Customer Experience and Systems Manager

JOIN OUR WORK TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE

We are looking for a dynamic manager to make our community hubs thrive! In this role, you will shape the welcome and experience of thousands of visitors, oversee our room hire and Front-of-House services, and drive the vibrancy and usage of our centres. You will lead a passionate team, manage systems that connect people to opportunities, and grow income streams through events and partnerships – all while championing our values and mission. If you are commercially savvy, great with people, and are passionate about enabling others, we would love to hear from you.

ABOUT US:

Southmead Development Trust is a Bristol-based charity made up of staff, volunteers, and residents working together to keep power in our community. We work alongside local people and partners to improve health, wellbeing, employment, and local pride — while tackling social isolation and bringing investment into the area.

Guided by residents, our vision is a thriving and healthy community. We provide the support, spaces, and services our community needs through our two well-loved sites: the Greenway Centre and Southmead Adventure Playground (The Ranch). These venues host a wide range of activities, including wellbeing services, youth and play sessions, fitness classes, community groups, and local celebrations.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications from everyone. We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process or in the workplace, just let us know — we will do our best to support you.

ABOUT YOU:

• You thrive in a fast-paced, people-focused environment. A confident and empathetic communicator.
• You have a strong track record in sales, customer service, or event management — from any sector.
• You feel at home with systems thinking. You are passionate about enabling others.
• You are ambitious and creative, always spotting new opportunities and turning ideas into action.
• You have led teams before and know how to bring out the best in people. You are collaborative, flexible, and great at building relationships across teams and partnerships.
• You understand how to grow income streams and apply sales and marketing principles to meet targets and increase impact.
• You are tech-savvy, quick to learn new systems, and confident in producing marketing materials and reports.
• Most importantly, you embody our values of:  Positivity  – Integrity – Excellence – Welcoming – Entrepreneurial

ABOUT THE ROLE:

You will shape the welcome, experience, and customer journey of the thousands of residents, partners, and visitors who come to our centres every year.

You will lead and develop the team to oversee our room hire service, provide Front-of-House to all operations and activities, and grow the vibrancy and usage of our centres in line with charity objectives and values.

You will continuously administer and develop our systems, which will enable business development, provide streamlined and connected pathways to community services, and supply impactful operations support to the whole organisation.

Key responsibilities  

Team Leadership and Management:  

• Lead, support, and develop our team of Customer Experience Assistants to ensure our centres are busy, thriving, and welcoming hubs.  
• Coach the team to maintain systems and oversee the community and customers’ journey through all our offers and services, enabling a seamless and efficient experience. 

Busy and Thriving Centres: 

• To increase utilization rates across all Trust spaces for community and business use, growing revenues and impact through excellent interpersonal relationships, strong systems, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. 
• To lead and develop our room hire services, working with colleagues to produce compelling, effective, and targeted marketing material and campaigns, and set the sales strategies, including reviewing pricing and re-purposing spaces as required. 
• Ensure excellent customer relations across all activities and services, including Greenway Gym, room hire, tenancies, snooker, and our wellbeing services.  
• Manage and develop the on-site cafe concession to align with charity goals and values.  
• Develop and implement systems for community and customer feedback on the experience at our centres. 
• Lead the development of events as a core income stream for the Trust. Coordinate the events programme across our centres to enable colleagues, partners, customers, and the community to run events in our spaces. 
• Deliver a reliable service to the day-to-day needs of our tenants and licencees, focusing on retention and partnership development, working with the Operations Manager on key challenges and change. 

Systems Management   

• Manage the day-to-day use of core CRM systems, particularly OnCentre and Beacon, to ensure they are robust and enabling. Take proactive action on feature development, efficiencies, data integrity, writing processes and guidance, and conducting staff training. 
• Collaborate with managers across the Trust to ensure that the Front-of-House team and our systems act as a ‘front door’ to the whole organisation, knowledgeably connecting any visitor or contact to a positive next step. 
• Work with the Operations Manager and others to develop Trust software to enable growth, efficiency, integration, decision-making, and community action.
   

Welcoming and Inclusive Spaces   

• To manage, lead, and develop the Customer Experience team to provide exceptional service to make sure all visitors and customers feel welcomed, valued, and looked after in a manner true to our values, mission, and our EDI and Trauma-Informed Action Plan.   
• Recognise the broad range of stakeholders in our spaces, working with them to ensure these are well-presented, safe, and welcoming.  

General Responsibilities  

• Follow all Southmead Development Trust policies and procedures. 
• Actively demonstrate and promote our values: Positivity, Integrity, Excellence, Welcoming, and Entrepreneurial. 
• Work independently and take initiative to solve problems. 
• Engage in training, development, and team activities. 
• Support a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. 
• Collaborate effectively across teams and with the community. 
• Be flexible to work occasional evenings and weekends. 
• Carry out other duties as required to support the Trust’s work. 

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Proven management experience of multiple-service areas, e.g. Facilities, Hospitality, Events, whilst working to financial and customer satisfaction targets.
• Experience with the development and implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems.
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation, and problem-solving skills.
• Be commercially informed and excellent at generating and processing different income streams with a strong understanding of sales and marketing principles.
• Ability to line-manage and develop a team, build consensus, and assign responsibility to others.
• Comfortable with systems thinking and process development.
• Confident and empathetic communicator with strong relationship management.
• Team-working skills: flexible, collaborative, and supportive.
• Excellent IT skills, ability to master systems, maintain and develop them, and educate others on their use.
• Understanding of the essential health and safety, accessibility, data protection, and safeguarding requirements of a charity with busy public buildings that frequently work with vulnerable adults and children.
• Commitment to and understanding of the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

DESIRABLE SKILLS:

• Previous experience in the social enterprise, community, or health and social care sector. 
• Understanding of trauma-informed practice   
• Understanding of the principles of community development