Sales Manager

Responsible to: Sales & Marketing Director Responsible for: Box Office Supervisors Rate of Pay: £25,000 P/A Holidays: 28 days per annum (including bank & public holidays) 40 hours per week (Average of 40 hours per week, Monday/ Tuesday – Friday/ Saturday (every other Saturday), plus some evening work required. Park Theatre will offer a Time Off in Lieu policy)

About Park Theatre: Park Theatre opened in May 2013 and is comprised of Park200 (a 200 seat theatre with stalls and circle), Park90 (a flexible studio space), the Morris Space (a multifunctional room used for rehearsals, workshops, readings and the majority of our creative learning activity); the Cafe Bar and additional facilities (including offices, dressing rooms and a green room). We are a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, overseen by a non-executive Board of Trustees. We have a talented and dedicated team of 16 permanent staff, plus Cafe Bar staff, a pool of casuals and volunteer ushers.

Park Theatre is a neighbourhood theatre with a global ambition. We present world class theatre, collaborating with the finest existing and emerging talent. We programme classics through to new writing, distinguished by strong narrative drive and powerful emotional content. We produce both in-house and in partnership with the most excellent existing and emerging producers, for whom we endeavour to provide an unparalleled level of support. With a welcoming and nurturing environment we want Park Theatre to be accessible to everyone, within our diverse community and beyond – and through affordable ticket pricing and outreach programmes we aim to engage those with little or no experience of theatre. We aim to be a beacon for all and an ambassador for theatre worldwide.

Purpose of the Job:

Reporting to the Sales & Marketing Director, the Sales Manager is responsible for managing and developing Park Theatre’s sales by achieving and improving high standards of customer service and retail practice resulting in the optimum sale of products and other services. To provide excellent customer service to the visiting companies, co-producers and external ticket agencies and ensure that all revenue generating opportunities are maximised. To motivate and lead the box office team by a positive example, ensuring efficiency, profitability and excellent service standards are developed and maintained both back and front of house. To provide day to day management of the box office, working behind sales points and on telephones. To serve as a core member of the Park Theatre operational team and support the Marketing Manager and Sales & Marketing Director as a member of the Sales & Marketing team. The role will also work closely with Park Theatre’s Development and Creative Learning departments and external producers to ensure consistency of approach in all our outward facing communications.

Responsibilities:

Main responsibilities:

• Sell tickets to customers in person, online and by telephone in accordance with the rota, for approximately 20 hours per week, to include some evening shifts and two Saturday shifts per month.

• Remaining 20 hours per week to focus on sales administration and development, operations, attendance at meetings, data analysis, managing relationships internally and externally and managing casual box office supervisors.

• To recruit casual box office supervisors as required and ensure a high level of training on Park Theatre’s box office system, Spektrix, and on internal policies and procedures

• To organise and lead regular Sales team meetings so the casual sales team are well informed on latest policies, updates and have an opportunity to provide feedback

• To work alongside Park Theatre’s external box office telephone provider Cambridge Live, ensuring they are well briefed and informed on Park Theatre as a venue, on all season shows, events and policies & procedures

• To write and regularly update box office policies and procedures, ensuring the highest standards of best practice and customer service

• To write and regularly update sales guidelines for visiting producers • To present a positive, friendly face for the organisation and deal with complaints as

necessary in a professional manner • Ensuring compliance with Data Protection legislation and PCI and ensuring the box

office team also apply these rigorously • To maximise the up-selling of tickets, merchandise and membership schemes to

customers in person via the box office • To continually review Park Theatre’s ticket booking process for customers, ensuring

it is easy to use and accessible to all. • Support the Development team in the administration of and recruitment for donor

and membership schemes. • Ensure all customers are actively encouraged to donate to Park Theatre activities

through voluntary donations. • Ensuring the box office is staffed appropriately, paying due regard to economy and

efficiency and creating the monthly box office rota • Strategy - working with the Sales & Marketing Director and Marketing Manager to

develop business strategies for the department. • Keeping abreast of industry developments and local competition, researching and

developing opportunities for improved sales, service and efficiency. • Responsible for the management of ticket stock, and appropriate record keeping. • To support the Sales & Marketing Director on the launch of new seasons

