Visitor Services Assistant
Organisation: The National Trust for Scotland
Salary: £22,672 pro-rata, per annum
Location: Weavers Cottage
JOB PURPOSE
This is an exciting and varied role within the Visitor Services Team at the Weavers Cottage as part of the Tenement House, Holmwood and Weaver’s Cottage cluster. We are looking for energetic, cheerful, and talkative individuals to join our team this season.
Working at all 3 sites will be required on a rota basis, but this role will be based primarily at the Weavers Cottage. Through engaging and informative interactions, you’ll help share stories about these iconic sites and build support and understanding for the National Trust for Scotland.
• You’ll help welcome visitors from across the globe and ensure they have an enjoyable and memorable experience here from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave.
• You’ll work flexibly and with an eye for detail, ensuring the smooth and safe operations in Admissions, Retail, and Events activities whilst making the property the best possible place to visit and work.
• By maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income, and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure you will be a vital part of furthering the valuable work of the National Trust for Scotland.
• You will contribute to the team property targets and work well within a team.
• You will work with staff and volunteers by understanding of the property establishing and maintaining the Trust’s reputation as a guardian of Scotland’s heritage, and as the organisation that actively wants people to engage with and enjoy the properties it cares for. Training will be provided.
Our ideal candidate you should be an excellent storyteller with a knack for customer service. An outstanding tour guide will perform minor alterations to each itinerary to suit the unique interests of each group. You will have excellent presentation skills and be able to communicate the importance of Scottish heritage and its preservation and work well within a team.
Someone who wants to help us generate the income and recruit the members that enable us to care for all the unique and valuable properties within the Glasgow cluster. They will enjoy the variety and exciting challenges that come with working across several different sites and areas.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Provide a consistently high standard of visitor care
• Engage with and make our visitors feel welcome at all times, exploring the unique exhibitions and experiences each site has to offer.
• Be responsible and proactive. Ensuring all day-to-day tasks are completed as instructed.
• Provide a responsive, friendly and efficient service tailored to the needs of both individual visitors and tour groups.
• Be passionate about our sites. Develop a thorough understanding of the sites within the Glasgow Cluster, enabling you to share stories with visitors, offer ideas to help them enjoy their visit and answer common questions. Training of each property will be provided.
• Have a flexible approach to working hours and days including working weekend and Bank Holidays as appropriate.
• To work across departments when necessary, supporting the wider Tenement House and Holmwood House teams.
• Promote other local properties and the work of the Trust.
• Focus on the details. Ensure retail displays remain stocked, tidy and enticing throughout the day.
• Assist with the set-up, running and clean-up of functions and events.
• Work flexibly and in harmony with your colleagues across sites and departments, supporting each other to make best use of team resources, especially at busy times.
• Take the initiative and address problems or deal with tasks as they arise.
• Listen and respond open to visitor comments to ensure that visitors leave happy and looking forward to their next visit. Feedback any issues as they arise to ensure the smooth running of the site.
• Help gather photos/videos for social media to promote our activities and encourage visits.
• Be able to take responsibility for your own development and learning.
Generate the income that enables us to look after special places
• Be aware of the team’s targets for generating income and other key objectives and aim to achieve and exceed them.
• Work with the Visitor Services Manager and property staff to deliver financial targets and other KPI’s.
• Be proactive in upselling our shop and membership products and services by seeking to understand customers’ preferences.
• Be responsible for accurate and secure till operation and sales processing and support the reconciliation of end of day takings. Handling cash accurately and processing sales.
Maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation and safety
• Help with behind-the-scenes tasks to prepare for opening at the start of the day and close-down at the end.
• Take pride in your surroundings by maintaining high standards throughout the day and helping to clean public and staff areas.
• Report all instances of damage, wear and tear or maintenance needs promptly.
• Ensure you are clearly identifiable and appropriately dressed by wearing uniform, name badges, and PPE as required.
• Share responsibility for the health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to NTS Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines.
• Work in cooperation with other departments; gardening, grounds maintenance, contractors and NTS staff.
SCOPE OF JOB
People Management
· Will have regular (daily) interaction with members of the public of all ages and abilities
Finance Management
· Share till reconciliation duties, as appointed by Visitor Services Manager.
· Assist Retail/Catering with stocktaking and goods receipting.
Tools/equipment and cleaning chemicals
· Will be a user of cleaning chemical while supporting housekeeping of staff and visitor areas.
· Is expected to work and ensure compliance within the property’s ‘safe systems of work’ (the system for managing health and safety)
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE
Qualifications
• No formal educational qualification required. Relevant training provided.
Desirable Skills, Experience & Knowledge
• Experience in a customer-facing role
• A passion for weaving, social history and heritage.
• Understanding and commitment to the aims and objectives of the National Trust for Scotland
• Excellent “front of house” persona – warm, welcoming, helpful, patient and understanding
• Excellent communication skills, a passion for sharing stories and offering memorable experiences
• Persuasive selling skills, tailoring conversations to customer needs and product knowledge
• Ability to work within a team or independently to a high and safe standard
• Caring and helpful attitude towards visitors and colleagues
• Comfortable with being flexible and adapting working patterns to meet property needs
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise
• Attention to detail and pride in presentation standards
• Ability to be flexible, in particular to adapt working patterns and tasks to meet day-to-day variations in visitors, catering and general property needs.
• Ability to adjust pace to match customer flow without compromising quality of service
The Key Responsibilities, Scope of Job, and Required Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Knowledge reflect the requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.
How to apply
Interested applicants should forward a completed application form to the People Department (Applications), The National Trust for Scotland, Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road Edinburgh EH11 4DF, by mail or by email via workforus@nts.org.uk. Closing date 17th February 2023
Application Deadline: Friday 17/02/2023