Head of Visitor Experience & Events
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Head of Visitor Experience & Events
Location: Chelsea Theatre, 7 World’s End Place, London SW10 0DR
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Hours: 32 hours over 4 days (with flexibility required around event and hire schedules, including evenings/weekends)
Salary: £45,000 full-time equivalent (£36,000 pro rata)
About Chelsea Theatre
Chelsea Theatre is a state-of-the-art theatre and community hub set in heart of World’s End Estate in West London, open Mon-Sat. It offers a vibrant café, bar and
terrace, along with rehearsal studios, meeting rooms, exhibition spaces and a 130-seat theatre.
Chelsea Theatre prides itself on being a flexible space where community, artists and audiences can connect and explore their creativity:
• We offer a safe space to relax and meet others, welcoming 100+ visitors per day
• We reach 6000+ people per year through community activities, education and outreach
• Our free creative development programme serves young people across RBKC and Greater London
Our vision is for Chelsea Theatre to be a powerhouse for developing local creative talent, and a vibrant community hub dedicated to improving the wellbeing of residents.
Role Purpose
The Head of Visitor Experience & Events will lead all aspects of front-of-house and event operations at Chelsea Theatre. You will ensure seamless visitor journeys, drive commercial hire income, manage the full event schedule, oversee facilities and front-of-house areas, and develop a vibrant and welcoming environment for audiences, hirers, and staff alike.
Key Responsibilities
1. Team & People Management
• Line-manage the Front of House (FOH) team (14 casual staff) and the Hires & Events Coordinator.
• Create, maintain and monitor staff rotas ensuring optimal coverage for all public opening hours, performances, hires, events and café/bar activity.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, training and performance development of FOH casuals and hire/event administrative roles.
• Foster strong team culture, delivering high standards of visitor service and ensuring staff understand the Theatre’s mission and values.
2. Event Schedule & Hire Management
• Hold ultimate responsibility for the event schedule across events and performances, community activities, hires (corporate/private/social), café and bar/terrace events.
• Work with the Hires & Events Coordinator to drive income from venue hires: proactively identify opportunities, develop hire packages, ensure smooth hire administration from enquiry to contract to post-event review.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Production Manager to ensure hires complement the programming and mission of Chelsea Theatre.
• Develop and monitor event schedules, risk assessments and health & safety protocols in collaboration with the Production Manager, ensuring all operations meet regulatory standards and contractual commitments.
3. Front-of-House & Visitor Experience
• Own all front-of-house areas: lobby, café & bar, terrace, auditorium foyer, toilets, cloakrooms, visitor circulation areas — ensuring these spaces are welcoming, accessible, clean, safe, efficient and aligned with Chelsea
Theatre’s brand and quality standards.
• Oversee the visitor journey from arrival through to departure: ticketing purchase, hospitality, accessibility services, signage, wayfinding, visitor feedback and continuous improvement.
• Work with marketing/communications to ensure front-of-house signage, visitor communication and event information are up to date, clear and inclusive.
4. Facilities & Operational Management
• Oversee facilities management for front-of-house and hire areas: liaise with maintenance, cleaning, technical services, café operations and external contractors to ensure high standards of upkeep, cleanliness, health & safety and sustainability.
• Monitor budgets, cost controls and reporting for FOH, event operations and facilities.
• Ensure all front-of-house and event areas comply with relevant legislation (accessibility/DDA, health & safety, licensing, GDPR, safeguarding, etc.) and best practice for cultural venues.
5. Bar Management
• Hold overall responsibility for the management and compliance of Chelsea Theatre’s bar operations.
• Ensure all bar activity meets licensing regulations and that a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is in place at all times.
• Liaise regularly with the DPS to oversee bar staff training, including responsible alcohol service, health & safety, and licensing compliance.
• Monitor bar inventory, stock ordering, and supplier relationships, ensuring cost-effective purchasing and accurate record keeping.
• Oversee cash handling and reconciliation procedures for bar sales in collaboration with the Finance team.
• Ensure product range, presentation and service align with Chelsea Theatre’s visitor experience standards and event requirements.
6. Collaboration with Café
• Work in day-to-day collaboration with the café team to ensure front-of- house spaces are managed seamlessly: opening/closing, hospitality flows, staffing coordination, event linked catering/service, visitor hospitality.
• Ensure the café offer aligns with the Theatre’s visitor experience standards and supports event/hire activity (pre-show, interval, post-show, private hire
receptions).
7. Continuous Improvement & Visitor Insight
• Develop and monitor visitor feedback mechanisms, key performance indicators and use insight to drive improvements in service, accessibility and commercial performance.
• Stay current with sector best practice in visitor experience, front-of-house operations, venue hire and cultural events.
• Introduce innovation and champion a visitor-centred culture across the organisation.
Person Specification
Essential experience & skills
• Significant experience in a front-of-house/visitor-experience leadership role in a public venue.
• Experience of café/bar or hospitality operations.
• Proven track record of staff management, rota creation, scheduling casual staff across complex operations.
• Demonstrable commercial acumen: experience driving income.
• Strong operational experience: facilities management, health & safety, accessibility, visitor flow, service standards.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to collaborate across teams (programme, café/bar, marketing, technical) and manage external stakeholders (hirers, clients, contractors).
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects/events in parallel.
• A strong focus on visitor/guest experience: empathy, attention to detail, commitment to accessibility, welcoming environments and inclusive culture.
• Budgetary literacy and ability to monitor and control operational costs.
Desirable attributes
• Experience with venue hire administration: contracts, risk assessments, event logistics.
• A background working in a nonprofit/cultural organisation with community and commercial strands.
• Understanding of sustainability practices in venue operations.
• Familiarity with digital ticketing, visitor-experience technologies or data-driven service improvement.
Additional Information
The role will require flexibility including evenings and weekends when events/hire activity demands.
Chelsea Theatre is fully accessible and is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion; we welcome and encourage applications from under-represented
groups.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a cover letter of no more than two sides of A4 to Katie Elston, CEO at katie@chelseatheatre.org.uk by 9am, Wed 26 November.