Visitor Experience Assistant

Do you enjoy helping people feel welcome and creating memorable days out? Could you bring warmth, energy and confidence to a public-facing role at Locomotion?

About us

The Science Museum Group encompasses the Science Museum, the National Railway Museum, the Science and Industry Museum, the National Science and Media Museum, Locomotion and the Science and Innovation Park, making us one of the world's leading groups of science museums.

Locomotion, as sister museum to the National Railway Museum and part of the Science Museum Group, exists to inspire the next generation with the past, present and future of the railways. Critical to this is how we welcome our visitors, providing them with an exceptional experience and encouraging them to visit again and again.

We're now looking for Visitor Experience Assistants to join us at Locomotion in Shildon. We have three casual positions available paid at £13.45 per hour.

As a Visitor Experience Assistant, you'll support the day-to-day operation of the museum and help every visitor enjoy a welcoming, safe and seamless experience.

You'll work across a variety of visitor-facing areas, welcoming people to our two collection buildings and the wider estate, answering questions and helping them plan their visit. You'll also support ticket scanning and group bookings, fundraising and retail activities, which could include encouraging donations, entering details into Tessitura, selling items and helping to keep our retail spaces well stocked and presented.

You may support the delivery of our events and exhibitions programme, assist with activities and housekeeping, and help maintain the security of our buildings, site and collections through regular patrols and remaining vigilant. You'll also contribute to high standards of presentation, safety and visitor care across your working areas, as well as acting as a marshal during evacuations when required.

This is an active, hands-on role based fully on site. It involves some outdoor working and manual handling, and you may help with setting up activities, events and exhibitions. We're open seven days a week, so weekend working is required as part of the role, with shifts generally scheduled between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Some evening working may also be required to support the successful delivery of projects.

Candidates shortlisted for this role must be available to attend an in-person Assessment Centre at Locomotion on Monday 23 November 2026. Applications close at 11pm on Sunday 15 November 2026. The provisional induction week will begin from Monday 21 December 2026.

This is a varied role where no two days are quite the same. It offers the opportunity to build your knowledge of the museum, develop new skills and play an important part in creating positive experiences for visitors of all ages.

You'll have experience of working in a high-quality visitor service and, most importantly, you'll enjoy working with people and be committed to providing a friendly, professional and inclusive service.

An effective and confident communicator, you'll be able to engage positively with a wide range of visitors, convey varied information and respond to questions professionally and knowledgeably. You'll use initiative to solve problems and act in the moment, while remaining comfortable working in both busy environments and during quieter periods.

You'll be conscientious and punctual and comfortable working collaboratively as part of a diverse team, as well as independently without supervision when needed. You'll be willing to learn key facts and ideas to support talks, tours, workshops, shows and demonstrations, and ready to contribute to team sales targets through up-selling and donation asks.

You'll also be comfortable using front-of-house software, cash tills and standard software packages including Microsoft Office, and understand the importance of identifying and managing safety risks, following operating procedures and complying with health and safety requirements.

Most importantly, you'll bring a flexible, practical and visitor-focused approach, alongside a genuine commitment to helping us build an open and inclusive organisation. We're committed to making reasonable adjustments wherever possible and welcome conversations about how we can support you to carry out the role successfully.

Don't feel you meet all the criteria? We welcome you to apply even if your experience doesn't match directly. With your transferable skills, you could be the right candidate for this or another opportunity with us.

View the Vacancy Information Pack listed under 'Attachments' on the vacancy listing on our website for more details about the role and the application process or click 'Apply Online' to submit an application.