Bookseller - 7409

Cambridge University Press & Assessment; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 22,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave plus bank hols

Private medical insurance

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is hiring a part-time Bookseller for our city centre bookshop in Cambridge. You will handle till transactions, assist customers with titles and merchandise, and help visitors with information about the books and our products.

You’ll work one weekend day per week on a rota, with additional ad hoc weekday shifts during peak periods. The role emphasizes customer service, accuracy, and friendly engagement with academics and tourists alike.

Qualifications

• Customer-facing role with high standard of service
• Ability to handle till and money accurately
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Comfortable using tills, databases, and email enquiries

Responsibilities

• Serve customers at the till with accuracy and courtesy
• Assist customers with queries about titles, merchandise and tourist information
• Help customers locate books using intranet search and maintain displays
• Answer telephone and email enquiries professionally
• Restock books and merchandise and keep shelves tidy and priced correctly

Job description

Job Title: Bookseller

Salary: Saturday: £14.85/hour Sunday: £15.85/hour

Location: Cambridge University Press Bookshop

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part time, 5.5 hours per week

We are thrilled to announce an exciting part-time opportunity to join our team as a Bookseller to work in our prestigious city centre Bookshop, where we showcase Cambridge University Press & Assessment titles, and sell a range of high-quality merchandise.

As Bookseller, you'll work one weekend day per week, following a rota, with other ad hoc work during the week. Ideally, you will work a few weekdays per month, more at peak times such as the summer months and school holiday periods. Weekday work is not guaranteed, and candidates' availability can be explored at interview.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About The Role

This is a customer facing role involving a high standard of customer service to a range of customers, including academics and tourists. The requirements of the role are:

• To serve customers at the till, giving excellent customer service and handling money accurately.
• Assist customers with a range of queries, including Cambridge University Press & Assessment titles, merchandise, and tourist information.
• Help customers find books across the shop, using an intranet-based computer search.
• Answer telephone and email enquiries professionally and accurately.
• Restock books and merchandise, checking books are priced, alphabetised, and in the correct sections and ensuring shelves are dust-free and tidy.

To be available to work on one weekend day per week, as per an advance rota, by mixing Saturday (9.50am - 17.35pm) and Sunday (10.50am - 17.05pm), throughout the year.

About You

You're a confident and adaptable individual with a solid awareness of Cambridge University Press & Assessment products and a keen eye for detail. Your excellent interpersonal and communication skills help you build strong relationships and work effectively across teams. You're comfortable multitasking in a fast-paced environment and are always willing to take on a variety of duties. With strong attention to detail, you take pride in delivering quality work.

You'll enjoy providing excellent customer service, confidently assisting customers at the till, helping them locate books and resources, and offering knowledgeable guidance on our products. You'll also be happy to support the smooth running of the bookshop by restocking shelves, maintaining attractive displays, and carrying out general operational tasks across our three shop floors. Tech-savvy and organised, you're comfortable using tills, databases, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and other digital tools to support your role efficiently and effectively.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Previous retail experience
• Previous experience in a customer facing role
• Previous Bookshop experience

For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.

Please note, Cambridge University Press & Assessment is unable to sponsor this role under the Skilled Worker Visa route as it does not meet the minimum skill requirements.

Rewards And Benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 27th September. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place from week commencing 12th October.

If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• One stage interview: in-person at our Bookshop in Central Cambridge.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together.

We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.