Duty Manager

Help launch County Durham’s newest cultural landmark! Opening in summer 2026, The Light will bring together art, science, history, creativity and community, welcoming up to 100,000 visitors a year. We’re looking for exceptional Duty Managers to shape our visitor experience and operational excellence from day one. This is a rare opportunity to play a defining role in launching a major new cultural venue.

What is involved?

• A team leader with a proven track record in galleries, museums, multi‑use cultural venues or clear transferable skills from other sectors.
• Skilled in delivering exceptional front of house operations.
• Proven track record of compliance, health and safety and operational best practice.
• A positive, flexible problem‑solver who thrives in fast‑paced environments.
• Experience in target‑driven retail, catering or commercial hire to meet required income.
• Passionate about accessibility, inclusion and engaging diverse communities.

What we offer

• A career defining opportunity to help open and shape a major new cultural venue.
• The chance to build systems, teams and standards from the ground up.
• Supportive leadership and a collaborative, creative working environment.

What will I need?

You’ll have an NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent experience) and a First Aid qualification (or be willing to work towards one). You’ll bring strong health and safety awareness, excellent customer service and communication skills, commercial know‑how including cash handling, and a flexible, positive approach with a genuine passion for culture, inclusion and community engagement. Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

Our offer to you

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We are a proud equal‑opportunity employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

How to apply

Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the "Person Specification" section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 or via email RecruitmentREG@durham.gov.uk.

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