Jobs

Visitor Assistant

Organisation: National Galleries of Scotland

Salary: £22,845

Location: Edinburgh

Salary £22,845 per annum (£11.83 per hour)
Working from a choice of 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, or 5 days per week
Fixed Term (to either 26/02/24 or 31/03/24)
Plus generous benefits package

About the role

Every day we create connections with our visitors and our colleagues. From world class art to extraordinary buildings, we have plenty to inspire people. 

If you have proven experience working in a public facing role within a front-line, retail, sales, customer services or entertainment environment using excellent customer service and communication skills, we want to hear from you. You will have a confident, outgoing personality and enjoy connecting with people.

Working across the Galleries at each of the building’s entrances, and on the Switchboard, the Visitor Assistant is responsible for providing an excellent welcome and leaving experience for our visitors. You will provide outstanding service and information, answer queries, and will actively sign-up new Friends, encourage donations, sell tickets and other products.  

You must be available to start with us at the end of November / beginning of December. These fixed term contracts are to either 26 February 2024 or 31 March 2024.

The difference you’ll make

Our Vision

National Galleries of Scotland Security and Visitor Services Team provide an exceptional visitor experience and service. The team embodies our strategy ‘We make art work for everyone’, in protecting our art, people and our buildings and ensuring an inclusive welcome for all.

Our Mission

National Galleries of Scotland Security and Visitor Services team exists to enable our visitors to explore, experience and enjoy our artwork safely and securely at our various Galleries. The department has three key areas of responsibility:

Visitor Engagement: aiming to deliver an exceptional experience to all our visitors in a welcoming, inclusive, and informative environment.

Security: endeavouring to keep people, our buildings and works of art safe, responding effectively to risk.

Income generation: encouraging donations, selling tickets for paying exhibitions, and signing up visitors to our Friends scheme.

In all that you do, you’ll support your colleagues by welcoming visitors, helping them enjoy their experience and making the most of their visit. Reporting to Supervisors and Duty Managers you will:

– Provide welcoming and engaging conversations with our visitors at the entrances, on the phone and via email giving advice and answering queries.

– Actively promote our Friends scheme and convert visitors into Members.

– Drive satisfied visitors to make donations to our boxes situated at the entrance/exit to the Galleries.

– Sell tickets and other products.

– Seek out all NGS related content gaining knowledge to act as an ambassador about our galleries, our collection and exhibitions, events, our shops and cafes and other activities.

– Communicate with colleagues across departments to gather information to answer visitor enquiries.

– Share knowledge and expertise with team members to improve understanding across the department.

– Accurately collect all customer data in line with GPDR and NGS guidelines.

– Follow departmental cash handling procedures performing accurate reconciliations.

Who we are looking for

To succeed in this role, you’ll need the following range of knowledge, skills, and experience:

– Outstanding interpersonal skills enabling you to engage with people to provide information and deliver sales. 

– Previous experience of working within a front-line, retail, sales, customer services or entertainment environment. 

– Be a strong communicator in person, in writing and over the telephone.  

– Competent at using office systems such as Office 365.

– Have the resilience to positively respond to challenges and prioritise operational demands.

– Work well in a busy environment with strong organisational skills.

– Accurate with figures and experience of cash handling and other methods of payment.

– Enjoy working as part of a team and with the public.

– Flexible approach to the job and be able and willing to work weekends, evenings and any required overtime. 


It would also be great if you have:

– Knowledge of Gaelic and/or other languages is desirable but not essential. 

– Knowledge and appreciation of art 

Please apply directly via our careers portal.

The closing date for completed applications is 12 noon on Tuesday, 31 October 2023.

Application Deadline: Tuesday 31/10/2023