Head of Visitor Experience.
This role is site based (occasional WFH may be possible) and Saturday working will be required on a regular basis (average one per month)
The Head of Visitor Experience is a senior leadership role responsible for delivering an exceptional visitor experience across all touchpoints. This role requires a strategic and dynamic leader with outstanding people skills, an unwavering commitment to high customer service standards, a commercial mindset, and extensive experience managing and leading large diverse teams. The Head of Visitor Experience will drive initiatives that enhance visitor satisfaction, increase operational efficiency, deliver NPS Scores and achieve commercial targets. The purpose of the role is to always challenge the status quo to improve the overall customer experience and employee experience (recruitment, rostering, effective scheduling, leadership, learning and development)
You will be responsible for:
Strategic Accountability for Visitor Experiences
- Develop and implement a comprehensive visitor experience strategy aligned with the organisation's vision, mission, and goals.
- Identify and prioritize initiatives that enhance visitor satisfaction, NPS and loyalty.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure a seamless visitor experience.
- Track and control the effectiveness of A&P spend and ensure full compliance with DMC
Only Guinness Can Do Customer Experiences
- Set and maintain the highest standards for customer service, ensuring every visitor interaction is positive and memorable.
- Develop and implement training programs that equip staff with the skills and knowledge to deliver exceptional service and storytelling
- Monitor and analyse visitor feedback and complaints, using insights to drive continuous improvement.
People Management:
- Lead, motivate, and manage a diverse team of over 150 employees, including hiring, training, and performance management.
- Foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture that encourages teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Implement effective communication channels to ensure all team members are informed, engaged, and aligned with organizational objectives.
- Deliver on Diageo Leadership Standards and Dial Up Behaviours
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- Formal qualifications, ideally degree level in event, food and beverage, hospitality, hotel or visitor experience operations business management
- Strong leadership and people management skills
- Evidence of continuous Learning & Development to keep apace of the fast-paced world of customer service and visitor experiences
- Strong financial and commercial acumen
- Strong digital experience, comfortable using standard business tools, ideally experience of using ticketing systems in a high volume environment
- At least 10 years of customer service, hospitality, event and operations experience in a similar industry
- Experience of leading and managing a large high-performance team of permanent, part time and agency staff to deliver world class customer services standards
- A deep understanding of end to end customer journeys, effective management of NPS and customer service in a high volume, high traffic, environment
- High energy, enthusiasm and passionate about delivering outstanding visitor experiences.
- Resilient and adaptable, able to thrive and make decisions in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Innovative and forward-thinking, with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
- Collaborative and team-oriented, with a commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
- A strong understanding of managing and maintaining a high level of health and safety standards for employees and visitors
- This is a busy role requiring the person to be highly organised, hands on and passionate about people
Working with Us
Flexibility is key to success in our business and many of our people work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don't let anything stop you from applying.
- We offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including: Contemporary work life balance policies and wellbeing activities
- Subsidized gym membership
- Contributary pension scheme
- Lunch allowance of €7/day when on site
- €600 Product allowance
- Annual bonus (dependent on performance)
- Annual merit based increases
- Share options
Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and listened to, is a crucial part of this.
We believe the most diverse and inclusive culture makes for a better business and a better world. We know that for our business to thrive and for Diageo to realise its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base.
Around the world we have a number of inclusive Business and Employee Resource Groups known as BRGs and ERGs. These influential groups, made up of our people, represent various viewpoints, experiences and communities who generate thought-provoking work to enhance our business and workplace, creating a sense of belonging and opportunities for all.
Join us, and you'll be part of an organisation that embraces diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you'll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You'll be part of - and help build - an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, mindsets, and more. And you'll help us champion inclusion and diversity across our entire business: with our employees, our suppliers, across our brands, and within the communities in which we operate.
Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you.