Events & Marketing Assistant (Heritage)

Surgeons’ Hall Museum Events and Marketing Assistant

Job Location: Edinburgh

Department: Heritage and Estates

Contract Type: Full time, fixed term, 3 years

Hours: 35 hours per week, worked over 7 days. The role includes regular evening and weekend working in line with the delivery of live events and public programmes. Working patterns will be planned in advance to ensure contracted hours are maintained.

Salary Details: Grade 3(25,914 per annum FTE)

Closing Date: Monday 12 October 2026

Anticipated interviews: Week commencing 26 October 2026.

Project: Vital Signs

Project Funders: This role forms part of Vital Signs, a three-year project generously supported by Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

About The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is an independent membership organisation dedicated to the education, training and advancement of surgeons, dental surgeons, doctors, and various individuals throughout healthcare who are involved in the surgical care of patients.

The College has a current membership approaching 33,000 and growing, with members spanning over 100 countries around the world. From our founding in 1505, the College has been committed to the advancement of surgery and driving patient safety standards worldwide. In our 520-year history, there has never been a better time to join the College than now.

Working with us

At the College we aim to embrace views from across the organisation, sharing common goals and values for the betterment of healthcare through the advancement of surgical and dental professionals. We aim to develop teams that are reflective of the needs of our members and maximise the potential of every employee.

To reflect the varying needs across the organisation, we offer a range of policies and benefits for our workforce including 42 days' annual leave, flexible working practices, enhanced employer pension contributions and various discounts throughout the College, including Ten Hill Place Hotel and 1505 Café, as well as free entry to Surgeons' Hall Museums.

If you'd like more information about this role, please contact recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk.

About the Role

Surgeons' Hall Museum is one of Edinburgh's leading visitor attractions, welcoming audiences to explore the history, development and practice of surgery through internationally significant collections. Alongside its permanent displays, the Museum delivers a growing programme of public events and experiences, from Museum Lates and walking tours to talks, special programmes and commercial activities.

We are looking for an organised, enthusiastic and audience-focused Events and Marketing Assistant to help us deliver and grow this programme.

Working closely with the Museum's Events Officer and Marketing Officer, you will provide practical, administrative and promotional support across the planning, delivery and evaluation of events. You will help coordinate bookings, audience communications, suppliers and freelance creatives; support event set-up and delivery; and assist with promoting activity through the Museum's website, social media, listings and email communications.

This is a varied role combining behind-the-scenes organisation with hands‑on public‑facing work. On an event day you might be helping prepare a space, welcoming audiences or supporting a walking tour; at other times you could be scheduling social media content, responding to booking enquiries, gathering audience feedback or helping analyse how an event has performed.

You will also support the testing and development of new live experiences, helping the Museum understand what works for different audiences and contributing to the future growth and sustainability of its events programme.

The post is part of Vital Signs, a three-year project supported by Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project will enable the Museum to strengthen its public programme, reach new and more diverse audiences, test new approaches and build capacity for the future.

The role is based at Surgeons’ Hall Museumin Edinburgh and involves regular evening and weekend work according to the events programme. Working patterns will be planned in advance to ensure contracted hours are maintained.

Experience, Qualifications and Key Skills

You will have relevant vocational training or equivalent professional experience and experience of supporting public-facing events, programmes or visitor activities. You will be highly organised, comfortable managing multiple tasks and deadlines, and confident communicating with a wide range of people. You will have experience supporting marketing or promotional activity and be comfortable using social media, digital tools and email platforms. Strong written communication and attention to detail are important, as you will help prepare, proof and schedule content and respond to audience enquiries and bookings.You will enjoy working as part of a small, busy team while also being able to manage your own workload and respond calmly and practically when plans change. You should be comfortable working with diverse audiences and committed to providing an inclusive and high‑quality visitor experience.

Experience of working in a heritage, cultural or other public‑facing organisation would be advantageous, as would experience of content management systems, ticketing or booking platforms, basic graphic design, digital analytics or tools such as Canva, Photoshop, Premiere Pro or Audition. Because of the nature of Surgeons' Hall Museum and its collections, you will also need an awareness of, and aptitude for working with, sensitive and ethically complex subject matter, including human remains, in accordance with Museum policies and professional standards. This role may particularly appeal to someone looking to build a career in museum events, marketing or audience engagement and who enjoys a combination of practical event delivery, creative communications and public‑facing work.

Our thanks

Vital Signs is made possible with support from Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are grateful for their support in enabling Surgeons’ Hall Museumto develop new experiences, strengthen its engagement with audiences and build a sustainable programme for the future.

Contact Information

For any queries, you can email our team on: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW

Interviews are anticipated to take place during the week commencing 26 October 2026 at Surgeons' Hall Museums.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is valued and everyone can achieve their potential. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.