Job Vacancy: Front of House Manager (Fringe)

Matthew Norris on April 1, 2025

Job Title: Front of House Manager 

Location: 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL 

Rate of Pay:  £13.60 per hour + holiday pay  

Contract Type: Temporary, fixed term (30th July – 25 August 2024), PAYE employed with additional hours from Mid-May. 

Line Management Responsibilities: Front of House Supervisors, Front of House Staff. 

What is the Job?  

We are looking for excellent Front of House Managers for this year’s Fringe, delivered by Summerhall Arts at Summerhall. The Front of House team will play a vital role in ensuring an enjoyable and safe experience for all our artists, audiences and customers throughout the Summerhall Arts Fringe 2025. You will be managing the Front of House Team and daily Front of House operations to ensure the venue runs smoothly and audiences have an excellent experience. The role requires stamina, multitasking skills, and the ability to think on your feet. We are looking for people who can lead a team and thrive in a fast-paced environment. Organisation, great communication and the ability to have fun while doing so are a must. 

The role will offer a guaranteed minimum of 30 hours per week during Fringe, but with additional hours in the lead up to Fringe to allow you to get to know the building. This can be discussed but would be anticipated as being 5-10 hours per week, from Mid-May through to late July. 

 What will you be doing? 

  • Acting as the first point of contact for Front of House staff, customers, clients and guests attending the Fringe 
  • Safeguarding visitors, guests and audiences 
  • Being responsible for the site and liaising with the Security Team 
  • Making decisions independently to ensure the daily running of the building is smooth and determining when issues require escalation 
  • Designated Fire Marshall on shift, and overseeing evacuations if required 
  • Assist and Support Front of House Supervisors with customer issues and complaints, acting as a point of escalation as required 
  • Handling guest complaints confidently and professionally 
  • Assisting audiences who have specific access requirements 
  • Delivering briefings to Front of House Supervisors 
  • Supporting Front of House Supervisors with any issues that arise on shift 
  • Managing and motivating the Front of House team  
  • Providing on-going training and support to the Front of House team 
  • Ensuring staff timesheets are completed accurately 
  • Ensuring public areas and venue spaces are always clean and safe environments 
  • Responsible for the safekeeping of spaces and their equipment and handing over to the overnight Security Team 
  • Working with Venue Managers to ensure Summerhall Arts policies and procedures are enforced throughout our venues 
  • Liaising across departments to ensure smooth day to day operations 
  • Providing daily reports to Management Team 

Who are you?   

  • Experience of day-to-day operational venue management 
  • Experience of leading a team in an events or customer service setting 
  • Ability to problem solve and deescalate issues calmly and professionally 
  • Responsible and reliable with excellent timekeeping skills 
  • Enthusiastic, motivated and hardworking with good communication skills. 
  • Able to work well under pressure and during very busy peaks of service 
  • Have a passion for the arts and an excitement for Summerhall Arts programme  
  • Experience in a customer service role at a festival or arts organisation would be nice, but not essential 
     

Recruitment Information  

  • Applicants must be over 18 and must be able to prove their legal right to work in the UK. 
  • Unfortunately, we are unable to contribute to accommodation, living or travel expenses. 
  • Interviews will be held on Zoom. 
  • Mandatory in person training takes place on the 25th of July and all applicants must be available to work on this date. 
  • All applicants must be available to work for the full run of Summerhall Arts Fringe, Wednesday 30th July – Monday 25th August 2025.  
  • All staff will be issued a fixed term contract, guaranteeing a minimum of 30 hours per week across Summerhall Arts Fringe but the likelihood is that you will be offered more. 
  • Additional hours will be required for the Front of House Manager position. This is flexible and will be discussed This can be discussed but would be anticipated as being 5-10 hours per week, from Mid-May through to late July. 
  • The majority of shifts will be between the hours of 9.00am and 1.30am but may be later. 
  •  Shifts will be across weekdays, evenings and weekends. Applicants will need to be willing and able to work these hours. 
     
    Please note hours and shifts will be confirmed based on the final programme and rota. 

Perks  

All staff will receive a staff pass which gives you: 

  • First-come first-served access to shows which are not sold out 
  • Discounts on food and drinks in bars across the site 

Summerhall Arts Information 

Summerhall Arts is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We expect employees to support these commitments and to assist in their realisation. If you require any assistance with your application or need the form in a different format, please contact

How to Apply  

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form:  

Summerhall Arts Fringe 2025 Front of House Application Form 

There is no fixed deadline for this role, however applications will be closed when positions are filled so please register your interest at soon as possible. Due to the volume of applications, we unfortunately won’t be able to get back to unsuccessful applicants.