Guest Experience Manager - The Glen, Oakleigh Central

At The Glen, we're a destination designed around the way modern Melbourne lives. Bringing together a unique food offering, elevated dining and lifestyle experiences, we create a place where people can connect, discover something new and enjoy everything they need in one vibrant destination.

Join a team focused on delivering seamless customer experiences in a destination that continues to evolve.

Role purpose

This role is the visible face of The Glen and Oakleigh Central, leading the delivery of exceptional guest experiences and strengthening the centres' relationships with customers, retailers, community organisations, local government and key stakeholders.

The role is responsible for leading the Guest Experience team and delivering an integrated customer experience, community engagement and local activation program that enhances the centres' reputation, deepens customer connection and supports commercial performance. Through customer insights, stakeholder relationships and continuous improvement, the role identifies opportunities to enhance the customer journey and ensure a consistently high standard of service across all customer touchpoints.

As a visible leader and ambassador for the centres, the role develops meaningful community partnerships, represents and advocates for the centres in relevant forums, and fosters strong relationships with customers, retailers and community stakeholders. Working collaboratively with centre leadership, the role supports the successful delivery of community activity with retailers, community partners and customers.

Through continuous evaluation, innovation and optimisation, the role ensures all customer experience, community engagement and initiatives are customer-led, commercially focused and aligned to the strategic objectives of The Glen and Oakleigh Central.

Key Accountabilities

People Leadership

• All elements of the annual performance cycle are completed by the due date (including goal setting, mid-year reviews, EOY conversations).
• Regular 1:1’s, team meetings and development conversations conducted - minimum monthly cadence.
• Performance issues are managed in an effective and timely manner.
• Quarterly development conversations conducted with all team members.
• 100% of compliance training is completed on time for team.
• All health and safety, risk and compliance requirements are delivered across the team.
• Effective management of budgets as per forecast with demonstrated focus on managing cost.
• Demonstrated commitment to building own capability as a people leader.

Customer Service

• Ensure that the customer service desk is always open and inviting, maintaining a safe and efficient environment where the health, welfare, and safety of staff and customers are a priority.
• Lead and manage the customer service team, providing guidance, training, and support to ensure high performance and professional development.
• Responsible for creating and maintaining the team’s roster, managing scheduling changes and coverage during peak periods, while working within the team headcount and budget.
• Develop and implement customer service strategies and initiatives aligned with the Vicinity brand promise, delivering great experiences to customers, retailers, contractors and colleagues every day.
• Communicate with customers across all channels of communication (in-person, phone and email), consistently demonstrating Vicinity’s service standards and representing company values.
• Be aware of customer needs, care about those needs, and go above and beyond to meet and exceed them.
• Monitor and analyse customer service metrics and feedback to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging the team to identify and recommend new ways of working to enhance customer service delivery.
• Collaborate with other departments and stakeholders to address operational issues impacting customer service and ensure seamless communication and coordination.
• Manage the resolution of escalated customer complaints and conflicts, ensuring timely and satisfactory outcomes.
• Oversee the maintenance and functionality of customer service systems and technology, ensuring they are up-to-date and effectively utilised.
• Prepare and present regular reports on customer service performance, trends, and insights to management.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and standards, as well as relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
• Promote a positive and inclusive team culture, recognising and rewarding outstanding performance and contributions.

