Job vacancy – Museum Assistant at Bow Street Police Museum

Job Title: Museum Assistant
Location: Bow Street Police Museum (New Opening), London (WC2E 7AW)
Hours: Part Time (three days a week / weekends and evenings required).
Term: Fixed term for 6 months (with the possibility to renew) starting early 2021
Salary: £25,000 per annum pro rata (equivalent to £15,000 per annum for 3 days per week)
Closing Date: 06 December 2020

Bow Street Police Museum is a new independent museum opening in early 2021. We are currently looking to recruit two Museum Assistants to join our small team.

Located in the former Police Station and Magistrate’s Court on Bow Street in Covent Garden, the museum is filled with rich stories of investigations, arrests and justice being served. From the earliest watchmen and Bow Street Runners, to the modern magistrates presiding over cases of international renown, peoples’ stories are at the heart of our content. The Museum will run as an independent Trust that will eventually be expected to be self-sufficient, but will be supported initially by the owners of the building who are creating a high-end lifestyle hotel under the NoMad brand operated by the Sydell Group.

Our purpose

As a museum, our purpose is to engage audiences in an ongoing conversation about the history of policing in London. Through our exhibitions, talks, workshops and events we will focus specifically on the role of Bow Street within that history, and the ensuing impact of these events on the lives of Londoners past, present and future.

As an organisation, we are committed to providing opportunities that are inclusive and accessible to all. We plan to build partnerships across industries to ensure our work reflects, and represents the voices of everyone we engage with.

The role
The role of Museum Assistant is to support the day-to-day operations of the museum; welcoming visitors and engaging them with the history of the site and exhibitions on display, supporting the promotion and delivery of events, and maintaining operational procedures for safety and security. The Museum Assistants will also contribute to the vision and values of the Museum, which prioritises inclusion and accessibility for all.

The Museum will be open 3 days a week, Fri- Sun, for the first 6 months. In addition, evening events by both the hotel and Museum will take place in the Museum space, and will require the support of museum staff. Working days will be assigned on a rota based system to ensure weekend working and event opportunities are fairly distributed to every member of the team.

Responsibilities:
Customer service and visitor engagement
• Welcome visitors to the museum
• Provide information about the exhibitions, and history of the site
• Respond to enquires – in person, and via the website or email

Ticketing and retail
• Sell and issue tickets in person, or over the phone, as required
• Sell retail items from the museum shop
• Monitor online retail sales, pack and ship items to customers as required

Safety and security
• Understand and comply with all operational policies and procedures to ensure safety and security of visitors, exhibits and building

Events and activities
• Support the Museum Manager to develop a programme of events connected to the content and themes of the museum’s exhibitions – this will include activities onsite, offsite and online
• Provide operational support during events
• Generate promotional content (text and images) about events for publication on social media, the museum’s website and in the museum’s quarterly newsletter

Access and inclusion
• Represent Bow Street Police Museum at local and sector-leading networks that support venues to become fully accessible, and inclusive for all audiences

Website and social media
• Work alongside the Museum team to generate content for social media and the museum’s website
• Monitor online engagement, responding to questions and enquiries as they arise

Person specification:
• Experience of delivering high-quality customer service in a public-facing environment
• Experience of engaging the public, and sharing information in an interesting and compelling way
• Demonstrable experience of delivering public events in a museum, or similar heritage or arts venue
• A clear understanding of how to develop compelling events inspired by a historical collection or story
• A clear understanding of the barriers to engagement faced by different audiences, and ways to overcome those barriers
• Demonstrable experience of using social media, and social analytics tools ü

Skills:
• Excellent communication, customer care and organisation skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks during busy periods
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Flexibility to meet changing requirements

Bow Street Police Museum promotes diversity and equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from people regardless of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, or religious beliefs.

To apply
To apply, send your CV, together with a cover letter detailing how you meet the person specification provided in the job description, to [email protected] before the closing date of 6 December 2020.