Deputy Visitor Services Officer

Job description

Part-Time 16.5 hours, permanent contract

**About us**

Do you thrive in a busy, customer-focused and creative environment? If so, this is the job for you You will be assisting our Visitor Service Officer to ensure the delivery of excellent customer experience and service by our front of house team.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our dedicated Museum team, who offer a warm welcome to visitors from our local communities and from further afield. Reading Museum is based in the Victorian Town Hall right in the heart of the rejuvenated Abbey Quarter. Every year over 100,000 visitors enjoy our galleries displaying everything from Huntley & Palmers biscuit tins and archaeology from Roman Silchester, to our famous Victorian copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. Customers also come to enjoy our temporary displays, exhibitions, interactive schools workshops, varied programme of family activities and to visit our shop.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

**About the role**

We want our people to be the best they can and to give them a platform from which they can deliver the highest quality services for our residents. We work in partnership with many organisations delivering properties to be proud of in Reading and we are looking for people who want to make a difference through supporting the best use of our land and property assets.

Key areas of responsibility include:

- Undertake a range of corporate property management functions, commercial and residential property valuations
- Provide effective operational and practical property and land advice, including valuation, disposals, acquisitions, landlord and tenant and investment advice
- Negotiate terms for new lettings, acquisition, disposal, and dilapidations claims
- Act as Expert Witness to the Council in any property related Court hearing or Arbitration cases

You will be part of a great team that shares knowledge and works closely with colleagues across the organisation. Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success.

Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
**Work Together as one team - **work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do.

**Drive Efficiency - **show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

**Be Ambitious - **be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

**Make a Difference to Reading - **maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

**About you**

**We are looking for**:

- A motivated and creative person to join our dynamic and inventive museum team.
- You must be an effective communicator who enjoys working with individuals and groups of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
- Someone who has great customer service skills and experience in a retail and/or visitor experience environment
- A positive attitude and a passion for museums and heritage

**About the role**

Key responsibilities will be to:

- Assist the Visitor Services Officer to develop the Museum’s visitor services, ensuring an exceptional visitor experience
- Assist with the management of shop stock control, buying and merchandising to maximise retail income
- Assist with the planning, supervision and deliver of family-friendly events and activity programmes to the public in the museum and other locations
- Assist with the monitoring and response to customer feedback and the collection and analysis of feedback and visitor statistics/performance indicators
- Act as Duty Officer, supervising staff and volunteers, ensuring an efficient and welcoming customer-orientated experience
- Assist with evaluating the performance of the Museum’s retail activities
- Assist with the creation and amendment of team rotas
- Assist with the submission of monthly timesheets and sick forms to payroll
- Contribute to the Museum blog and social media

You will report to the Visitor Services Officer and be a full and active member of the wider Museum team.

**Our offer**

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

- Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days h