Job description: General Assistant
Job title: General Assistant
Reporting to: tbc
Key responsibilities: Support the whole Chawton Houseoperation with a combination of frontof house, retail, tea room, events,collections, gardens and estate, andadministrative duties.
Hours: Specified days and minimum hoursEvening and weekend working will berequired.
Salary: Living Wage
Location: Chawton House, Alton
Duration: Ongoing
Chawton House is an historic house and estate once owned by Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight and frequented by his sister who lived in a cottage he owned close by. It is home to two significant collections: one of women’s writing (1660 - c.1860) and one of the Knight family library. The House is set in over 250 acres of the South Downs National Park, including a historically significant formal garden, ancient woodland and parkland.
The charitable objectives of Chawton House are to preserve the House and grounds for the benefit of the public, and to promote the study of, and public engagement in, women’s writing. Having operated predominantly as an academic library until 2017, Chawton House has transformed and is now open to the public seven days a week, with lively public, academic and learning programmes onsite and online, successful retail, hire, catering and tours offers. The operation is supported by a 80+ volunteer team.
Purpose of the role
The General Assistants are at the heart of everything Chawton House does. The team supports every area of the organisation’s operation, from working in the popular tea room to front of house, events, marketing and administrative support for the Deputy Director and Chief Executive. All General Assistants are trained as baristas, in food hygiene, first aid, front of house and basic collections care. As Chawton House grows and diversifies, the General Assistants will
Chawton House
continue to support these new areas and have the opportunity to develop their individual areas of interest (with the relevant training). If they wish, General Assistants aged 18 or over can train as Kitchen Assistants and join the casual team that supports the Cook and the wider catering operation.
Key areas of responsibility
Support the whole Chawton House operation with a combination of front of house, retail, tea room, events, gardens and estate, collections and administrative duties.
Work as a Tea Room Assistant in the Courtyard and Old Kitchen Tea Room, and any pop-up catering as required.
- Retail assistant in the Chawton House shop.
- Opening and closing the House at the start and end of opening.
- Staff the Tea Shed/Ticket Office and be the first point of contact for visitors to Chawton House.
- Support the Curator and Collections Manager with basic collections care.
- Flexible post to provide out-of-hours cover for private hire and other events.
- Assistance with projects, digital activity and public engagement.
Administrative, marketing and events support
Contribute to the charities plans and feed in ideas, taking the lead on own ideas once approved if appropriate.
This job description is not all encompassing. Over time the emphasis may alter without changing the general character of the role. Duties will be periodically reviewed with the post holder, and revised and updated in consultation if required.
Benefits
You are entitled to the following employee benefits:
- 15 % staff discount in the café and shop
- Access to professional development opportunities
- Use of Gardeners World 2for 1, Historic Houses and RHS company passes.
- Where applicable, employers contribution pension scheme.
Chawton House
Personal specification
Essential criteria
- Good understanding of excellent customerexperience
- Physically fit to do lifting and moving of displays,tables, chairs etc
- Welcoming and helpful manner
- Flexibility to attend out of hours events at shortnotice and when necessary
- Willingness to working flexibly on a range of tasks across a busy historic house
- Pleasant and helpful manner which will makevisitors feel welcome
- Remains calm and effective in a fast-pacedenvironment
- Good oral and written communication skills
- Independent worker who is flexible and willwork as part of a team
- Willingness to learn new skills and processes
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working or volunteering in a leisure,hospitality, culture or heritage organisation
- Work or voluntary experience of a customer-facingrole
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