VisitAberdeenshire are currently seeking a Head of Tourism Development. The role will lead lead VisitAberdeenshire’s activity to support the development of tourism businesses across the region.
Key responsibilities:
- Design and lead on delivery of initiatives that will help the tourism sector across the region to become more competitive and sustainable.
- Manage contracts and procurement procedures for external suppliers who will facilitate aspects of the programme.
- Deliver tiered levels of support programmes ranging from in-depth 1-2-1 advice through to thematic workshops and initiatives covering a broad range of areas from digital technology, intermediary channels, market insights and sustainable tourism.
- Ensure effectiveness of VisitAberdeenshire’s engagement in tourism development projects led by other partners including Opportunity North East (ONE), Scottish Enterprise, and VisitScotland.
- Determine the most effective platforms to build industry networks.
- Agree protocols for industry engagement approaches with external partners including VisitScotland and Business Gateway.
- Oversee delivery of any associated events (both local and area-wide) to provide a forum for partners’ views and to develop product and marketing collaboration. Lead the industry tourism forum that will provide front line insight to help shape the organisation’s delivery across all its priorities.
- Lead the industry forum that will providefront line insight to help shape the organisation’s delivery across all of its priorities.
- Effectively lead and manage the Tourism Development team, ensuring that objectives are set, monitored, and delivered upon. (Including holding monthly support meetings and annual appraisals).
- Provide day-to-day management, support, and guidance to the Tourism Development team members.
- Develop and deliver a clear action plan and budget for the Tourism Development team with the CEO in line with agreed priority themes and operating environment.
- Act in accordance with any and all company processes, including quality, health, safety and environmental.
- Take a proactive stance to achieving set objectives with a solutions-led approach to overcome the unexpected.
- Takes responsibility and ownership for own performance, development and behaviour, learns from successes and failures and setting high expectations.
- Play an active part in the development of the VisitAberdeenshire team, including coaching and mentoring team members appropriately to support their continued development.
- Maintain high levels of communication and dialogue with internal colleagues, external partners, and stakeholders.
- Work with Chief Executive to agree targets for outputs and outcomes from VisitAberdeenshire’s work in this area.
- Evaluate and report on outcomes from VisitAberdeenshire’s work, using internal and external resources to monitor and measure the impact of activity.
- Overall responsibility and accountability for the departmental budgets, ensuring that procurement policy and procedures are followed, including reporting.
- Oversee supplier contracts agreed by the Tourism Development team.
- Manage time and resources effectively, prioritising efforts according to organisation goals.
- Undertake any other duties that may be required in order to ensure the smooth running of the organisation including deputising for the Chief Executive as required.
- Act upon defined areas of the business plan, as agreed with the Chief Executive.
- Work with the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team to devise the organisation’s annual activity plan.
- Produce quarterly reports for the Board of Directors and Chief Executive, as well as adhoc performance reports as requested.
- Deputise for the Chief Executive at meetings as required and agreed.
Key skills & experience:
- Creative thinker with ability to confidently engage with businesses at high level of seniority.
- Excellent demonstrable team leadership and management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills – including ability to confidently present in public.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience.
- Excellent IT skills.
- Ability to manage a broad portfolio of projects.
- Ability to draft concise and informative reports in line with organisational requirements.
- Excellent attention to detail in reporting.
- Experience of working with a range of businesses in a specific sector.
- Partnership working with both public and private sector.
- Experience of stakeholder Management.
- Experience of developing strategies.
- Demonstrable experience of staff management.
- Demonstrable experience of budget management.
- Ability to positively represent the organisation to lever the best possible agreements with partners.
- Ability to work collaboratively and on own initiative.
- Dynamism. Able to work under pressure and to tight timescales for delivery, prioritising as required.
- Strongly motivated, reliable, and conscientious.
- Confident. Ability to lead and develop a team.
- Able to work out-of-office hours and spend time away from home as required.
- Ability to travel throughout the region and nationally.
Click here to view the detailed recruitment pack.
How to apply: please email a copy of your current CV with a covering letter (no more than 1 page of A4) to Fiona Douglas, HR & Business Services Manager at [email protected].
