Located at the head of Lake Ontario and within the municipalities of Burlington and Hamilton, Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is the largest botanical garden in Canada and one of the nation’s earliest nature sanctuaries. Comprising some 2700 acres of protected wetlands, botanical collections, parkland and display gardens, and within easy access of millions of nature-starved urban citizens, RBG dedicates its expertise in horticulture, conservation, science and education to connect people, plants and place for the purpose of nurturing and preserving healthy growing life on our planet. RBG directs its efforts, and seeks the support of individuals and organizations, to realize its vision of a world in which everyone is awake to the beauty, diversity and necessity of plants, and from that consciousness more actively works together to protect and preserve plant species and habitats and, by extension, our planet.

Summary:

It is the responsibility of the Senior Supervisor, Visitor Experience to ensure that the Visitor Experience department operations and initiatives are executed effectively by front line staff/ volunteers. The Senior Supervisor, Visitor Experience is responsible for leading the Visitor Experience Casual Supervisor/ VE Hosts and the day-to-day operations of admissions to ensure delivery of a legendary visitor experience. In addition, this role will assist the Manager, Visitor Experience with overall department planning and special projects. This is a dynamic position with an enthusiastic and positive team. We look forward to hearing from you!

This is a 6-month contract position expected to run from September 10 until March 10, 2021, with the possibility of extension.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Provide onboarding and continued training to visitor experience hosts on behaviours and customer service approach, proper cash handling, sales skills and using the point-of-sale system
• Encouraging and coordinating cross departmental knowledge sharing, and information sessions
• Maintain, enforce and enhance the policies and procedures contained in the Visitor Experience Policy and Procedure manual
• Provide consistent feedback and coaching to front line staff to proactively address any issues/concerns and further enhance the department
• Lead, and assist in the event of a staff/visitor incident or emergency to ensure all health and safety protocols are followed, and processes and procedures are executed properly
• Assist with the scheduling of staff on a weekly basis ensuring appropriate coverage for operating hours, as well as off-hour events and programs; timecard management and approval for Visitor Experience Hosts

Communication

• Professional handling of customer concerns as required; responsible for second tier escalation of visitor feedback and concern/ issues management from front line employees
• Work closely with other departments to ensure that the necessary information pertaining to their business areas are disseminated to front line staff and cross departmental operations are executed effectively
• Responsible for daily reports, internally, including daily information of events and programs, daily visitation and revenue, etc.
• Ensure signage is always up to date and accurate
• Assist marketing and communications when required

Financial Management

• Create reports from information downloaded from the Smart Vendor system
• Perform daily cash deposits; reconciliation of daily revenue and liaise with Finance department to ensure accurate financial management and revenue reporting
• Perform safe audits, manage cash flow and bank runs as required to ensure sufficient funds are available

Administrative

• Assist in product development and enhancement, including proposals, budgets and presentations.
• Assist the Manager, Visitor Experience in operational planning and strategic planning initiatives, as needed.
• Prepare reports using data from the completed visitor feedback, exit surveys and other methods of visitor satisfaction gathering
• Assist in managing customer inquiries via e-mail, phone and in person, track visitor feedback through central tracking procedures
• Assist in keeping signage in a state of good repair and maintain a sign inventory. Identifies when new signage is required, including wayfinding throughout buildings
• Assist event management with visitor feedback, ticketing and support when required

General

• RBG has committed to becoming a fully sustainable and ecologically restorative organization. This is an integral part of our culture, and we require our employees to assist us with this goal by committing themselves to making the best ecological decisions possible in the execution of their responsibilities
• Ensure a clean and safe work environment.
• Cooperate with the Joint Health and Safety Committee and adhere to all safety rules and policies.
• Wears all required personal protective equipment
• Other duties as required

Additional Information:

• This position requires working a 35-hour work week; the shifts will primarily be on weekends and on evenings during special events
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, challenging environment