Visitor Experience First Line Manager

The British Museum; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme 28.97%

25 days' annual leave + holidays + 2.5

Staff parties & social clubs

Employee Assistance Programme 24/7

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking an experienced Visitor Experience First Line Manager to lead and develop a team of Visitor Experience Assistants across our galleries. This leadership role focuses on delivering outstanding visitor experiences, operational excellence, safety and team performance in a busy public environment.

You will manage on-floor leadership, staff deployment, incident response and presentation standards, supporting exhibitions, programmes and events while fostering a culture of

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing frontline teams.
• Strong people management including performance management and coaching.
• Experience delivering outstanding visitor service in busy public environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead on performance and appraisals, supporting training and personal and professional development.
• Undertake employee relations processes where required.
• Lead proactive, informative and engaging daily briefings.
• Plan and coordinate resources.
• Ensure health, safety and security in public spaces.
• Manage operational situations such as emergencies, incidents and visitor complaints.
• Maintain high standards of presentation throughout the Museum by providing information and guidance to visitors and encouraging feedback.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Customer service excellence

Crisis management

Communication

Organisational skills

Team development

Job description

Are you an experienced visitor experience, customer service or operations leader looking for your next challenge in the museum and cultural sector? We are seeking an exceptional Visitor Experience First Line Manager to lead and develop a team of Visitor Experience Assistants within one of the world's most visited cultural attractions. This is a highly visible leadership role, responsible for ensuring outstanding standards of visitor experience, operational excellence, safety and team performance across our galleries. You'll lead by example on the floor, managing visitor flow, coordinating staff deployment, responding to incidents, resolving customer issues, and maintaining exceptional presentation standards throughout the galleries. You will play a key role in supporting daily delivery, major exhibitions, public programmes and special events while ensuring health, safety and security procedures are consistently maintained. At the heart of the role is your ability to motivate, coach and develop your team, creating a positive culture focused on service excellence and continuous improvement. This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident people manager who thrives in busy visitor-facing environments and is passionate about delivering memorable experiences for diverse audiences.

• Lead on performance and appraisals, supporting training and personal and professional development
• Undertake employee relations processes where required

Operational Management

• Lead proactive, informative and engaging daily briefings
• Plan and coordinate resources
• Ensure health, safety and security in public spaces
• Manage operational situations such as emergencies, incidents and visitor complaints

Visitor Experience

• Maintain high standards of presentation throughout the Museum by providing information and guidance to visitors and encouraging visitors' feedback

The Masterplan The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane - who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing frontline teams
• Strong people management capability, including performance management, coaching and employee relations
• Experience delivering outstanding customer or visitor service in busy public environments with a commitment to creating inclusive, welcoming experiences for all visitors
• Confidence making operational decisions and managing challenging situations while remaining calm, professional and decisive
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organisational skills and a proactive approach to problem solving
• Experience within the museum, arts or heritage sector would be advantageous, but applications are welcomed from candidates with transferable leadership experience from other visitor-focused environments.

At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we've outlined some highlights below:

• Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with 28.97% employer contribution.
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
• Social and wellbeing perks including Staff parties, social clubs, CSSC sports and leisure, and support from the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.
• Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
• Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
• Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.

Our Values

Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:

• Care Deeply
• Embrace the Unknown
• Spark Curiosity
• Value Many Voices

These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.

Additional details If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [email protected].

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.