Visitor Services Officer

Job Details:

Job Reference: HCC625107
Salary Range: £26,018 - £27,111 per annum
Work Location: Lepe Country Park, Southampton
Hours per week: 37
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 12 October 2026
Interview Date: 4 November 2026

Lepe Country Park is one of Hampshire County Councils most popular visitor attractions hosting around 400 000 visits a year. The site has a full programme of events for the public, welcomes schools and has a very successful friends’ group which provides many volunteers to assist the staff. The country park has a modern café ‘The Lookout’ which has panoramic sea views.

The Role:

We are looking for a self-motivated and enthusiastic Visitor Services Officer to join our small and friendly team at Lepe Country Park.

Working alongside the wider Visitor Services team, you will help ensure that Lepe Country Park remains an enjoyable, welcoming, and inspiring destination for visitors, supported by a vibrant programme of events and community activities.

What you’ll do:

We are looking for a self-motivated and passionate visitor services officer to join our small team at Lepe Country Park offering administrative support to the wider team and lead the way in delivering and marketing a varied events programme, ensuring that Lepe is an exceptional place to visit. 

The role is people facing; working with the visitor services team and wider team to ensure visitors get the most out of their visit to Lepe. You will use your passion for engagement to develop a varied events programme that appeals to a wide range of audiences. You will use strong organisational skills to arrange school visits and venue bookings and strong administration skills to support visitors, stakeholders and the rest of the Lepe team. 

A key part of the role will involve planning, coordinating, and delivering a diverse range of events, taking them from initial concept through to successful delivery while ensuring the highest standards of quality and visitor experience. You will also be responsible for creating event risk assessments and ensuring that appropriate control measures are implemented during delivery.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues to maintain and update the park's website and social media channels, promoting events and activities to a wide range of audiences and helping to increase engagement with the park.

The role also includes developing and delivering a community programme, building relationships with local groups, organisations, and individuals to encourage participation and engagement across a broad range of audiences.

Using your strong organisational and administrative skills, you will manage a variety of bookings, including venue hire and educational visits, ensuring processes are efficient, well-coordinated, and provide an excellent customer experience.

As part of the team, you will act as an on-site First Aider and contribute to the smooth day-to-day operation of the visitor services function. You will also support basic financial administration, including banking and processing invoices, as well as assisting with retail operations, stock management, and product procurement within the park shop.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working with people, delivering memorable experiences, and making a positive contribution to a thriving visitor destination.

This role is for 37 hours a week and includes working weekends on a rota and occasional evenings. 

What we’re looking for:

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised individual with experience in event planning and delivery, who can successfully coordinate activities from concept through to completion while ensuring high standards of quality, safety, and visitor experience. You will be confident in producing risk assessments and implementing appropriate control measures for events.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication and marketing skills, with experience managing websites and social media channels to promote events, engage audiences, and increase participation. You will be passionate about community engagement, building positive relationships with local groups, organisations, and stakeholders to develop and deliver inclusive programmes.

Strong administrative and organisational abilities are essential, including managing bookings, venue hire, and educational visits while delivering excellent customer service. You will also be comfortable supporting day-to-day visitor operations, carrying out basic financial administration, and assisting with retail and stock management activities.

A First Aid qualification, or willingness to undertake training, would be advantageous. Above all, we are seeking someone who enjoys working with people, creating memorable visitor experiences, and making a positive contribution to a busy and thriving visitor destination.

Why join us?

Hampshire County Council is recognised nationally as one of the highest performing local authorities in the UK. A modern, forward-looking local authority, it offers a pleasant, supportive, and collaborative working environment.

Hampshire County Council is also a flexible employer interested in making the most of your skills and offers a great work life balance. We invest in you through our internal development programmes and training and offer a competitive salary and benefits package. 

Additional Information:

Visitor Services Officer Candidate Pack

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Rosie Farrell, Admin officer on rosie.farrell@hants.gov.uk