Senior Retail & Visitor Services Assistant (Front of House)

The Tank Museum; Wareham; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tank Museum in Wareham is seeking a Senior Retail and Visitor Services Assistant to lead front of house operations, deliver outstanding customer service and drive sales of admissions, events and shop goods. You will supervise colleagues, coordinate tills, stock and events, and ensure a welcoming first impression for every visitor.

Reporting into the Retail and Visitor Services team, you will help plan staffing for busy days, assist with training, and act as a Fire Marshal or First Aider as

Responsibilities

• Leading front of house and supervising Retail and Visitor Services Assistants across admissions, shop, online fulfilment and stock room.
• Promoting and upselling retail products, admission and event tickets, including Membership and Gift Aid.
• Overseeing cash handling, till reconciliation and adherence to procedures.
• Ensuring stock is priced and merchandised correctly and maintaining tidy areas.
• Collaborating with other museum departments and supporting visitor events.
• Assisting with staff induction and daily staff scheduling.
• May act as Fire Marshal, First Aider, or safeguarding support as required.

Job description

The Admissions team and Museum Shop play a vital role within the organisation, serving as the first point of contact for visitors and acting as a central hub of information for the Museum. With more than 220,000 visitors passing through Admissions and the Shop each year, these areas represent a critical customer touchpoint and help shape the overall visitor experience.

Key Accountabilities

• As a Senior Retail and Visitor Services Assistant you will be putting your excellent people skills to the best possible use. Whether helping visitors on site, maintaining our stock holding or fulfilling online orders, you will be a vital member of the Retail and Visitor Services team. Amongst a varied role, duties will include (but not limited to)
• Leading by example and helping to ensure the whole team provide a high level of customer service, whether it is in person, on the phone or by email.
• Supervising the Retail and Visitor Services Assistants in their function for the day, whether it be at admissions and shop, online fulfilment, or stock room, ensuring that there are always sufficient people available for a high standard of customer service.
• Working in collaboration with the Retail and Visitor Services Operations Manager on tasking and daily staff timetables making the necessary changes as the day demands.
• Deputising in the absence of the Retail and Visitor Services Development Manager and the Retail and Visitor Services Operations Manager when required.
• Liaising with other museum departments and supporting them to help with the smooth running of the Museum.
• Supporting the wider Commercial Team in the operation and delivery of Visitor Events.
• Supervising the team to ensure admissions, stock room and retail areas are always tidy and free of clutter.
• Participate and spot the need for inventory counts.
• Support the team to set up and deliver activities and pop-up shops during event days and school holidays.
• Supporting the induction of new staff.
• You may be asked to act as a Fire Marshal, First Aider, or safeguarding support; however, training would be provided to fulfil this role.

You will specialise in the Front of House area and build generalist knowledge of the others to support the wider Retail and Visitor Services Team and enable you to supervise one of the other areas when required.

Front of House

• Ensure the team actively promote and upsell retail products, admission tickets and event tickets, including Membership, Guidebook sales, Gift Aid, Accessibility etc. Providing product information, recommendations, and assistance with purchases when required.
• Address customer enquiries and concerns promptly and professionally and supervise the team to do so.
• Ensure the Retail and Visitor Services Assistants make sure stock is correctly priced and merchandised within the shop, working with the staff in the stock areas.
• Leading by example when operating tills and processing transactions accurately adhering to our procedures and updating the team with any changes to these operating procedures.
• Key duties involve proficient cash handling; including cashing up tills at the end of shifts to ensure accurate reconciliation and reporting and safe checks.

Interviews - will be held on Monday 19h & Tuesday 20th September 2026.

The vacancy will close on 13th October 2026.