Museum & Visitor Services Assistant

Job Summary

Portsmouth Museums & Visitor Services are responsible for the care of the city's archives and museum collections and for making them accessible to both residents and visitors.

The service operates 6 museum sites – The D‑Day Story, Southsea Castle, Charles Dickens' Birthplace, Cumberland House Natural History Museum, Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery & Eastney Beam Engine House. In addition, the service also operates the Visitor Information Service for the destination with stand‑alone points at the Hard and within The D‑Day Story and Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery.

The main purpose of this post is to deliver high standards of customer care – a safe and inviting environment for all visitors, thus ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat visits.

You will provide a great welcome for visitors and have sufficient knowledge of museum sites and collections to provide information and promote current and future programmes and the city's wider cultural offer.

You will ensure public areas, including toilets, are clean, tidy and in good order. In addition you will maintain a secure environment for collections through implementing current security procedures including security patrols, invigilation of galleries and regular inventory checks of items on display.

The Museum and Visitor Services Assistant role includes a range of other activities such as reception and welcoming visitors, general Visitor Information tasks, retail, taking messages and bookings, recording visitor numbers, assisting with events and activities, installation of exhibitions, previews and evening meetings. You may be required to work at events and functions, which will include some lifting and carrying of tables and chairs and outdoor work.

The role may also include working and serving in the Portsmouth Museum café, preparing food and drinks and taking orders and serving customers.

A team player with excellent customer care skills to welcome and engage the customer. You will be able to answer customer queries whether face to face or via telephone. You will need excellent communication skills; conversational skills in a foreign language would be an advantage – French preferred – and good levels of literacy, numeracy and IT. Experience of cash handling and selling services and goods would be an advantage.

You will be flexible with a passion for the destination of Portsmouth and an enthusiasm for museums, history, art, natural history or any other of the subjects covered by the museums and visitor services which would also be an advantage.