Casual - Museum and Visitor Assistant

Job Introduction

Casual Museum and Visitor Services Assistant

Salary: Band 3, approximately £13.00 per hour

Hours per week:  This is a casual post - there are no set hours - you will be asked to work as and when needed including weekends and bank holidays.  

Your New Role

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. 

Based at The D-Day Story museum, you will deliver high standards of customer care with a welcoming, safe and inviting environment for all visitors, thus ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat visits.

You will have sufficient knowledge of museum sites and collections to provide information as well as manning reception, greeting and assisting visitors, assisting with events and activities.  In addition, you will ensure public areas, including toilets, are clean, tidy and in good order and maintain a secure environment for collections including security patrols, invigilation of galleries and regular inventory checks of items on display.

When assisting with events and functions you may be expected to lift and carry tables and chairs etc. In addition, there may on occasion be asked to work at other museum sites as required.  

Please also note that LCT 7074 is located outside and whilst the ship is undercover, this role may require periods of time welcoming visitors and carrying out other tasks in all weather conditions.  

What you'll need to succeed

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 and 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 as well as having an enthusiasm for museums, history or any other of the other subjects covered by the museums and visitor services which would be an advantage.

Please read the job profile for the full details of this role.

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. 

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Application process:

Please read the full job profile for further details on the post to ensure your application matches the requirements of the role stated in the who is the person.

When completing the application form, please thoroughly tailor your application to the 'Who is the Person' points in the profile with the use of examples from your experience and attach this as a cover letter in the Supporting Documents section. This is important, or you are likely not to be shortlisted. 

We are a disability confident employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible and welcome applications from all areas of society.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

Closing date: 11 May 2025

Provisional interview dates:  13, 14 and 15 May 2025.

Please note we will be short listing candidates as we go along and may close the advert early if we get enough suitable applicants.  

We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e-mail folders as sometimes our e-mails may go into spam/junk folders.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800