Visitor Experience Assistant

Herefordshire Museum & Galleries

Are you passionate about visitor experience? If so, we’re seeking a highly motivated person to join our enthusiastic Visitor Experience team.

You will be joining us at an exciting time as we redevelop Hereford Museum and Art Gallery and reorganise the service. Our aim is to re-establish strong relationships with the people and communities of Herefordshire and embed inclusivity and community involvement at the heart of how we work.

As an Assistant Visitor Experience Officer you will work directly with visitors. You will help them get the most from their visit by talking to them and sharing stories to help them understand what makes Herefordshire such a unique place. You will be part of a proactive team that puts visitors are the heart of what you do so they come back again and spread the word about Herefordshire Museum & Galleries. You will support income generating activities by encouraging shop sales, upselling, event tickets and donations. As well as promote upcoming events and exhibitions.

You do not need previous experience as full training will be provided. This is an 9.25 hours role with weekend working required.

Herefordshire Museum & Galleries

Hereford Museum & Galleries has been safeguarding the cultural heritage of Herefordshire since 1874. The service is going through an exciting period of change as it transitions to being a socially engaged organisation.

We are serious about our mission ‘to inspire and connect the people of Herefordshire with issues that matter through access to world-class arts, culture and heritage.’ We aim to be a service that is:

• For all the communities and people of Herefordshire.
• Focused on community engagement, particularly with groups from disadvantaged areas, minorities and vulnerable communities with a strong emphasis on promoting health, well-being, education and lifelong learning.
• Resilient and positioned to capitalise on grant funding and income generating opportunities.

Herefordshire Museum & Galleries operates three sites: Hereford Museum and Art Gallery, the Old House Museum and the History Store.

Hereford Museum and Art Gallery

Hereford Museum and Art Gallery is the county museum for Herefordshire. It opened in 1874 and is a spectacular Victorian Gothic building. Today, the Grade II* listed building is showing its age and is getting ready to undergo a £18 million redevelopment. Once redeveloped the museum and art gallery will offer a gateway into Herefordshire’s unique heritage. It will provide opportunities for local people and visitors to engage with our region’s remarkable story in new and exciting ways. It will host an ambitious, imaginative and vibrant programme that will be a catalyst for cultural growth in the county.

The Old House Museum

The Old House is a 17^th Century timber-framed building at the heart of Hereford. Built in 1621, the house has been used for many purposes over the years. It started life as a butcher shop and finished as a bank. Today it gives an insight into daily life in Jacobean times in the 1600s. It is furnished in period style with an internationally important collection of English oak furniture and has a range of family friendly things to do.

History Store

History Store is the central storage facility for the county’s collections. The former British Telecom exchange was converted and extended in 2008 with Heritage Lottery funding. It is now home to arts, archaeology, costumes, social history and natural science collections. The building includes climate-controlled stores, offices and learning, research and collections care spaces and a conservation lab.

We Offer

A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Starting Salary of £24,404 - £25,183 (pro rata salary £6,101 - £6,295)
• Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum with line manager approval.
• Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

You will probably have heard a lot about how beautiful it is in terms of countryside and open spaces (and it is!) but there is so much more going on here, including world-class cultural assets like the Mappa Mundi, vibrant theatres and a thriving food and drink sector.

One of Herefordshire’s biggest assets is the strong and diverse communities. Our Talk Community approach brings that together supporting people to help themselves, encouraging them to help their communities and identifying how communities can help individuals. Our ambitious transformation programme aims to further build on this to offer an all-age approach. We’re excited about the potential of what we can achieve for the benefit of all residents of Herefordshire, stronger together and building brighter futures.

To find out more about what it’s like to live, work and thrive at Herefordshire Council please visit our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected]

Creating an Inclusive Workplace

Employee Network Groups play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

Employee Network Groups are a collective of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and who come together to initiate positive change in their work place. Our groups include: Black and Asian Staff Networking Group, LGBTQ+, Parents & Carers, Climate and Nature Emergency, Diff-abilities and Armed Forces/ Veterans.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please click here: Spirit of Herefordshire

Don’t meet all parts of the job description?

Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are enthusiastic about this opportunity and want to make a difference, we encourage you to consider an application or to get in contact, you may be the perfect fit we’re seeking!

How to apply

To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role. If you are successfully shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox. Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!

Community Wellbeing is connecting and belonging to the place where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community.

We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme;
• Those who indicate in their supported statement that they serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, or their families. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care. 

Stronger Together, Building Brighter Futures