Visitor Services Assistant – Retail & Admissions in Musselburgh

Organisation: The National Trust for Scotland

Location: Newhailes House and Gardens, EH21 6RY

JOB PURPOSE

To maximise our visitors’ enjoyment of Newhailes House and Gardens by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure. To ensure the smooth and safe running of operations primarily focusing on admissions, retail and Food and Beverage operations. To provide the highest degree of customer service: greet and welcome all visitors to the property; recruit new Trust members and promote fund‑raising initiatives; deliver appropriate admissions procedures; and provide general visitor information. Please note job involves some physical activity in the form of periods of standing, walking, etc. Some flexibility will be required as to when hours are worked and weekend working will be expected.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Providing excellent customer service.
• Be responsible and proactive.
• Ensuring all day‑to‑day tasks are completed including responding to customer enquiries, answering the telephone, cleaning, recording statistics etc.
• Handling cash accurately and processing sales across all platforms.
• To ensure perpetually high levels of accuracy are maintained for all transactions and data recording.
• To actively drive up selling opportunities through strong product knowledge and an excellent customer service to maximise sales of admission tickets, membership and donations.
• Working with the Guides and supporting with tours.
• Cash reconciliation duties including end of day and administration tasks.
• Be able to take responsibility for your own development and learning.
• Taking booking enquiries and process appropriately.
• To develop a working knowledge of the history of the site and being able to relate that to visitors in a friendly and engaging way.
• Adhering to the property’s quality standards including wearing of uniform.
• Ensuring health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines. This includes working within the property’s “Safe System of Work” (the system for managing Health & Safety).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

No formal educational qualifications required – full training will be given.

Essential

• Excellent literacy and numeracy ability – preferably with previous cash‑handling / form‑filling work experience.
• Sound, demonstrable experience dealing with a wide range of people – preferably in a public situation.
• Excellent empathetic skills and be a very able communicator (especially through the spoken word).
• A genuine understanding of, and belief in, the work of the National Trust for Scotland.
• Enthusiasm for Scottish heritage.
• Demonstrable working experience dealing with a wide range of people – preferably in a public situation.
• Excellent communication skills (especially through the spoken word).
• Able to demonstrate a flexible approach to work.
• Demonstrable experience of working equally well on own initiative and within a team environment.

Desirable

• Previous cash handling experience.
• Foreign language skills.
• Historical knowledge of the site.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

People Management

The Property team consists of a Visitor Services Manager and Visitor Services Supervisors. There are no line management responsibilities for this role, but this role works closely with volunteers and members of the wider site team. This role involves working with members of the public of all ages and abilities on a daily basis.

Finance Management

This role will involve cash reconciliation duties as appointed by the Visitor Services Manager.

The Purpose, Context, Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities 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 their general abilities.