Derwent Hill occupies a beautiful 28-acre estate in Portinscale, bordered by the River Derwent and overlooking Derwent Water, one mile from Keswick. We are owned and operated by Sunderland City Council and have been in operation since 1962. We were one of the first local authority outdoor education centres in England.
We provide high quality residential outdoor education courses for schools, colleges and youth groups as well as corporate training, team building events and group accommodation for adults. Our approach is based on professional informality, and we pride ourselves on our flexibility, homely atmosphere, good food and inspiring setting.
If you would like an informal chat about our current vacancies or about working at Derwent Hill, please email us at [email protected].
Current Vacancies
Facilities Supervisor
Working at our busy, friendly outdoor education centre, as Facilities Supervisor, you will be the first point of contact for general assistants. Your previous supervisory experience will enable you to effectively deliver weekly venue staff meetings, organize staff rotas using scheduling systems, authorize holidays and ensure staff absences are covered. This includes hands-on support across all venue staff shifts when necessary.
You will be responsible for inspecting work completed by the general assistants and providing feedback and additional training if standards are not met. You will ensure staff are well informed, trained and supported to complete daily tasks, and comply with policies & procedures.
You will also support the Venue Manager in day-to-day operations and supervision of general assistants to ensure client expectations are met and exceeded. In the absence of the venue manager, you will be required to support the wider team and cover some venue manager duties. Within your role, you will draw upon your customer service experience to maintain high standards of customer care, plan the smooth transition between clients, and ensure facilities are prepared in line with each client’s requests.
Your ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and external clients will assist you in dealing with visitors to rectify any issues that may arise.
As an employee of Sunderland City Council, you will have access to a wide range of benefits including but not limited to, 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, flexitime to support your work-life balance, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme. Please review the attached Benefits document for further information.
You can view more information about the position in the attached Job Description, and should you wish to have an informal discussion, please contact Julie Wiltshire on [email protected]
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and the post holder will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Applications must be completed on-line at Facilities Supervisor – Sunderland City Council – North East Jobs
If you need any support, contact: jobs@sunderland.gov.uk.
Please note that CV’s are not acceptable.
All communication about your application for this post will be to the email address that you register with North East Jobs. This may include details of an online assessment you may need to complete and an invite to interview if you are short-listed. Please check your email inbox after the closing date for notifications as you may not be notified by any other method. Please remember to check your junk mail items.
Associate Tutors (Freelance)
We are interested in hearing from freelance tutors who are passionate about outdoor education and training to join our established team. You must be able to work on your own initiative and with a variety of different clients including school pupils of all ages and recreational groups. The centre is open seven days a week with a greater concentration of available work at weekends. You should be available for periods of work throughout the year, particularly between April and October, and to undergo a period of induction. As an Associate Tutor you must be registered self-employed and have your own indemnity insurance.
In return, we offer a great working environment with competitive rates of pay (currently £130 per day with additional payments for evening work).
Please send your CV to [email protected]
Qualifications
Essential
Mountain Walking Leader Award (Summer)
Single Pitch Award
UK CC or BCU level 2 in both canoe and kayak (please get in touch if you have other paddle-sport qualifications)
Minibus driving entitlement (D1 or PCV)
Indemnity insurance for £5 million
Desirable
Mountain Leader Winter
MIA
BCU level 3 in either canoe or kayak
RYA Dinghy Instructor
Safety Boat Award
MIDAS (or similar)
Knowledge
Common venues in the Borrowdale area
Planning and reviewing activities
Experience
Working with young people in Outdoor Education
Using high and low ropes courses and problem solving apparatus