• Programming new seasons, shows, pricing structures and membership schemes into Spektrix and having a high level of proficiency in Spektrix sales, insights & mailings and admin interfaces

• Cleaning and maintaining the Spektrix database and liaising with the system provider as necessary

• To act as the main point of contact between Park Theatre and Spektrix, ensuring that all members of staff who need to be trained are trained appropriately

• To ensure that the Box Office system at the café bar is in full working order and that bar staff are using the system correctly

• To act as the main point of contact for all group/schools and access bookings • Setting up discounts/ promo codes in Spektrix and running offer reports • Managing the relationship with external ticketing agents and providing them with

reports • To set up new ticket agencies via API, setting up limited agent discounts or special

offers • Liaising with visiting companies and co-producers on sales reports, house seats and

press bookings in line with the Sales & Marketing Director and company data policy • Monitor ticket sales and communicate any concerns to the Sales & Marketing

Director • To log and respond to raffle / auction prize requests • To handle the administration of UK Theatre tokens • Creating SOLT/ UK Theatre reports on a weekly basis • To work with Park Theatre’s Creative Learning team to ensure the booking process

for classes & courses is continually reviewed and improved • To effectively interrogate box office data, provide sales and audience stats from

Spektrix for the Sales & Marketing Director and other departments as requested • To actively participate in the development of Park Theatre wide initiatives

Operations

• To attend weekly operations team meetings and contribute to the smooth running of the building

• To assist Park Theatre’s Access Coordinator in the smooth running of access performances as a core member of the operational team

• To liaise with the front of house and duty managers to ensure the smooth running of incoming audiences and with school and group bookings

Finance

• To complete relevant accountancy procedures on a daily and weekly basis, accurately recording all box office takings, dealing with discrepancies as required. Ensuring box office takings accurately balance at the end of the shift

• To reconcile agency sales on a show by show basis, fix any discrepancies and provide accurate agency sales reports to Park Theatre’s finance team

• Responsible for the collation and checking of daily sales figures and monies. • Complete and process monthly staff payroll. • Managing monthly invoices from the external box office telephone provider,

reconciling any discrepancies and raising purchase orders • To assist Park Theatre’s finance team with sales information needed to complete

the annual financial audit • To issue invoices to school and group bookings, issue payment dates and take

payments as necessary. Keep on top of outstanding group reservations and ensure payment received promptly

Press

• Liaising with Park Theatre’s external PR representative about press bookings • Attending regular meetings with Park Theatre’s external press representatives • To manage box office on press nights, working closely with the Marketing Manager,

Sales & Marketing Director and front of house on the smooth running of the event; to generally attend and support press events

Person Specification:

Essential • Experience of using Spektrix • At least 2 years’ experience in a theatre box office or sales role • An understanding of and commitment to the principles of customer service • Cash handling experience • Proven experience of managing people • Self-starting, enthusiastic and reliable • Ability to multi task, work unsupervised and meet deadlines • Ability to manage time and prioritise workload – both individually and within a

team • Experience of Microsoft Office packages • Excellent attention to detail • Excellent planning and organisational skills • Sound numeracy and IT skills • A passion and commitment to theatre

Desirable • Google Analytics experience • Experience of managing budgets • Understanding of financial procedures • Experience of working with ticket agents and APIs

Application Procedure:

Applications should be made by submitting a covering letter explaining in no more than two sides of A4 what attracts you to the position and evidence of your ability to fulfil the role and meet the person specification. Please also submit a C.V. and a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.

Applications should be addressed to Dawn James, Sales & Marketing Director and sent via e-mail to jobs@parktheatre.co.uk by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April. Interviews will take place Wednesday 1 May.

Park Theatre operates a Positive Action policy to aid in our endeavour to diversity our workforce. Any disabled candidates or candidates from a BAME background who meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification will be guaranteed a first round interview. If you feel that this applies to you, please include the following sentence at the end of your application letter: I would like my application to be considered under Park Theatre’s Positive Action policy.