Operations Assistant

TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRES

JOIN THE JOURNEY

Operations Assistant Job Description

Tobacco Factory Theatres is a place of Welcome and Wonder. A safe and inspiring place to share stories and be creative. Based in the iconic Tobacco Factory in South Bristol, our work connects people through the power of live theatre and the arts.

We present over 300 performances annually to audiences of over 50,000 including bold in-house productions and co-productions with nationally respected companies. We also receive many of the country’s top touring performances, from exciting new work to comedy, music, spoken word and work for families.

We have two dynamic spaces, The Spielman wh experimental and engagement programme and The Factory, a flexible and unique space which presents work in a variety of ways including our distinctive ‘in the round’ configuration.

Over 400 local creatives take part in our Artistic Development programmes; including our Acting and Writers Labs and city wide Artist Membership scheme. We are proud to offer thousands of creative learning and participation opportunities to local people through our Get Involved programme from regular workshops to bespoke offers.

In 2024, we made our work more accessible than ever with over 5,000 financial difficulty and Under 26 tickets issued for those who would not be able to attend at the standard price. At Christmas we were delighted to offer our free Community Performance for local youth projects, refugee charities who support asylum seekers, school children and organisations working with people with additional needs.

Working from a place of sustainability, the last year at TFT has been an exciting time of growth for the organisation with 3 new home made productions; The Marriage of Figaro (co-produced with Opera Project), Hansel and Gretel (co-produced with New International Encounter) and The Winter’s Tale (directed by our Artistic Director, Heidi Vaughan) forming part of a dynamic new in-house production programme. These productions compliment our extensive received programme and dynamic Get Involved activities, bringing opportunities to welcome even more people through our doors as part of our wonderful journey.

Job Title

Reports to:

Head of Operations

Responsible for:

Theatre Volunteers

The Operations Assistant plays a central role in supporting the delivery and growth of the hires programme at Tobacco Factory Theatres, helping maximise the use of our spaces and contributing to the organisation’s Business & Commercial Strategy. Our hires sits outside our programme of touring and produced work. Working at the heart of the building, the role is responsible for coordinating hire enquiries, supporting hirers from first contact through to delivery, and ensuring a professional, welcoming and solutions-focused experience that reflects our mission to be A Place of Welcome and Wonder.4

Based at our reception and embedded within the Operations Team, the Operations Assistant is often the first point of contact for hire clients, artists, visitors and staff. The role combines relationship management, practical coordination and high-quality administration to ensure hires activity runs smoothly, efficiently and collaboratively across the organisation.

Alongside hires delivery, the role provides essential operational and administrative support across the organisation, including office systems, Health & Safety procedures, internal space scheduling, contractor coordination and HR onboarding processes. Working closely with the Head of Operations, the Operations Assistant helps ensure the building and operational systems remain organised, responsive, compliant and fit for purpose.

The role would suit someone who is highly organised, proactive and people-focused, who enjoys balancing client-facing work with detailed administration and takes pride in creating positive experiences for others.

Due to the responsibilities associated with opening and preparing the building each day, this role is expected to be worked across a minimum of four days per week. The organisation’s preference is for the hours to be worked Monday-Thursday, though a Monday-Friday pattern may also be considered and can be disused at interview.

Person Specifications

Hires Support

Working with the Operations Team to help deliver the Hires Strategy, which forms part of our Business & Commercial Strategy.

Supporting the creation and distribution of hires marketing materials, helping to promote our spaces and attract new clients.

Responding to initial enquiries, ensuring prompt, friendly, and accurate communication with potential clients.

Scheduling and leading of site visits for potential clients, ensuring these are arranged in liaison with the Technical Team and providing a professional and welcoming experience.

Hold and update the hires calendar, ensuring bookings are clearly logged and coordinated across the organisation.

Assisting with hire administration, including pencilling in dates, preparing quotes, generating contracts, generating hire company settlements, and raising invoices in a timely and organised manner. This includes chasing payment of any outstanding invoices when required.

Liaising with external caterers and suppliers as needed, prioritising local and independent businesses located near Tobacco Factory Theatres, and ensuring all arrangements meet client expectations.

Preparing and overseeing spaces on the day of hire, ensuring they are clean, set up, functional, and stocked with any required equipment, refreshments or catering.

Welcoming and supporting hire clients on the day, providing a helpful and solutions-focused point of contact to ensure a smooth and positive experience.

Maintaining the hires tracker, ensuring accurate and up-to-date records of all confirmed, prospective, and completed hires to support team coordination and reporting.

Helping to maintain positive relationships with existing hirers, including issuing and collecting post-hire feedback forms to identify areas for improvement and forecast future booking patterns.

Contributing ideas, supporting and being pro-active in the recruitment of new hire clients, in line with the Hires Strategy and overall business objectives.

