Retail Assistant

Job reference: 000608

Salary: £26,750 per annum

Department: Retail

Location: South Kensington

Employment type: Fixed term contract

Hours Per Week: Full time and Part Time

Closing date: 07/12/2025

About Us

We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.

Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.

We employ 1100 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.

Diversity and inclusion matter to us.

Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.

We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.

About the role

As a Retail Assistant, you will play a key part in delivering an exceptional shopping experience for every visitor. You'll handle a variety of daily tasks including customer engagement and selling, processing till transactions, managing stock and product replenishment. With record visitor numbers, this is a fast-paced and dynamic environment where adaptability, teamwork, and a positive attitude are essential.

There's never been a better time to join us. If you're passionate about retail, motivated by success, and ready to make a difference in one of the UK's most iconic institutions, we'd love to hear from you.

About you

You are a confident, motivated individual with a positive attitude and a genuine passion for delivering great customer experience. Resilient and adaptable, you stay calm and focused during busy periods, working well under pressure with professionalism and a solution-driven mindset.

You understand the importance of driving sales and are confident in recommending products, upselling, spotting selling opportunities and contributing to our ambitious targets. Working towards goals motivates you, and you bring enthusiasm and commitment to every shift.

A strong team player, you communicate clearly and work well with others but you are equally comfortable taking initiative and managing tasks independently. You're organised, hardworking and reliable, and always ready to contribute to the smooth running of the store.

Multiple contracts available listed in Candidate Pack.

Thriving at the Museum: the way we work

We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum's values and forms the framework for the way we work.

What we offer

• 27.5 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time equivalent)
• Generous defined contribution Natural History Museum Pension Scheme (employer contribution 4 - 10%)
• Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan
• Life insurance
• Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
• Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
• We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential.
• Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit
• Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi

Hybrid working

Due to the nature of this role the work pattern will be 100% on site.

How to apply

Please note that as part of our commitment to anonymised shortlisting, panels do not view CVs during the recruitment process. If you choose to upload your CV, our system will automatically pull information from your CV into our application form. We advise you to double-check your application form data before submitting as the tool may interpret CVs differently.

Closing date: 23:59 on 7 December 2025

Please note that advert may close once a sufficient number of applications is reached and we encourage early application to avoid disappointment.

Interview dates: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment day on either of the following days:

• Friday 12 December
• Monday 15 December
• Wednesday 17 December

Candidates must be available from 08:45-15:00 on their selected assessment date. Due to the nature of the role, all interviews will be onsite and no interviews can be held remotely.

Please note that this role does not qualify for Museum sponsorship so the successful postholder will need to have a valid right to work in the UK at the point of offer.