Tourism Development Officer
Main purpose of job
Reporting to the Tourism and Events Development Manager, the post will be responsible for:
· Developing, leading and implementing specific tourism development projects in support of the overall delivery of the Tourism and Events Strategy, in order to grow our tourism product, enhance the tourism experience and deliver sustainable economic benefit.
· Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with other organisations in both the public and private sectors to ensure a strategic and coordinated approach to tourism development in the city.
· Contributing to the development of a range of targeted tourism initiatives and ensuring the delivery of these, engaging with and working closely with key internal and external stakeholders where appropriate.
Summary of responsibilities and personal duties
2. Identify, develop and deliver a comprehensive range of innovative tourism projects, small and large scale, and assist in the development of targeted initiatives to deliver on Belfast City Council’s tourism objectives, including supporting tourism development across the city’s neighbourhoods.
3. Undertake relevant research to track, monitor and evaluate the performance and impact of tourism development initiatives across the city and assist in the identification of opportunities to enhance and promote the diversity of the city’s tourism offering.
4. Coordinate the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of BCC’s tourism activities against corporate, departmental and unit performance indicators and communicate the results as appropriate.
5. Identify and pursue opportunities to work collaboratively with other officers in the service, with colleagues in the department and across the wider organisation in order to ensure a consistent approach to tourism development and to maximise the council’s contribution to the city’s tourism offering.
6. Identify, develop and maintain strong working relationships with a range of key stakeholders in the tourism sector, facilitating opportunities for collaborative growth and addressing barriers to tourism activity in the city.
7. Develop and cultivate effective partnership approaches across the organisation and with key agencies and delivery partners, taking forward innovative approaches which lead to joint planning and delivery, and ensure a coordinated approach to tourism development.
8. Effectively contract manage allocated projects, to include ICC Belfast and Visit Belfast, in line with agreed outcomes and ensure appropriate financial and project management by project delivery agents.
9. Prepare and source external funding from relevant government agencies, private sector, European funding initiatives to support tourism development of the city and manage and monitor external sourcing of funding, ensuring compliance with all grant claims.
11. Assist in the monitoring and management of such budgets as are allocated for the discharge of the unit’s functions in accordance with the council’s policies, financial regulations and standing orders, to ensure that the unit’s objectives are met within the budget.
12. Work closely with the council’s Marketing and Communications team to develop and manage all appropriate forms of communication to promote the work of the team and ensure that all specific tourism focused projects are promoted effectively.
13. Develop and maintain a high level of professional knowledge and sector insight and disseminate relevant information to management, key stakeholders and other organisations on tourism related council activities, including the availability of grants, sector trends and relevant emerging issues.
14. Prepare reports, corporate briefings and policy responses for senior management, Committee and Members on relevant tourism issues and attend committees, corporate management teams and external working groups as and when required.
15. Influence relevant policy and strategy development both within council and with external agencies in order to support the delivery of the Tourism and Events Strategy and other key strategic priorities.
16. Motivate and manage any staff, that may be assigned, to the post holder to ensure effective service delivery and to be responsible for reviewing and implementing a proper staff training and development programme.
17. Represent the Tourism and Events Development Manager as required, within the post holder’s sphere of responsibility
18. Participate as directed in the council’s recruitment and selection procedures.
19. Act in accordance with the council and departmental policies and procedures including customer care, equal opportunities, health and safety, safeguarding and any pertinent legislation.
20. Participate in induction and in-service training provided by Belfast City Council and in the induction and support of all newly appointed staff and other human resource management procedures as appropriate, including, absence management, disciplinary and grievance procedure.
21. Undertake the duties in such a way as to enhance and protect the reputation and public profile of the council.
22. Undertake other such relevant duties as may from time to time be required.
This job description has been written at a time of significant organisational change and it will be subject to review and amendment as the demands of the role and the organisation evolve. Therefore, the post-holder will be required to be flexible, adaptable and aware that they may be asked to perform tasks, duties and responsibilities which are not specifically detailed in the job description but which are commensurate with the role.
Essential criteria
Qualifications and experience
Applicants must, as at the closing date for receipt of applications, either:
· have a third level qualification in a relevant subject such as tourism, events, cultural or hospitality management, business, or equivalent relevant qualification and be able to demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples, at least one year’s relevant experience in at least two of the following three areas:
or
· be able to demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples, at least two years’ relevant experience in at least two of the following three areas:
a) developing, implementing and evaluating tourism, culture, heritage or community arts strategies and implementation plans;
b) developing and managing financial investment support for the tourism and cultural sectors including effective monitoring and evaluation; and, or
c) developing and maintaining effective partnerships with a range of key stakeholders in public and private sectors.
Special skills and attributes
Applicants must be able to demonstrate evidence of each of the following skills and attributes which may be tested at interview:
Communication skills: the ability to write a variety of clear analytical reports on complex service issues in an influential, persuasive manner. The ability to prepare and present briefings and presentations to a range of audiences in formal and informal settings.
Technical knowledge: knowledge of local and wider tourism issues with recognition of key economic, social and environmental challenges and drivers in the city and identification of both the strategic and operational role for local government in addressing these.
Partnership working skills: the ability to establish good working relationships with stakeholders, individuals and organisations that can make a contribution to the development of tourism, culture and arts in Belfast.
Analytical and decision making skills: the ability to analyse complex situations and make decisions in a highly effective way and have a full understanding of the issues involved and an empathy with individuals who may be affected.
Performance management skills: the ability to identify performance indicators for areas of responsibility and monitor and evaluate performance against them in order to achieve or exceed agreed targets.
Resource management skills: the ability to effectively manage and monitor any allocated budgets and other project resources and report on variances as required.
Work planning skills: the ability to effectively prioritise plan workload and activities, depending upon demand and available resources and forward plan to ensure deadlines are adhered to and targets met.
Political sensitivity skills: the ability to treat confidential matters with the appropriate discretion and the ability to work with elected representatives with an appreciation of the sensitivities of working in a political environment and an understanding of the operation of local government and the issues it faces.
Equality of opportunity: a personal commitment to the promotion of equal opportunities and good relations.
Desirable criterion
In addition to the above qualifications and, or experience, Belfast City Council reserves the right to short-list only those applicants who, as at the closing date for receipt of application forms, can demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples, that they have either a third level qualification in a relevant subject such as tourism, events, cultural or hospitality management, business, or equivalent relevant qualification and one year’s relevant experience (as outlined above) in each of the aforementioned three areas or two years’ relevant experience in each of the aforementioned three areas.
Salary: £43,693 - £46,731 per annum
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