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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and inspire a team to create memorable art experiences for visitors.
- Company: Join the National Galleries of Scotland, where art meets community.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, benefits package, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the art world while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in supervising teams in visitor attractions or customer service.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with a focus on inclusivity and exceptional visitor engagement.
The predicted salary is between 25000 - 35000 £ per year.
Salary £29,888 - £32,602 per annum (pay award pending) benefits package
About the role
Join us as a Gallery Supervisor. Inspire, lead, and help make art work for everyone! Every day we create connections with our visitors and our colleagues. From world class art to extraordinary buildings, we have plenty to inspire people at our galleries - the National, Portrait, and Modern. In this role, you’ll be at the heart of making every visit memorable. We’re looking for people-focused Supervisors with a knack for leadership and a calm, professional approach to unexpected situations. If you’ve led and supervised teams in visitor attractions, retail, hospitality, or customer service, this is your chance to make a real impact. With excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach, you’ll be comfortable supporting and motivating a team of Gallery Attendants to deliver exceptional visitor experiences while keeping our people, galleries, and art safe and secure. You’ll act as a visible and approachable leader, coaching and developing your team, ensuring they feel confident and empowered in their roles. You’ll also play a key part in our day-to-day gallery operations, helping to manage visitor engagement, responding effectively to queries or issues, and maintaining smooth, safe running of our spaces. Passionate about creating welcoming, inclusive experiences, you’ll help every visitor leave inspired and eager to discover more.
The difference you’ll make
Our Vision National Galleries of Scotland Security and Visitor Services Team provide an exceptional visitor experience and service. The team embodies our strategy ‘We make art work for everyone’, in protecting our people, art, and our buildings and ensuring an inclusive welcome for all.
Our Mission National Galleries of Scotland Security and Visitor Services team exists to enable our visitors to explore, experience and enjoy our artwork safely and securely at our various Galleries. We have three key areas of responsibility:
- Visitor Engagement: aiming to deliver an exceptional experience to all our visitors in a welcoming, inclusive, and informative environment.
- Security: endeavoring to keep people, our buildings and works of art safe, responding effectively to risk.
- Income generation: encouraging donations, selling tickets for paying exhibitions, and signing up visitors to our Friends scheme.
Working with Operations Managers across our galleries, you’ll focus on operations management, visitor engagement, and team leadership. Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading, motivating and coaching Gallery Attendants to deliver exceptional visitor and artwork care, safety, security and building presentation.
- Acting as Duty Manager on a rota basis, ensuring public and asset safety and security along with visitor care during opening hours.
- Communicating clearly and proactively across departments, sharing information with other visitor-facing colleagues.
- Assisting in the safe evacuation of our buildings during any incidents or emergencies.
- Supporting visitor-facing colleagues to respond to and deal effectively with visitor queries or complaints, taking prompt and appropriate action to resolve any issues.
- Keeping up-to-date and knowledgeable with the exhibitions, displays and events.
- Coaching and developing your team to gain and use their expertise to enhance our visitor experience.
- Recruiting, training, and developing Gallery Attendants, supporting their performance and growth.
- Promoting best practice in health, safety, and wellbeing across your team.
- Working collaboratively and supporting the Security Supervisors.
Who we are looking for
To succeed in this role, you’ll need the following range of knowledge, skills, and experience:
- While an interest in art would be great it’s not essential. However, you must have previous experience of successfully supervising teams within a visitor experience, Retail and/or customer service organisation.
- With experience of managing performance, you’ll be interested in engaging with staff to provide motivation and inspiration to deliver information.
- A creative and pragmatic approach to problem solving, you will work well in a busy environment with strong organisational skills.
- Ability to prioritise your own and the team’s workload.
- Excellent communicator with outstanding interpersonal and written skills.
- Ability to respond to any unexpected situation in a calm and professional manner.
- High degree of IT skills, proficient in MS Office.
- A fair, consistent, and helpful approach in dealing with staff and public.
It would also be great if you have:
- First Aid qualification, or willingness to undertake training to obtain.
- Knowledge of another language (e.g. Gaelic) is desirable but not essential.
Click Apply for more information. The closing date for completed applications is 12 noon on Friday, 30 January 2026.
Gallery Supervisor employer: National Galleries of Scotland
Contact Detail:
National Galleries of Scotland Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Gallery Supervisor
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the art and visitor experience sectors. Attend events, exhibitions, or even casual meet-ups to chat with people who might know about openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your personality! When you get an interview, let your passion for art and visitor engagement shine through. Share stories that highlight your leadership skills and how you've made a difference in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Be prepared for anything! Brush up on common interview questions and think about how you'd handle unexpected situations, just like you would in the gallery. This will show you're calm under pressure and ready for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our team at the National Galleries of Scotland.
We think you need these skills to ace Gallery Supervisor
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Art: Even if you don't have a background in art, let your enthusiasm shine through! Share why you want to be part of our team and how you can contribute to making art accessible for everyone.
Highlight Your Leadership Skills: We’re looking for someone who can inspire and motivate a team. Make sure to include examples of how you've successfully led teams in previous roles, especially in visitor attractions or customer service.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language and structure your thoughts well. This shows us that you can communicate effectively, which is key for this role!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the Gallery Supervisor position.
How to prepare for a job interview at National Galleries of Scotland
✨Know Your Art and Galleries
While an interest in art isn't essential, having a basic understanding of the exhibitions and displays at the galleries will definitely impress. Do some research on current and upcoming exhibitions, and be ready to discuss how they connect with visitor engagement.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully led and motivated a team. Think about specific situations where you resolved conflicts or improved team performance, as this will demonstrate your capability to inspire and support your future team.
✨Practice Calm Problem-Solving
Since the role involves handling unexpected situations, think of scenarios where you've had to stay calm under pressure. Be ready to share these experiences during the interview, highlighting your problem-solving skills and ability to maintain professionalism.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Excellent communication is key for this role. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and confidently. You might even want to prepare a few questions to ask the interviewers about their vision for visitor engagement, showing your proactive approach and genuine interest.
