Museum Visitor Services Assistant

Working hours: 2 part-time roles, one 22 hours per week, one 26.5 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Do you have a passion for providing excellent customer service and creating memorable experiences for families? This is an exciting time to join Colchester + Ipswich Museums (CIMS) as major developments of our museums are changing the cultural landscape of both towns.

In Colchester, our nationally significant collections chart local human and natural histories. From stone age artefacts to contemporary costume, fossils to spirit specimens, these collections inspire and inform. Our Visitor Services team play a vital role in welcoming visitors to our museums and bringing those collections to life.

The post will require you to work additional hours on occasion, including Bank Holidays and evenings as required.

Museum Visitor Services Team members undertake a variety of duties, including delivering a friendly, professional and efficient customer service creating a welcome atmosphere for each of our customers, helping to supervise the public areas of the museum, delivering learning session at times in costume, using technology to provide information, dealing with enquiries, working on the reception/shop desks, selling Castle passes and cleaning premises.

Candidates should have previous experience of working in a busy customer orientated environment, including dealing face to face with customers, ideally in the public services or tourism, and be able to demonstrate the ability to provide accurate information and proactively assist customers in order that as a service we meet and exceed their needs. You should have knowledge and experience of merchandising, stock control and ordering processes.

You must be able to deliver educational sessions and activities to individuals and groups as directed, after appropriate training. An interest in local history would also be required.

CIMS strive for diversity in our workforce, so we are seeking people with different life experiences to broaden our thinking and improve representation in the work we do. We particularly welcome applications from D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, People of Colour, young people and people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. These posts are part-time positions.

Colchester City Council encourages all employees to maximise their potential. You will be entitled to join an attractive pension scheme and will receive a generous annual leave entitlement, including two extra company holidays during the Christmas period. Other benefits include:

• Flexible working
• Gym, travel and online retail discounts
• Excellent training, development and progression opportunities