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Customer Experience Manager
At Nottingham Playhouse, our audiences are at the heart of everything we do — and we’re looking for an inspiring, customer-first leader to join our team as Customer Experience Manager. This is a key role in our joint Operations and Commercial team, responsible for delivering an exceptional visitor experience across every public-facing touchpoint, while also driving commercial growth through our Front of House and Food & Beverage operations.
Reporting to the Head of Commercial & Operations, you’ll lead and develop our Customer Experience team to deliver safe, inclusive and outstanding service — ensuring every visit to Nottingham Playhouse is welcoming, memorable and high quality.
Purpose of the Role:
The Customer Experience Manager is responsible for delivering an inclusive, welcoming and high-quality experience for all visitors to Nottingham Playhouse, while driving income generation and commercial performance.
This role shapes and oversees the end-to-end customer journey across Front of House, show operations and commercial activity, translating strategic objectives into effective day-to-day delivery. You’ll embed strong systems, procedures and performance management, ensuring a smooth, professional operation for audiences, artists and visiting companies alike.
You will act as a Duty Manager for performances and events, ensuring the safety of staff, customers and artists, maintaining legal compliance, and upholding the highest standards of customer service. You will also take on responsibility as Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), ensuring licensing compliance and best practice.
About You:
We are looking for an ambitious, proactive and people-focused leader with strong operational experience and a passion for delivering excellent customer service.
You’ll bring proven Front of House and duty management experience, ideally within a theatre, event, or similarly high-footfall venue environment. You will be confident leading teams, managing busy public-facing operations, and delivering service that is consistently inclusive, welcoming and efficient.
You will also have a strong commercial mindset — able to drive performance and income through Food & Beverage and other customer-facing trading areas — while ensuring that systems, controls and staffing remain robust and financially sustainable.
With excellent communication and organisational skills, you’ll be calm under pressure, confident in handling customer feedback and complaints, and motivated by continuous improvement. You will share Nottingham Playhouse’s commitment to inclusion, sustainability, and creating a workplace culture that supports and develops its people.
What You Will Do:
Lead the visitor experience:
Champion and deliver outstanding customer service at every touchpoint, ensuring Nottingham Playhouse is welcoming, inclusive, safe and enjoyable for every visitor.
Manage Front of House and Duty Management:
Oversee all Front of House and show operations, including show readiness planning, staffing, team briefings, and acting as Duty Manager for performances and events (including press nights).
Drive Food & Beverage and commercial performance:
Optimise Food & Beverage operations, identifying opportunities to grow income, improve margins, reduce waste, and enhance the offer through seasonal and show-based initiatives.
Develop and inspire your team:
Line manage the Assistant Customer Experience Manager, Supervisors and wider Customer Experience team — leading recruitment, inductions, training programmes, performance management and rota planning.
Champion access and inclusion:
Support the continuous development of Nottingham Playhouse’s access and inclusion provision, working collaboratively with colleagues, access groups and internal initiatives such as the Anti-Racism Action Group.
Embed strong systems and procedures:
Ensure effective use of venue and operational systems (including Spektrix, Yesplan and RotaCloud), maintain accurate reporting, and champion consistent operational standards.
Ensure safety, compliance and licensing standards:
Lead Front of House risk assessments, evacuation procedures, and show-based security planning. Act as DPS ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and the premises licence.
Support sustainability goals:
Be the FOH and F&B lead for environmental sustainability practices, contributing to Nottingham Playhouse’s action plan and wider commitments including Theatre Green Book principles.
What You Will Bring:
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Proven experience of successfully leading a team to deliver exceptional customer service (ideally within theatre/events/venue operations)
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Duty Management and Front of House management experience
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Strong knowledge and experience managing Food & Beverage operations (stock control, ordering, driving sales)
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A strong commercial mindset with experience improving income generation and performance
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Financial confidence, including budget management and cost control
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Experience in recruitment, training, rota planning, and people management processes
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Strong understanding of health & safety compliance, evacuations and security protocols
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Confident handling customer issues, complaints and feedback professionally and calmly
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Strong IT skills including Microsoft Office and ability to work with venue systems
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Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
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Commitment to environmental sustainability in venue operations
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Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays as required
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First Aid qualification (or willingness to undertake training)
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Excellent knowledge of licensing legislation and ideally a personal licence holder (or willingness to undertake within first 6 months)
Why Join Us?
You’ll play a vital role in shaping the future of Nottingham Playhouse, supporting an organisation that champions creativity, community and inclusion. You’ll join a warm, collaborative team, with the flexibility to work both onsite and remotely.
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