Visitor Experience & Retail Assistant

Do you enjoy delivering high-quality service and want to help visitors connect with one of the UK's most iconic railway collections? Are you interested in creating welcoming and memorable experiences for all?

About us

The Science Museum Group (SMG) encompasses the Science Museum (London), the National Railway Museum (York), the Science and Industry Museum (Manchester), the Science and Media Museum (Bradford), Locomotion (Shildon), and the Science and Innovation Park (Wiltshire). Together, we form the world's leading group of science museums.

At SMG, we aim to Inspire Futures by igniting curiosity through science, technology, engineering, and maths. Locomotion in Shildon is home to one of the largest railway collections in the world - and it's our mission to share these stories with as many people as possible.

About the role

We're looking for a Visitor Experience & Retail Assistant to join our front-of-house team at Locomotion in Shildon. This is a part-time role (22.5 hours/week) on a fixed-term basis, where you will be essential in ensuring that every visitor is welcomed and engaged.

As part of our visitor-facing team, you'll greet visitors, answer their questions, introduce them to our site and collections, and ensure they have an enjoyable experience. You'll also support retail operations by keeping the shop well-stocked and presenting merchandise in an appealing way. Your role will include promoting visitor donations, helping with group bookings, monitoring health and safety, and assisting with security and site operations.

You'll work closely with colleagues across teams to provide a warm and inclusive environment, represent the Science Museum Group with pride, and contribute to the day-to-day running of the museum.

This role requires weekend working and occasional evenings to support special events and projects. The position is based onsite at Locomotion, Shildon.

The team

You'll be joining a skilled team of visitor experience and retail professionals who are committed to heritage, service, and storytelling. Together, we're committed to ensuring every visitor feels valued, supported, and inspired.

About you

We're looking for someone friendly, motivated, and ready to be part of a team that enhances our visitors' experiences.

You will have:

* Experience working in a high-quality visitor-facing or customer service role.
* Skills in using tills and handling cash.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
* Ability to effectively use IT systems.
* A cooperative, positive approach and the ability to work well in a team.

We'd also love to hear from you if you:

* Have experience working in museums, galleries, or cultural venues.
* Have worked in a retail environment.
* Are familiar with museum best practices around collections and visitor engagement.

If you're interested in this opportunity but not sure you meet every point, please still apply - we'd love to hear from you.

Applying

View the Vacancy Information Pack listed under 'Attachments' on the vacancy listing on our website for more details about the role and the application process or click 'Apply Online' to submit an application.

What we offer

Working with a world-leading museum group, you'll benefit from the following, as well as support for major life events including parental leave, sickness, and career breaks:

* Meaningful work - Play a key role in delivering outstanding visitor experiences.
* Career growth - Access to training and development within SMG.
* Work/life balance - Enjoy 27 days annual leave pro rata (plus bank holidays).
* Wellbeing support - Access to an employee assistance programme and wellbeing resources.
* Colleague networks - Join forums for shared interests and support.
* Great discounts - Free museum entry and discounts in our shops and cafés.
* Open for All - A commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity at every level.

Open for All is one of the Science Museum Group's five core values and sets out our important aspiration to be a place for everyone. We are working hard to understand our organisation better and to develop a culture that recognises and values different backgrounds, mindsets, skills, experience, knowledge, and expertise. By having greater diversity, we believe that we will be a stronger and better organisation, capable to continue to Inspire Futures

Museum Website: https://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=aHJzZXJ2aWNlLjgzOTY5LjExMTkzQHNjaWVuY2VtdXNldW0uYXBsaXRyYWsuY29t