Retail & Admissions Assistant

The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a unique attraction in southeast London where global cultures and the natural world are brought together for everyone to enjoy.

The Museum holds internationally important collections of anthropology and musical instruments, as well as a popular natural history gallery and Aquarium.

The 16 acres of beautiful Gardens feature a tropical Butterfly House and offer stunning views across London.

About the Role

Join our friendly and dynamic Retail & Admissions team, where you'll play a key role in delivering a warm, welcoming, and customer-focused experience for all our visitors.

This varied role works across our admissions desk, butterfly house, and retail shop, where you'll be responsible for selling tickets, memberships, and a range of retail products.

We're looking for someone who enjoys working in a family-friendly museum environment and takes pride in creating memorable experiences for guests of all ages.

Key Responsibilities

• Sell tickets for exhibitions, events, and activities at the admissions desk.
• Promote, sell, and renew memberships and benefactor packages following set procedures.
• Encourage Gift Aid and donations by clearly communicating the benefits and meeting agreed targets.
• Use a ‘sales through service’ approach to meet income and KPI targets across retail and ticketing.
• Stay informed about the Horniman’s exhibitions, events, facilities, and services, and share this knowledge confidently with visitors.

About You

• You’re a confident and friendly communicator with experience in customer-facing roles, and you genuinely enjoy engaging with people—especially families and children.

You understand the importance of creating a warm, inclusive, and memorable experience for every visitor.

You’re proactive, adaptable, and happy to get stuck in wherever needed, whether it’s helping a family plan their visit, upselling a membership, or keeping things running smoothly on a busy day.

You’re also commercially minded, with a natural ability to spot opportunities to enhance the visitor experience through our retail and admissions offer.

• Key Qualities, Skills, and Experience
• Proven experience in a customer service, visitor attraction, or retail environment, with a strong focus on delivering excellent visitor experiences.
• Confident and friendly communicator, able to engage effectively with a wide range of visitors, especially families and children.
• Strong team player who builds positive working relationships and contributes to a supportive team environment.
• Commercially aware, with the ability to upsell products and memberships to meet income and engagement targets.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Proactive and adaptable, able to use initiative and make decisions independently when needed.
• Basic IT and EPOS skills, with the ability to manage sales, stock data, and access internal systems.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including weekends and holidays, to support the Horniman’s public programme.
• A genuine interest in the Horniman’s collections, exhibitions, and mission, with a commitment to equality, diversity, and personal development.
• Well-presented and professional, representing the Horniman to a high standard at all times.
• The closing date for completed applications is 10am on
• Interviews will be held on

The Horniman is an equal opportunities employer and we value and celebrate diversity.

We want to better represent the communities in which we work but recognise that there is still much work to do in this area.

We welcome and encourage all applicants and particularly encourage you to apply if you are from a community that is often disadvantaged by society or of minority background.

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