Chiswick House and Gardens Trust

Chiswick House Visitor Services’ Assistant Full Time and Part Time seasonal posts Salary: £16,800 p.a. pro rata

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsible to: House Supervisor

To start: 19th February 2018 or as soon as possible.

Target Audiences: Chiswick House visitors, English Heritage members, attendees of public and commercial events, CHGT colleagues, contractors and suppliers, English Heritage contractors and staff

Job Function: To provide welcoming and efficient customer service for visitors to Chiswick House and Gardens. Each team member is expected to provide effective operational staffing of Chiswick House and the gardens, to steward public and private events, and contribute to sales targets. He/she will work closely with the rest of the Trust’s team to enable every visitor to have an uplifting and inspiring experience.

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust was incorporated in 2004 to unite the Grade 1 listed, 65 acre estate, and the Grade 1 listed Neo-Palladian villa, under one management.

The objectives of the Trust are to preserve, restore, maintain and enhance Chiswick House and Gardens and its contents, for the education and benefit of the public, and the historical and architectural heritage of England.

Our over-arching aim is to position this world heritage, Grade 1 listed site centre- stage in West London, and to attract a much wider audience (current visitor numbers to Chiswick House is 12,000 pa).

In 2010, the Trust assumed the management of the gardens after a major restoration on behalf of the London Borough of Hounslow. On 1st April 2017, the Trust assumed management responsibility for Chiswick House from English Heritage Trust. A capital works programme is planned, subject to funding, to create a new visitor reception, disabled access, refurbished state rooms and a new permanent exhibition.

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Estate Yard Chiswick House Hogarths Lane London W4 2QN MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST

 To maximise visitor’s enjoyment of Chiswick House and Gardens  To deliver excellent standards of customer service throughout the visitor experience  To optimise opportunities to generate income through retail sales, audio visual tour sales and donations, and contribute to achieving the annual sales targets  To ensure Chiswick House and its assets are safe and secure through effective stewarding  To provide stewardship of public and private events run by the Trust

Sales and Marketing  To contribute to the fulfilment of retail targets through welcoming and effective customer interaction, care and maintenance of the shop displays, and effective use of retail systems.

Customer service  To provide a welcoming first point of contact and ensure all visitors have the best possible experience.  To advise visitors about the House, events and tours and talks, facilities, other local attractions and public transport.  To contribute to the visitors’ enjoyment of the museum by exhibiting a good knowledge of the House and Gardens, and being able to present this knowledge effectively  To support and advance the Trust’s commitment to equal opportunities in all interactions with the public  To respond to telephone and email enquiries and ensure provision of gallery seats, wheelchairs and other assistance to visitors

Retail and Reception administration  To ensure the highest standards of presentation of stock, displays, signage and information throughout the shop, including cleaning duties  To assist in the good management of stock and use of till systems  To gather marketing information from visitors as required  To use the Trust’s point of sale systems to complete transactions, opening up at the beginning of the day and cashing up at the end of the day, in line with the Trust’s financial procedures  To assist with the taking of group bookings and administration of group visits  To keep records of visitors on computer systems and databases as needed

House Procedures Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Estate Yard Chiswick House Hogarths Lane London W4 2QN  Adhere to the Trust’s standards of collection care, ensuring Chiswick House and its grounds are kept to high standards of presentation and cleanliness – to include general cleaning of visitor and staff areas, toilet cleaning, emptying waste bins, mopping, sweeping etc.  Reporting all instances of damage and wear and tear to the House Supervisor  Follow and contribute to all health and safety, and security procedures

Events in Chiswick House  Contribute to oversight and management of event set up, operation and break down for the Trust’s public programme of weddings, filming and photography shoots, and other public and private events.

Other  Any other reasonable duties appropriate to the post, as required by the Trust

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential  Experience of delivering excellent customer experience  Retail experience and cash handling  Experience of working in events or hospitality

Desirable  Worked within a heritage/cultural environment  First Aid certificate  Awareness of licensing laws

Qualifications – Educated to A level standard or equivalent

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

This role will be offered on a permanent contract with seasonal hours covering the opening season of Chiswick House, and to start as soon as possible. Outside of the normal season, flexible work may be offered over the closed season on a zero hours, as-needed, basis.

Hours of Work: We are offering two full time posts and two part time posts. Full time posts will involve working 37.5 hours across five days a week out of seven, on a rota. Normal shifts are eight and a half hours starting between 8am and 11am. Part time posts will involve working a set number of hours to be agreed but likely to be around 18.75 per week on average, with days to be agreed. However, the successful candidate will be expected to work weekends and evenings as needed.

Additional out of hours event cover will be paid as over-time at the rate of £11 per hour.

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Estate Yard Chiswick House Hogarths Lane London W4 2QN Remuneration and benefits: The salary for this position is £16,800 pro rata. Overtime, where agreed, is at £11 per hour.

You will be entitled to paid leave based on a proportion of hours worked, based on 25 days per annum pro rata, plus a proportion of bank holidays.

We also operate an auto-enrolment contributory pension scheme to which you will have access once you meet eligibility criteria on length of service, age and earnings, in line with current regulations.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please email your CV and a supporting statement explaining how you meet the person specification to: [email protected].

Closing date for applications: 1pm, Monday 5 th February 2018.

Recruitment/Interview day: Friday 9 th February. Note that this day will involve shortlisted candidates engaging in group and individual practical assessments as well as a formal interview. Applicants should assume they will be required for the whole day, from 9.30am to 4.30pm. There are no alternative dates.

Thank you for your interest in Chiswick House and Gardens Trust. As we are a small team, if you have not heard from us by Friday 9th February, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

January 2018

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Estate Yard Chiswick House Hogarths Lane London W4 2QN