Host - Casual

Our Host team are the public face of the Company, making sure that our audiences are at the heart of all we do. They welcome people to our theatre and deliver the highest standards of customer service and safety.

Experience Hosts will be allocated duties by the Duty Host Managers and Duty Host Supervisors. Host activities will mainly be focussed in the following areas:

Door duties include, but are not limited to, welcoming visitors, checking tickets, conducting visual bag checks, directing to relevant facilities, and assisting with enquiries.

Sales duties - including but not limited to selling programmes, merchandise, and refreshments across fixed and roaming sales points and upselling to meet sales targets.

Floor duties - including but not limited to ensuring audience members' safety, security and good behaviour, helping latecomers to their seats, being responsible for evacuating audiences in an emergency, and completing a litter pick-up post-show-.

Access duties include, but are not limited to, welcoming those with additional access needs and ensuring they have all the support they need to use our facilities and enjoy our shows.

Hosts are required to work across all four areas as directed by the Host Management Team in order to deliver a comprehensive, professional and safe experience for all visitors., Service

· To ensure that the Theatre Royal provides an enjoyable, safe and relaxed environment, open to visitors from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds and of all ages.

· To provide a proactive and collaborative style of customer service in all public spaces.

· Act as the main point of information, welcoming the public and providing exceptional, positive and accessible service to visitors at all times.

· To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of NTRT (Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust) activity - including, but not limited to, our main house programme, learning events and development activity.

· To be alert and vigilant while monitoring audiences during performance times, ensuring their health, well-being and conduct while inside the auditorium.

· To deal with potential disruption to a performance or an event as required.

· To welcome all education groups, giving appropriate information about the performance and facilities - including offering assistance with seating arrangements and providing information about audience atmosphere, ensuring that students and young people feel at ease.

· To ensure that those with access needs are offered assistance and facilities appropriate to their requirements.

· Effectively, swiftly, and appropriately respond to feedback, comments, suggestions, compliments, and complaints from all visitors.

· To take proactive and immediate action where appropriate to ensure that all public areas are clean and safe. These include but are not limited to toilets, bins, foyer spaces, bars, auditorium and the outside of the building. To carry out appropriate cleaning duties as instructed, including post-show litter picking.

· To undertake other relevant duties as reasonably requested by Experience Management.

Safety:

· To provide support to the Duty Manager in all aspects of safety, security, emergency and evacuation procedures as required.

· To confidently and adeptly facilitate the evacuation of the public in the event of an emergency and/or follow the instructions of the Duty Manager in a major incident.

· To be alert and vigilant, maintaining agreed security standards at all times - reporting and investigating concerns immediately as appropriate.

· To keep up-to-date, maintain a good understanding of and implement safety protocols, including licensing, trading standards, GDPR, child protection, food hygiene and relevant health and safety policies and procedures.

· To ensure that any illness or accidents involving the public on-site are dealt with efficiently and appropriately.

· To promote the security of the venue by carrying out bag and ticket checks, monitoring audience behaviour and taking action as appropriate.

· To assist the Duty Manager in their First Aid duties.

· To assist with the administration of the lost property system.

Sales

· To positively promote the Theatre Royal's performances, events and facilities in order to maximise sales opportunities

· To proactively sell programmes, merchandise, confectionery, ice creams and refreshments across all sales points (both fixed and roaming) inside and outside the auditorium as required.

· To ensure that accurate card and stock handling processes are adhered to.

· To maintain thorough product knowledge, including current promotions and/or new products, and ensure that stock is well presented at all times.

Duties as a member of the Theatre Royal team

· Ensuring that the working environment and practices conform to the Trust's Health and Safety and GDPR Policies, appropriate Child Protection legislation and Health and Safety Legislation

· To take all reasonable care and responsibility for the Health and Safety of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions and to co-operate with the Trust in achieving and maintaining Health and Safety requirements.

· Be fully committed to the Trust's Equality Policy; The Theatre Royal values and promotes equality, supports and encourages diversity and has a zero tolerance policy on discrimination of any kind.

· To adopt an environmentally aware attitude and adhere to any of the Trust's Green Initiatives, taking personal responsibility that all duties are undertaken to ensure environmental, sustainability and climate change best practice is observed.

· To understand the Trust's staff handbook and respect the ethos by which we work as an equal opportunities and inclusive employer, always striving to be the best in our industry as a welcoming theatre.

· To have an understanding of our Creative Program, which comprises work on stage and our Creative Engagement program, collaborating with colleagues to ensure the highest quality support and customer service is delivered across the program as a whole.

Terms / Contracts

· The minimum call is 3.5 hours in line with the UK Theatre/BECTU Agreement, but shifts may be longer depending on the show's duration.

· Hours will be fulfilled during performance weeks, as well as other relevant duties as required by management. Hours may vary from week to week depending on when shows are scheduled, so excellent full time availability is desired.

· Hosts may be required to work during periods where we have no shows to assist with operations including but not limited to Christmas decorating, stock room organisation, food hygiene procedures, housekeeping duties, additional training and forums.

· All casual contract staff will be rostered on a monthly basis. Please note that this is a casual 'zero hours' contract. Therefore, there are no minimum contracted hours. There is no obligation on the Trust to offer work to you, or obligation on you to accept work that is offered to you.

· We ask that those on casual contracts work a minimum of three shifts in an eight-week period to keep their knowledge of safety policies and working procedures up to date.

· We ask that those on casual contracts give regular Friday and Saturday availability.

· Successful candidates will be required to complete 3 days of compulsory induction training and attend twice-yearly compulsory training forums as scheduled by the Experience Host Management team.

· Contracts are subject to a 6-month probation., The post-holder will be offered 3 days of compulsory induction training as well as ongoing training and professional development based on the needs of the individual and requirements of the post. An annual Staff Review will be undertaken with the Line Manager on an annual basis with 6 monthly reviews for all regularly employed staff.

Holiday

Casual staff are entitled to paid annual leave. This is calculated by our HR Information System and is based on 5.6 weeks of your average working week, including bank holidays. Entitlement will depend on the amount of hours you have worked. Entitlement increases through your length of service to 6.0 weeks after 3 years' service and 6.6 weeks after 5 years' service.

Uniform

Uniforms are provided to Experience staff to reflect the image of the theatre which has a significant impact on the way we are viewed by the public and visiting companies.

For security reasons it is essential that uniforms are returned when staff leave. A £15 uniform deposit will be deducted from staff's pay on commencement of employment or when a new uniform is issued. The deposit will be reimbursed when staff leave the Company's employment and return their uniform to their Line Manager prior to receiving their final pay.

The post holder should:

· Excel in customer care and be driven to deliver outstanding service

· Dress smartly, and have a positive and proactive attitude

· Have an eye for detail and have basic maths skills

· Be able to handle challenging situations with patience and diplomacy

· Have a polite and helpful manner with a solution-based outlook

· Enjoy working with a broad range of people and be a natural team-player

· Be good with heights and working on all levels inside the audotorium, including our highest level

Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust is an independent charity that exists to bring world class theatre and creative engagement to and for the people of Newcastle and the North East. We are committed to giving the highest quality welcome and service to everyone, on-stage and off.

£12.00 per hour

Pension

We operate a pension scheme.