Administration & Office Support

Welcoming visitors and being the first point of contact for in-person, phone and email enquiries, handling or directing them as appropriate.

Supporting the day-to-day running of office and operational administration g to ensure processes are consistent and effective across the organisation. This includes actively seeking feedback and suggestions for streamlining systems and improving efficiency.

Assisting with maintaining the smooth working of all office equipment (printers, phones, monitors, etc.), troubleshooting minor issues, and supporting the ordering and upkeep of equipment and stationery in line with department budgets.

Play an active part in embedding our values into the office culture, supporting the smooth, efficient running of the office environment and that the office is clean, compliant and fit for purpose.

Acting as a first point of contact with our support provider and assisting staff with basic IT queries. Supporting access to shared systems and resolving issues promptly in liaison with the Head of Operations and IT support provider.

Supporting the Head of Operations with building access and security, including unlocking and preparing the building each day, ensuring spaces are safe and ready for use, and helping manage access permissions for staff and visitors. This includes performing the opening fire walk, checking routes are clear and accessible, and inspecting fire extinguishers for tampering and valid service dates.

Lead on the weekly fire alarm test and logging the outcome in line with our procedures, reporting any faults or follow-up actions to the Head of Operations.

Supporting the scheduling of internal spaces, holding and updating the internal bookings calendar to ensure space usage is well coordinated across the organisation, and ensuring procedures for space booking are communicated and followed by all teams.

Supporting the Head of Operations in managing relationships with key contractors and suppliers, including logging issues, following up on outstanding works, and assisting with access.

Holding the relationship with our cleaning providers and keeping them abreast of any changes to schedules and monitoring their effectiveness.

Assisting with the scheduling of internal meetings, including taking and distributing minutes.

Organising catering for staff meetings, parties and events.

Supporting the Head of Operations with compiling data for organisational records and annual reports, including gathering information for our space monitoring form which feeds into our environmental impact reporting.

HR & Finance Support

Conducting venue tours as part of the recruitment process.

Supporting the induction processes for new staff, including assisting with onboarding tasks, completing building inductions and issuing lockers and staff passes.

Assisting with policy monitoring and flagging review dates to the Head of Operations.

Processing DBS applications for staff and volunteers.

Monitoring and issueing office petty cash. Logging and filing of related records and receipts.

Other Duties

Being an engaged and proactive member of the team, aligned with TFT’s values of listening, connecting, creating, curiosity and integrity.

Attending staff meetings, away days, season launches and other key events.

Taking opportunities to attend performances and stay up to date with TFT’s programme and wider activities.

Following all Tobacco Factory Theatres policies and procedures.

Supporting other duties as reasonably agreed with the Head of Operations.

All applications will be considered.

Whilst we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, we encourage applications from people whose identities or backgrounds are under-represented in our organisation, including those who face barriers to opportunities, people from working class backgrounds, people from the LGBTQIA+ community, and people from Black, Asian, traveller, mixed heritage or other global majority backgrounds.

If this applies to you, please refer to this in your application and we will guarantee an interview if you meet the criteria listed in ‘We would like to hear from you’.

We would like to hear from you if you have these core attributes required for the role.;

Experience coordinating events, hires, or bookings in a busy environment

Experience providing high-quality administrative support with strong attention to detail

Experience managing multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously while maintaining strong written and verbal communication

Experience using Microsoft or other digital systems and databases to maintain accurate records and schedules

Excellent organisational and time management skills

Awareness of Health & Safety responsibilities within a public-facing building

Experience working with budgets

A warm, welcoming and approachable manner

You might also have these desirable skills as well. These will strengthen an application but are not mandatory.

Experience communicating professionally with a wide range of people, both in person and in writing

Strong customer service skills

Ability to identify problems and take practical, solutions-focused action

Demonstratable experience being proactive and self-motivated with the ability to take initiative

Annual Salary/Fee: £26,500 Pro rata

Contract: 18 Month Fixed Term. Part Time (0.6FTE)

Holiday Entitlement: 30 days Pro rata per annum inclusive of Bank Holidays

Probationary Period: 6 months

Notice Thereafter: 8 weeks

Normal Place of Work: Tobacco Factory Theatres, Raleigh Rd, Bristol, BS3 1TF

Key Person Responsibilities Specifications

Submitting Your Application

Include one of the following:

Completed application form outlining your experience against the personal specification.

A short film/audio file explaining your relevant experience and interest in the role.

2 Also include a completed Equalities Monitoring form.

Please email us using the subject line below:

Email: Email Subject:

recruitment@tobaccofactorytheatres.com Operations Assistant

Alternative Formats & Inquiries:

If you need the Application Pack in an alternative format or have questions, email recruitment@tobaccofactorytheatres.com.