Carlow Tourist Office Supervisor

Role profile

Job Title: Carlow Tourist Office Supervisor

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer of Carlow Tourism CLG

Job location: Offices of Carlow Tourist Offices and Carlow Tourism, College Street, Carlow

Job purpose: To manage visitor engagement services and management duties in Carlow Tourist Office and to assist in the delivery of a range of festival initiatives that market Carlow as a holiday destination.

Background to job position

Exciting opportunity to join the Carlow Tourism team.  Carlow Tourism is the marketing and tourism development company for County Carlow, whose remit is to increase the number of domestic and overseas holidaymakers to the county and maximise economic benefits vis-à-vis job creation and revenue for the entire county of Carlow. The company operates Carlow Tourist Office on a full-time basis in a joint arrangement with Fáilte Ireland and Carlow County Council. The Tourist Office is based within a central building in the centre of Carlow Town which houses Carlow County Museum, Carlow Library and the Genealogy Service. The company delivers a range of marketing initiatives to promote Carlow as a holiday destination across social, website, print and national print and radio media along with delivering a number of festivals for the county each year. The company is also involved in delivering a number of small-scale product development projects.

Major Areas of Responsibility

  • Management of Carlow Tourist Office (customer facing) and Carlow Tourism offices on a day-to-day basis
  • Supervision and progression of staff whose duties involve the Tourist Office and other Carlow Tourism functions
  • Maintenance and implementation of efficient administration systems
  • Management of administration budgets
  • Assistance with accounting and public procurement functions
  • Assistance in the delivery of a range of festival initiatives that market Carlow as a holiday destination
  • Management of annual membership drive for Carlow Tourism

Requirements

    • An enthusiastic and resourceful self-starter, with the ability to work on his/her own initiative as well as in a small team
    • Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills with a strong service orientated approach to work
    • Proven track record in the tourism sector
    • Strong knowledge of visitor experiences and attractions in Carlow, the Ireland Ancient East region and throughout Ireland
    • Excellent IT skills and knowledge of Microsoft 365 and One Drive system
    • Project management, procurement and budgetary skills
    • Proven experience in marketing
    • Third level qualification in tourism, marketing, hospitality or a relevant discipline would be advantageous
    • Ability to work well under pressure and prioritise workload to meet deadlines required
    • Access to transport and a full clean driving licence is essential with business cover insurance
  • Out of hours work may be required at peak periods in respect of the company’s festival programme. Time in lieu will be offered.

Main Duties

People and Management

  • Ensure the smooth running of Carlow Tourist and Carlow Tourism offices on a day-to-day basis by assuming responsibility for the:
  • Maintenance and implementation of procedures and office administration systems
  • Organisation of induction and appropriate training courses for existing or new employees and volunteers who may be employed in Carlow Tourist Office and Carlow Tourism
  • Responsibility for the implementation of the company safety statement in the context of the office environment and meeting all health and safety regulation standards
  • To oversee the supervision of staff who may be engaged in Carlow Tourist Office and Carlow Tourism activities and ensure that service delivery meets agreed Fáilte Ireland and Carlow Tourism standards
  • Develop and circulate staff rosters to ensure cover for Carlow Tourist Office in line with the opening times which are subject to change. Currently Carlow Tourist Office opens Monday – Saturday, year round with the exception of November, December and January and opens each Sunday from 2 – 5 p.m. from June – August inclusive.

People and Management

  • Ensure the smooth running of Carlow Tourist and Carlow Tourism offices on a day-to-day basis by assuming responsibility for the:
  • Maintenance and implementation of procedures and office administration systems
  • Organisation of induction and appropriate training courses for existing or new employees and volunteers who may be employed in Carlow Tourist Office and Carlow Tourism
  • Responsibility for the implementation of the company safety statement in the context of the office environment and meeting all health and safety regulation standards
  • Management of office administration budgets
  • Ordering of office stationery
  • Organising meetings
  • To oversee the supervision of staff who may be engaged in Carlow Tourist Office and Carlow Tourism activities and ensure that service delivery meets agreed Fáilte Ireland and Carlow Tourism standards
  • Develop and circulate staff rosters to ensure coverage for Carlow Tourist Office in line with the opening times which are subject to change. Pre-COVID the Tourist Office opened six days per week year-round and seven days in the high season (June – August) and it is anticipated that at some time in the future these opening times will resume. Currently Carlow Tourist Office opens Monday – Friday

Visitor Engagement 

  • Oversee the provision of local tourist information for Carlow Tourist Office and the production of weekly/monthly/annual events and festival listings
  • Actively engage with visitors to support their needs and offer suggestions to enhance their holiday experience in Carlow, throughout the Ireland Ancient East region and in Ireland
  • Oversee the creation of itineraries for tourists offering suggestions and encourage visitors to provide feedback through visitor comments, website (newsletter sign-up) and social media
  • Ensure that visitors are encouraged to consider uptake of Carlow based visitor experiences and that enquiries are responded to promptly and courteously providing timely and accurate information
  • Adhere to Fáilte Ireland policies and procedures as outlined in the Visitor Engagement Handbook
  • Ensure that supplies of tourist brochures, maps and other printed information from providers are maintained and replenished. Ensure that the Tourist Information Office and all information is well presented
  • Work collaboratively with other staff in Carlow Tourism to disseminate and share information of importance to visitors and the tourism sector within the county. Input information into company e-zines as required
  • Oversee the management of the reception point for visitors to Carlow County Museum and Carlow Tourist Office
  • Oversee the management of a centralised phone system for telephone callers to Carlow Tourist Office, Carlow Tourism and Carlow County Museum
  • Dealing with correspondence, complaints and queries
  • Communicate effectively with all internal and external customers and Board members of Carlow Tourism
  • Manage local queries regarding tourism development opportunities within County Carlow in line with agreed policy
  • Encourage local tourism businesses to sign up to the Discover Ireland website and accommodation providers to become Fáilte Ireland approved
  • Encourage industry members to avail of membership of Carlow Tourism during the annual membership drive, assuming full responsibility for certain categories of membership.
  • Input tourism related information to various company initiatives as required – print, blogs, e-zines

Administration / Marketing Assistant

  • Management of office administration budgets and assistance with procurement functions
  • Ordering of office stationery
  • Organisation of meetings which may arise from time to time
  • General accounting duties as advised by the CEO
  • Duties of a marketing nature as assigned by the CEO of Carlow Tourism, in keeping with the organisation’s remit of county tourism marketing and development planning including:
    • preparation of e-zines for consumers and members of Carlow Tourism on a monthly basis
    • updating of the company websites
    • management and supervision of the on-line e-ticketing system for the Carlow Garden Trail
    • Assistance in the roll out of the annual festival programme which comprises the Carlow Garden Festival, Carlow Walking Festivals and County Carlow Golf Classic
  • Carry out other marketing duties as required

Summary of Key Terms and Conditions of Employment

Duration of Contract: Full-time, permanent

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 39 hours per week

Salary: €30,000-€35,000 commensurate with experience and qualification levels plus mileage expenses based on Local Authority rates. Vouched receipts for any subsistence costs must be provided

Job location: Offices of Carlow Tourist Offices and Carlow Tourism, College Street, Carlow.

Pension: N/A

Annual Leave: 20 days annual leave

Time in Lieu: Will apply to this post with prior approval required from the CEO of Carlow Tourism, on the basis of usage within 2 months of generation

Transport: Access to own transport with a full clean driver’s licence and business cover insurance

Other: Other terms and conditions of employment will be detailed in the contract of employment and Employee Handbook.