DISPLAY SUPERVISOR – at SEA LIFE BLANKENBERGE

We are currently recruiting for a Displays Supervisor to join our Displays team. Your duties will include life support maintenance, record keeping, cleaning of displays, laboratories and quarantine facilities, animal welfare and feeding. As deputy to the site Curator you will have great people management skills along with your technical knowledge and you will be confident in making decisions when faced with challenges. We value your creativity too and you will have the opportunity to help design and create incredible displays to engage our guests.

It is essential the successful candidate holds a full driving license and has access to a vehicle, the position requires you to be on call on a rota basis and being able to get on site within 30 minutes in the case of a call out is essential.

We are looking for the following skills and experience;

• Proven experience for overseeing, maintaining and developing livestock displays along with promoting public education and awareness in relation to our SEALIFE Breed, Rescue and Protect message
• Knowledge of fulfilling Zoo license requirements and veterinary inspections to maintain the highest levels of animal welfare and recognise the importance of effective record keeping in this environment
• Experience of working with both marine and fresh water turtles, tropical marine and ambient species is necessary and a sound understanding of life support systems is essential
• You must have at least two years’ experience working in the aquarium industry
• A diving qualification is desirable but not required.
• Proven Team Management skills with the ability to lead/develop and support our displays team to ensure we achieve excellence in marine management, conservation, preservation and education
• Proven experience of working in a target driven environment
• Our ideal candidate will be dynamic, confident, self-motivated with excellent written and verbal communication skills and the drive to succeed
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills
• Ability to deliver exceptional customer service in a fast paced environment
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to be flexible/adaptable as per the business operational requirements
• Intermediate level for the Microsoft Office Suite inclusive of Outlook, Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Excellent spoken and written Dutch and English is essential

This role is Full Time, Permanent, averaging 40 hours per week and will include weekends and bank holidays as required.

Alongside a competative annual salary and a fantastic Magic Pass giving you access to Merlin's visitor attractions across the globe, you will be joining an incredible global team with scope for development and progression.

SEA LIFE Blankenberge takes each and every one of its visitors on a fascinating tour of aquatic life. Seeing the magic of the deep up close with breath taking displays among the fish, sharks, penguins, beautiful rays and seals, there’s so much more to SEA LIFE. We educate the next generation and we play a huge part in the conservation of some of nature's most beautiful creations.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

OPERATIONS MANAGER at SEA LIFE BLANKENBERGE

We are Sea Life Blankenberge and are part of the magical Merlin Entertainments group, the name behind famous iconic brands such as Madame Tussauds, Legoland, The Dungeons and Sea Life. Right now we’re looking to recruit a dynamic and self-driven Operations Manager. We are very much a local business but with all the added benefits of being part of a successful global organisation.

About the role

Reporting to the General Manager, the Operations Manager is responsible for the day to day smooth and profitable operation of the attraction through a proactive approach to operational issues and people management. The Operations Manager delivers a long-term growth plan for key business objectives and assumes responsibility for the attraction in the absence of the General Manager.

Responsibilities

In this exciting and challenging role, you will be responsible for managing the operation of the whole attraction, ensuring safety, profitability and world-class guest service are prioritized at all times, attending to any operational challenges as they occur.

Leading the Operations team and working with the Animal Care team you will champion our delivery of unique, memorable and rewarding experiences to all of our guests. You are responsible for ensuring the staffing levels for the day are appropriate given the level of guest volume and will be required to assume the position of Duty Manager in rotation with your operational team.

You will Identify short and long term objectives for the continued improvement of all aspects of the operation, as measured through our company KPIs and Mystery Visit metrics.

Your responsibility includes developing the culture and engagement of the Operations team through recognizing, rewarding and developing all team members. You will coach and motivate staff to provide best possible delivery in their role, prioritizing health and safety output, guest experience measures and commercial productivity. Implementing staff incentive schemes to increase individual motivation and promote teamwork and tirelessly promoting effective communication throughout the business.

Together with the departmental supervisors, you will assume responsibility for all aspects of in attraction spends including retail, food & beverage, photo and games in line with business targets. You will develop plans for future growth and profitability of the commercial areas.

In addition, you will develop a comprehensive financial understanding of our business with a keen eye on  opportunities for growth whilst tightly controlling costs. 

About you

You are an independent, energetic self-starter who loves working with people and has great communication and organisational skills. Working on multiple tasks simultaneously is no problem for you and you are as comfortable leading the team as you are rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in yourself.

You should have a degree and a minimum of 2 years supervisory experience preferably, but not necessarily, in the retail, service or entertainment industry with the ability to work well under pressure.

And of course have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Outlook and Word

The Benefits

In return you will find a competitive salary, performance based bonus scheme and share program opportunities, and benefit from free entry to all of our Merlin attractions which also extend to family and friends. In addition, you can expect continued growth of joining an exciting, global organization.

About Us

Sea Life Blankenberge is an outstanding and established attraction on the Belgian coast with both an indoor aquarium and an outdoor park including seals, otters, penguins, seal rescue centre and outdoor play areas.

Merlin Entertainments, plc is a business built on fun. We are the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator. We operate over 100 attractions, eight hotels and three holiday villages in 22 countries across four continents and we run some of the best known names in global leisure. These include the likes of SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, the Dungeons, the Eye brand, and LEGOLAND. Whether you are serving delicious food, working in the office, maintaining the attractions, entertaining guest or operating rides, the objective is to provide a truly memorable experience and a great day out for all members of the family.

If this sounds like the next career step for you, please apply in writing with a CV and motivational letter to Nicola.hamilton@sealife.be by 30^th September 2018