Museum Assistant

Chiltern Open Air Museum are looking for a Museum Assistant to join the team 30 hours a week for 34 weeks during the Museum’s open season.

This new seasonal role is an opportunity to be at the heart of a thriving Museum community, playing a key role in the weekend duty staffing team as well as helping out in many different areas across the site. You will work 3 weekends out of 4 as well as flexible hours during the week. Applicants must be over 18 years old.

Job Description

You will be part of a busy team responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Museum’s visitor operations on a daily basis throughout our open season. You will unlock and open the Museum and welcome staff and volunteers. As a part of the Museum’s conservation team you will help maintain our collections and historic interiors, carrying out daily checks and conservation cleaning. You will be a key point of call for staff and volunteers on site and work closely with the Front of House team, helping out with co-ordinating volunteers, marketing and delivering events.

• Be a core member of the Museum’s Duty Staff rota covering 3 out of 4 weekends each month
• Unlock and open the Museum’s buildings
• Maintain high presentation standards across the Museum site and report any deficiencies
• Assist with marketing, weddings and events, collections care and volunteer co-ordination and recruitment
• Cover for Visitor Service Assistants and Catering Assistants as required
• Engage with visitors informing them about current and upcoming events, activities and exhibitions enabling them to enjoy the Museum’s offer
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of the Museum’s work and objectives to actively promote membership and donations to the cause
• Understand and follow the Museum’s health and safety, cash-handling and operational procedures
• Provide support for the Museum’s volunteers and ensure their well-being whilst on site
• Carry out conservation cleaning and make sure displays and interpretation are tidy and well presented.

Essential skills/experience

• A team player with a cheerful, positive, can-do attitude
• Experience of working within a customer facing role
• Happy to work alone and unsupervised
• Able to stay calm in a busy environment and able to use your own initiative
• Comfortable working with the public including vulnerable adults and children
• An understanding and/or interest of the conservation of historic buildings and collections
• An understanding and/or interest of museum practice and theory
• Reliable and punctual
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Available to work weekends and Bank Holidays as this is essential to the role
• Willing to learn and develop.

Desirable skills/experience

• Current first aid certificate
• Experience of working with EPOS systems
• Good IT skills
• Passionate about Chiltern Open Air Museum and our cause
• Degree (or equivalent) in Museum Studies or related area

Application Process

Please email applications to Lizzie Dunford, Operations Manager on operations@coam.org.uk using the General Museum Job Application Form

Deadline for applications:  9am 18 February 2019

Interviews:  22nd February 2019

Start date:  18th March 2019