Experience Host - Smithfield (x20)

Islington Working; Smithfield (NC); On-site; USD 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform provided

Radio with earpiece

Job summary

London Museum is seeking an Experience Host to welcome visitors and keep spaces lively and safe. You will read the mood of different spaces, adjust your approach, and start conversations that connect people with London’s stories.

You’ll help with exhibitions, events and school visits, guiding visitors and supporting ticketing and donations. Our roles require flexibility, weekend work, and the ability to work across galleries and events with warmth, inclusivity and good judgment.

Qualifications

• Friendly, approachable presence with visitors
• Ability to read room mood and adapt approach
• Strong communication and listening skills
• Attention to safety, wellbeing and inclusivity

Responsibilities

• Welcome visitors in a warm, open way
• Read pace of spaces and adapt approach as energy changes
• Start conversations that spark curiosity about London’s stories
• Support exhibitions, events, school visits and late programming
• Guide visitors and provide clear directions to reduce friction
• Assist with ticketing, donations and visitor flow

Job description

At the heart of London, our museum is a meeting place for stories - past, present, and future. We are here to enrich understanding and appreciation of the city and all its people, offering a home where the extraordinary and the everyday collide. From the bustling markets to hidden histories, from riotous invention to quiet reflection, we celebrate London in all its richness and complexity.

The Experience Host role is vital to this mission. You’ll be part of a team that ensures every visitor feels welcome, every event runs seamlessly, and every corner of the museum hums with life. Here, Grit and Glitter guide everything we do: the depth, texture, and authenticity of the city’s stories, alongside moments of surprise, delight, and magic. In this role, you’ll help create experiences that are vibrant, inclusive, and unforgettable, shaping how thousands of people encounter London every day.

As an Experience Host, you will help shape how the Museum feels. You might welcome a family through the doors on a busy Saturday morning, or steady the energy around a packed school visit, or help someone find a quiet moment after a thought‑provoking exhibition, or spark curiosity with a conversation that changes the direction of someone’s day. There are no scripts here. We want people who can tune into the mood of a space, respond naturally and help visitors feel comfortable, confident and connected. Sometimes you’ll guide. Sometimes you’ll encourage. Sometimes you’ll simply know when to give someone space. You’ll work across exhibitions, events, retail spaces and late openings, helping the Museum stay safe, 1 smooth and full of life. One moment might be calm and reflective. The next could be a house party with DJs, conversation, music and crowds moving through the building long after dark. The role is practical too. You’ll support ticketing, donations, visitor flow and day‑to‑day operations. But what matters most is how you do it: with warmth, awareness and good judgement.

Duties

• Welcome visitors in a way that feels open, warm and human.
• Read the pace and mood of different spaces, adjusting your approach as the energy changes throughout the day.
• Start conversations that spark curiosity, encourage participation and help visitors connect more deeply with London’s stories.
• Help visitors feel comfortable and included, whether they know exactly where they’re going or feel completely unsure.
• Support exhibitions, events, immersive experiences, school visits and late-night programming across the Museum.
• Make things easy by giving clear guidance, reducing friction and helping visitors navigate the space confidently.
• Encourage donations, ticket sales and participation in ways that feel natural, relevant and rewarding.
• Support smooth arrivals, transactions and visitor flow using ticketing and till systems.
• Stay alert to safety, wellbeing and the atmosphere on the floor, responding calmly and confidently when things change.
• Helping visitors and colleagues stay safe during incidents, emergencies and evacuations, and providing first aid when needed.
• Work flexibly across teams and spaces, stepping in where needed to keep the visitor experience running smoothly, including providing cover in the museum shop when that is needed.

Special Circumstances:

• Hosts are expected to wear a uniform, security pass and radio with an earpiece whenever on duty which will be provided by the museum, with the exception of trousers/skirts and shoes which are to be supplied by the postholder themselves.
• The museum is a 7 day a week operation with 2 late openings per week and will regularly hold events outside its regular opening hours; flexibility to work weekends (minimum one weekend day per week), during holiday periods and before/after normal opening hours is therefore an essential requirement of this role.
• The Experience Host will be responsible for supporting the museum’s large‑scale public events and live music experiences. These events may involve amplified music, dynamic lighting effects, alcohol service, and late-night operating environments.

1. You help people feel welcome quickly, reading the mood, adjusting your approach and helping different visitors feel comfortable, confident and included.

2. You stay calm when things get busy, using good judgement to spot what matters, respond to changing situations and help keep things safe, smooth and moving.

3. You’re curious about London and people, interested in stories, communities and the details that help bring experiences to life, embracing diversity and always ensuring inclusion.

Further Essential Criteria

1. You work well with other colleagues, stepping in, helping and understanding that good visitor experiences are built together.

2. You know how to bring people in, spotting when someone needs information, encouragement or simply reassurance to take part.

3. You notice what is happening around you, staying alert to safety, wellbeing and potential issues before they become problems.

4. You build trust through how you listen and communicate, making people feel heard, supported and comfortable to explore, ask questions or join in.

See document and link for the London Museums behaviours.

Desirable criteria

Not specified

Additional information

Various hours available, working at least one weekend day each week is required. Please see the Special Circumstances section in this Job Description for more information about the working arrangements for this role. The salary will be pro-rata'd for part-time hours.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an assessment day during the weeks commencing 31 August and 7 September. Assessment days will include a mixture of individual and group activities designed to help us understand your skills, strengths and how you demonstrate our museum behaviours.

London Museum is committed to being an equitable and inclusive employer, and to becoming representative of the diversity of London. We particularly welcome applications from people from Global Majority backgrounds, who are currently under‑represented in our organisation.

We also welcome applications from disabled people, as we’re a Disability Confident Leader and are committed to recruiting, retaining and developing disabled people.

Find out more about these behaviours, what it’s like to work in London Museum and get some top tips on how to make the best of your application here: https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/about/careers/

Documents

• Further documents available but can only be accessed by registered users