Community Partnerships & Engagement

• Identify, develop and maintain strategic relationships with local government, community organisations, tourism bodies, retailers and key stakeholders to strengthen the centres’ community connection, reputation and local influence.
• Identify, develop and deliver community initiatives that strengthen each centre’s involvement in its local community.
• Deliver community initiatives to a high standard and in accordance with centre brand guidelines and positioning.
• Collaborate with the centre manager, retail manager and wider team to ensure initiatives reflect the centres’ overall goals and positioning. 
• Coordinate and manage community partnerships, bookings and activations, delivering a targeted and consistent program of community engagement across the centre.
• Prepare and present regular reports on customer service performance, trends, and customer and community insights to management.
• Prepare and present regular reporting on customer experience performance, feedback trends and community insights, highlighting key risks, recurring themes and areas of opportunity.
• Use customer feedback, performance data and industry trends to identify and implement improvements across the customer journey and service offering.
• Act as a visible ambassador, representing the centre at community, stakeholder and industry forums and leveraging relationships to support the centre's strategic and commercial objectives.
• Lead customer journey mapping and experience reviews to identify friction points, uncover opportunities and recommend improvements.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable culture within the Guest Experience team, encouraging open communication, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Manage the resolution of escalated customer complaints across social media, email, website and other channels, ensuring timely, considered outcomes as per Best Practice Guidelines.
• Oversee the maintenance and functionality of customer service systems and technology, ensuring they are up-to-date and effectively utilised.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with retailers, acting as a key point of connection between retailer needs, customer insights and centre initiatives.
• Partner with retailers to deliver initiatives, activations and customer experience improvements that enhance engagement and support sales.

• Lead, coach and develop the Guest Experience team to foster a high-performing culture focused on customer service excellence, continuous improvement and accountability.

Retailer Relationships

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with retailers and tenancies.
• Engage with retailers on centre operational issues impacting their performance and ensure these issues are raised with the asset team for resolution.
• Facilitate regular communication and feedback sessions with retailers to understand their needs and address concerns promptly.
• Collaborate with retailers to implement initiatives that enhance the overall shopping experience and drive sales.

Centre Operations

• Follow all risk and safety controls, including compliance and emergency management training as required.
• Work closely with the Operations team to ensure efficiency and safety are maintained for staff and customers.
• Oversee the implementation of operational policies and procedures to ensure a smooth and safe environment.
• Conduct regular audits and inspections to identify potential risks and areas for improvement.
• Coordinate with maintenance and security teams to address any operational issues promptly.
• Support the centre team in the day-to-day contractor management including sign-ins, permits, general enquiries, keys, issues and assistance, as needed and when applicable.
• Support the centre’s annual strategic goals, contributing as required.
• Act as the first point of contact to escalate operational issues and complaints when required.
• Provide ad-hoc assistance on administration tasks as required from the centre team.

Reporting & Financial

• Manage customer data, including the volume of enquiries, departmental customer complaint reporting and resolution, and retailer requests.
• Complete reporting on gathered information, such as the most requested store list, and provide it to the centre management team to assist in enhancing future customer experiences.
• Prepare and present regular reports on customer service performance, trends, and insights to senior management.
• Monitor and manage the customer service budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Analyse financial data to identify cost-saving opportunities and implement strategies to improve profitability.

Experience & Capabilities
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE (what you have done)

• Proven experience in a customer-facing management role, proficient in delivering elevated customer experiences, confidently handling enquiries with excellent communication, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities.
• A natural and outgoing people person, comfortable approaching customers both internal and external.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a team, providing guidance, training, and support to ensure high performance.
• Experience in customer experience, community engagement, stakeholder relations, retail destination marketing and/or shopping centre operations.
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering community engagement initiatives, events, activations or programs that drive customer participation and strengthen brand reputation.
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with community organisations, retailers, local businesses, government stakeholders and service providers.
• Experience interpreting customer feedback, insights and data to identify opportunities and improve customer outcomes.
• Ability to collaborate across multiple teams and stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.

CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE (what you need to know)

• Excellent knowledge of customer related functions, customer service, and local surrounding areas including key transport, tourism, communities, network and councils.
• Proficient and confident in using technology, including Microsoft Office, various systems, computers, iPhones, etc., and following processes with attention to detail.
• Understanding and confidence in collaborating with various team members and stakeholders at all levels.
• Knowledge of risk and safety controls, compliance, and emergency management procedures.
• Thrive independently and collaboratively, positively contributing to team culture with a can-do attitude.
• Proactive, organised, and efficient in all tasks while maintaining a professional and customer-focused approach.
• Confident in handling a variety of enquiries, including transactions and feedback.
• Passionate about providing an exceptional customer experience and bringing the Vicinity brand to life.
• Strong customer service skills and effective multitasking and prioritisation abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to analyse customer service metrics and feedback to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions.
• Experience in building and maintaining relationships with internal team members and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage the resolution of escalated customer complaints and conflicts, ensuring timely and satisfactory outcomes.
• Promote a positive and inclusive team culture, recognising and rewarding outstanding performance and contributions.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills across a diverse range of stakeholder groups.
• Understanding of local customer insights, competitive landscape and interpretation of data to inform tactical decision making.
• Familiarity with customer service principles to support stakeholder engagement and experience delivery.

CAPABILITIES (what you can do)

• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence – Build, maintain and leverage relationships with community groups, government stakeholders, retailers and partners to achieve strategic outcomes - Intermediate
• Community Partnership Development – Identify, establish and nurture partnerships that strengthen community connection and deliver mutual value. - Intermediate.
• Strategic Thinking - Apply critical thinking and commercial acumen to identify opportunities, solve problems and support long term objectives - Foundational.
• Customer Focused - Understand various customer stakeholders and always consider their needs when making decisions - Foundational.
• Problem Solving - Use logic and methods to solve problems with effective solutions - Intermediate.
• Effective Communication - Convey messages effectively, enhancing their ability to engage, inform and inspire their audience - Intermediate.
• Understanding of local community, customer and retailer needs within a retail or destination environment.
• Strong organisational, project management and time management skills within dynamic environments.
• Proven capability to solve problems in high pressure situations with a track record of delivering results through collaboration with others.
• Collaborate as an Asset Team - Collaborate for best outcomes for asset and team versus best outcome for individual – Intermediate.
• Planning & Prioritisation - Identify the tasks required to achieve the desired outcomes and prioritise tasks in the right order – Foundational.
• Customer Focused - Understand various customer stakeholders and always consider their needs when making decisions – Intermediate.
• Develop Strong Stakeholder Relationships - Identify, nurture and strengthen diverse stakeholder relationships – Foundational.
• Problem Solving - Use logic and methods to solve problems with effective solutions – Foundational.
• Health, Safety, Environment & Wellbeing - Integrate health, safety, environment and wellbeing into ways of work at asset level to ensure the safety of everyone – Foundational.
• Demonstrate Financial Acumen - Understand how the business operates, the market dynamics and what must be done to be a successful business, both for the short term and longer term – Foundational.
• Understands Asset Vision & Strategy - Know the ‘why’ behind decisions and actions, think bigger than today, and plan for the future – Foundational.

Working Requirements:

It is acknowledged that due to the nature of the position and the industry in which Vicinity Centres operate, at times there may be requirement to work outside of normal business hours.

These activities will change from time to time in line with activities expected of a Centre Management Team member in a commercial and retail environment.

Why Vicinity?

Our benefits program focuses on creating an awesome place to work in which our people are rewarded and recognised.

We live and work by our values of Respect, Integrity, Customer Focus, Collaboration and Excellence. They are the foundation to everything we do and provide us a north star with which we can shape meaningful places where communities connect.

At Vicinity we embrace and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment where we attract, retain and develop our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community and we strongly encourage applications from the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

We are aware of current limitations with our website accessibility and are working towards improving this. Should you experience any issues accessing information in this job advertisement or the application form, and require this in an alternate format, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team. Similarly, if you would like to discuss workplace accessibility, any reasonable adjustments we can make to better support you during the recruitment process, or your potential future role please reach out to our Talent Acquisition team:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +61 3 7001 4000 (request to speak to our Talent Acquisition team)

Note: To be eligible to apply for this position, you must have existing, relevant Australian work rights. At the later stages of the recruitment process the shortlisted candidate/candidates will be required to undergo a Criminal History Background/Police Check as a mandatory part of the process. Additional qualification checks may also be required dependant on role and level.