Purpose of your Role

As a member of the Customer Experience Team (CET), you will be part of a warm, welcoming and friendly front facing team which consists of Front of House Stewards and Bar staff. You are responsible for delivering the highest quality of customer service and ensuring that all Opera Holland Park audiences have an exceptional experience from the moment they enter the venue until they leave our gates. Although you will be applying for a specific role within the CET you will be trained in other areas as well and occasionally you’ll be asked to move around where needed.

Specifics of your Job

Your primary responsibility is to provide outstanding Customer service whilst maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment. You will be Ushering, Checking tickets and helping with general customer enquiries, as well as assisting the Front of House Manager in anything that may arise.

Flexibility, excellent communication skills and a personable nature are essential for success in this position, as well as the ability to work under pressure and be able to adapt.

As an example the usual pattern of working hours is 4.30pm – 11pm on performance nights. The usual matinee pattern of working hours is 11am- 4.30/5pm or even earlier on baby matinees. A certain degree of flexible working is expected as required around your shift times.

Additional benefits include continuous dedicated training in areas such as First Aid, Fire Marshalling, Dementia Friends.

Areas of responsibility

  • Setting out the auditorium correctly for each specific performance
  • Welcoming guests to the theatre
  • Checking tickets and showing customers to their seats
  • Addressing customer enquiries
  • Ensuring safety and comfort of the patrons whilst maintaining good order.
  • Dealing with disturbances in a polite and firm manner
  • Ensuring that the theatre site is maintained in a clean, tidy and safe condition
  • Ensuring patrons comply with house rules and safe use of the venue
  • Assist in Fire Evacuations

The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job profile are indicative of the role; however, they are not exhaustive and may be subject to change. In addition, you will be required to undertake other reasonable duties as directed by your manager.

Role expectations and accessibility

The role of the Front of House Steward is based at the Opera Holland Park theatre, which is in the middle of Holland Park, and is mostly canopied. Front of House staff can expect to be exposed to the elements for the duration of the festival season, from extreme heat, to the cold and wet.

The role will require a lot of standing, walking, and using the radio during each shift.

Access to the theatre site is step-free via both the East and West Gates. There is a short hill with a steep gradient at the West Gate, so the East Gate is more appropriate for those using a self-propelled wheelchair. All further information on theatre access can be found here.

Practicalities

Opera Holland Park will provide a uniform for all the members of CET, including a rainproof and windproof jacket for colder days. You will be asked to sign your uniform out with the CET Manager, and sign it back in at the end of the season clean. Failure to return it could mean that pay is docked to cover the cost of its loss. It will be the responsibility of the individual member to keep this uniform clean, iron and tidy so that you’re always presentable on site. The company will also provide umbrellas for rainy days. We will ask all CE staff to wear their own black trousers and shoes, with no branding on them. You will need to provide your own food and drinks. Each typical shift will include a 20-30min break depending on the length of the time you’re working..

Person Specification

We are looking for Front of House stewards who are welcoming, personable, confident and reliable. For this role, we are prioritising potential over experience: we want someone who is committed to exceptional customer service and high-standards in everything they do. Successful applicants will be team players who will represent Opera Holland Park and its values throughout the summer season.

If you’ve worked in a theatre or other customer facing environment, that’s fantastic, but what’s more important is that you can show us that you are highly motivated, open to new ways of working and ready to meet that challenge.

We are heading into a very exciting time for Opera Holland Park, and we need a welcoming Front of House team with integrity and openness to support the company in delivering a successful 2024 season.

Essential criteria

  • Customer-orientated approach
  • Ability to work well within a small dedicated team
  • To be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • Patience and ability to remain calm, positive and professional when working under pressure
  • Ability to be creative and resourceful in problem solving
  • Excellent verbal communication skills
  • Reliable with excellent time management skills
  • You must be available for training days on the 14th and 15th May, which are mandatory for all

Desirable criteria

  • First Aid/Emergency First Aid, Fire Marshal Training
  • Experience in a demanding customer facing environment, either in the theatre or other industries
  • Knowledge of opera, ballet, theatre, and/or other art forms

How to apply

To apply for this role, please:

  1. Download the Application Form here (also available in large print here)
  2. Complete the anonymous Equal Opportunities Monitoring Survey here.
  3. Complete the Application Form, and email it as an attachment (either in Word or PDF format) to info@operahollandpark.com.Please make sure you demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the person specification provided, particularly in the ‘Personal Statement’ section.
  4. We also accept applications in a video or audio format. If you would prefer to apply in this way, please email a link to your video or audio file to info@operahollandpark.com. As a guideline, you should aim for a recording of around 3–5 minutes to answer all questions on the Application Form

The deadline for receipt of completed applications is FRIDAY 12th APRIL 12pm. Any application received after this date may not be included in the recruitment process.

We will be considering applications on a rolling basis. We therefore encourage early applications!

We will reply to all applicants with the outcome of their application within two weeks of the deadline. If you would like feedback on your application, please reply to the email informing you of the outcome of your application.

Equal Opportunities

Opera is for everyone. We commit to creating opera for all people, and working with all people to create opera. We believe it is essential to nurture new and diverse talent, onstage and off. The more diverse our workforce, the stronger our community and the better able we are to achieve these aims.

We are particularly keen to receive applications from people who experience racism, disabled people and LGBT people, as these groups are currently under-represented at Opera Holland Park.  We are taking positive action by guaranteeing a first round interview to any candidate who self-identifies as having one or more of these backgrounds and have experience in Front of House settings. If you regard yourself as someone who meets these criteria, please state so clearly on the email you send your application on.

Access

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible. As part of this, we will:

  • Provide detailed access information for all roles to the best of our knowledge at the time of recruitment
  • Provide our Recruitment Pack and Application Form in a variety of formats, including large print
  • Accept applications in written, video, and audio format
  • Provide interview questions to all shortlisted candidates in advance
  • Commit to offering interviews to all candidates who self-identify as disabled and meet the essential criteria

Contact us

If you have any questions about this role or our recruitment process, or if you wish to discuss any adjustments to make our recruitment process or workplace accessible to you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with info@operahollandpark.com

We will be very happy to hear from you.

Thank you for your interest in Opera Holland Park.