Front of House Manager

Organisation: Yonder
Salary: £30000-£36000
Location: London
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 30 June 2025
Interview date: 8 July 2025
Job Description: Front of House Manager
Full Time (Open to Part-time)

As well as a fantastic bouldering facility, Yonder houses a fully equipped co-working space, workshop, studio, and café-bar. A space for people to work, play, create, and unwind, Yonder provides a focal point for all aspects of the local community. The workspace is an integral component of Yonder’s vision to rethink the way we work and play, creating a true work-life balance and enabling people who may otherwise be working alone at home to be part of a vibrant creative community, fostering opportunities to network and socialise.

Yonder is seeking a dynamic, highly organised, and customer-focused Front of House Manager to lead and develop our Front of House team. This role is key to ensuring that every visitor receives a warm welcome and an exceptional standard of service from the moment they arrive. You will oversee the daily operations of the front desk, optimise systems and processes, and play a vital role in shaping the first impression of Yonder.

With a strong and regular presence at reception and across the centre, the Front of House Manager will actively engage with customers and the FoH team to uphold excellent service standards across all areas of Yonder—including climbing, studios, workspace, and partner-run offerings. To stay closely connected to day-to-day operations, customer needs, and team dynamics, you will be expected to work a Front of House shift (e.g. morning, evening, or weekend) at least once per week.

To maintain meaningful insight into operational challenges and stay closely connected to day-to-day operations, customer needs, and team dynamics, you will be primarily based on the Front of House (FOH) during your working hours. You are expected to work at least one FOH shift per week, though this may vary depending on centre activity and staff availability. This hands-on involvement supports informed, responsive leadership and drives continuous improvement.
Leading by example on providing excellent customer service, you will also support the team in handling complex customer enquiries and bookings, such as group climbing sessions, company away days, and workspace reservations. In collaboration with other managers, you will act as the conduit for information that the FoH team would need to operate and seek ways to improve internal comms. You will contribute to the ongoing improvement of physical layouts, workflows, and operational practices to increase efficiency and elevate the overall customer experience.

As this is a new role, the structure and responsibilities may evolve in line with the business’s needs and changing priorities. Flexibility and a proactive approach will be key as the position develops.

Key Responsibilities:
Team Leadership & Performance
- Lead, manage and support the Front of House (FoH) team to deliver consistently high standards of service and professionalism across all customer touchpoints particularly with the process and procedures in managing enquiries and bookings.
- Effectively manage team performance through regular 1:1s, development conversations, clear expectations, and performance tracking tools.
- Create and maintain a positive, motivated team culture, with a focus on accountability, engagement, and mutual support.
- Develop and deliver high-quality training to empower Front of House staff with confidence and knowledge. Conduct training for all team members to establish and maintain exceptional service standards and reinforce industry best practices.
- Monitor team schedules and rota planning to ensure appropriate coverage across peak and off-peak hours.
Support with the recruitment and onboarding of new reception staff, including inductions and initial training plans.
- Encourage continuous improvement and input from team members on how to enhance service and efficiency.

Customer Experience
- Ensure every visitor is greeted with a warm, friendly, and professional welcome, creating a positive first and lasting impression of Yonder.
- Handle complex customer enquiries (climbing, workspace, events).
- First escalation point for complex issues across all Yonder facilities (workspace, climbing, events, studio, café), providing resolutions with managerial support.
- Champion a customer-first approach throughout the team, actively seeking opportunities to improve the overall visitor experience.
- Manage and respond to customer feedback and complaints in a timely, empathetic, and effective manner.
- Work collaboratively with other departments to ensure smooth customer journeys across climbing, café, workspace, and studio offerings.
- Monitor front-of-house service quality through informal feedback, formal reviews, and relevant metrics (e.g., Net Promoter Score, feedback surveys).

Operational Management
- Oversee and manage the day-to-day operations of the reception area, ensuring efficient and reliable service at all times.
- Ensure the physical front-of-house space is maintained to a high standard, creating a welcoming and organised environment.
- Enhance operational efficiency and team productivity by evaluating, documenting, and refining current systems, workflows, and procedures. Partner with the management team to assess and improve front desk processes and workflows.
- Support the automation of manual administrative duties through software, driving efficiencies across customer interactions and workspace operations

Manage and maintain reporting procedures.
- Ensure sufficient stock of reception materials (wristbands, merchandise, forms) and consumables (toilet paper, soap for climbing and workspace areas) is maintained through timely ordering and effective inventory management.
- Ensure all FoH health and safety practices, policies and procedures are up to date and adhered to.
- Maintain an effective handover system to ensure clear communication across shifts.

Collaboration & Communication
- Support the Centre Manager in the smooth and professional running of the overall facility, contributing to both day-to-day and long-term planning.
- Work closely with department leads (e.g. Climbing, Café, Studio, Workspace) to align goals, share information, and coordinate customer service delivery.
- Attend regular management meetings and contribute constructively to strategic discussions and operational decisions.
- Support internal communications to ensure the FoH team are informed of all relevant updates, changes, events, and promotions.
- Collaborate with marketing and events teams to ensure FoH is briefed and equipped to support special events and campaigns.
- Represent the FoH team in cross-departmental projects, helping integrate the customer perspective into wider operational decisions.

Person Specification: Skills & Experience:
Essential:
- Proven experience in a customer-facing role, with a strong emphasis on delivering excellent customer service
- Experience in managing or supervising a team in a busy environment
- Ability to lead, motivate and support team members to achieve high performance
- Confident in giving feedback and conducting performance-related conversations
- Strong organisational and time-management skills
- Experience in improving or implementing systems and workflows.
- Previous experience working with or implementing an enquiries/booking management system or a CRM would be advantageous.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to stay calm and make sound decisions under pressure
- A collaborative approach with a willingness to work across departments

Desirable:
- Experience in a leisure, hospitality, or fitness/climbing centre environment
- Knowledge of customer service best practices in high-volume settings
- Familiarity with health and safety procedures relevant to public-facing roles
- First Aid qualification (or willingness to obtain)
- Passion or interest in climbing, fitness or community-based activities
How to apply: To apply please click the link or copy and paste it to your browser. https://forms.gle/G3i15UXX5KENiCjdA Please complete the sift questions to support your application. We encourage you to answer each question as clearly and thoughtfully as possible, keeping your responses to a maximum of 200 words per question. The closing date to complete and submit will be midnight on the 30th of June 2025. Interview dates will be on the 8th and 9th of July If you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete or submit your answers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at thanh@thisisyonder.com.