Events

Surgeons’ Hall Museum is one of Edinburgh’s leading visitor attractions, welcoming audiences to explore the history, development and practice of surgery through internationally significant collections. Alongside its permanent displays, the Museum delivers a growing programme of public events and experiences, from Museum Lates and walking tours to talks, special programmes and commercial activities.

We are looking for an organised, enthusiastic and audience-focused Events and Marketing Assistant to help us deliver and grow this programme.

Working closely with the Museum’s Events Officer and Marketing Officer, you will provide practical, administrative and promotional support across the planning, delivery and evaluation of events. You will help coordinate bookings, audience communications, suppliers and freelance creatives; support event set-up and delivery; and assist with promoting activity through the Museum’s website, social media, listings and email communications.

This is a varied role combining behind-the-scenes organisation with hands-on public-facing work. On an event day you might be helping prepare a space, welcoming audiences or supporting a walking tour; at other times you could be scheduling social media content, responding to booking enquiries, gathering audience feedback or helping analyse how an event has performed.

You will also support the testing and development of new live experiences, helping the Museum understand what works for different audiences and contributing to the future growth and sustainability of its events programme.

The post is part of Vital Signs, a three-year project supported by Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project will enable the Museum to strengthen its public programme, reach new and more diverse audiences, test new approaches and build capacity for the future.

The role is based at Surgeons’ Hall Museumin Edinburgh and involves regular evening and weekend work according to the events programme. Working patterns will be planned in advance to ensure contracted hours are maintained.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Provide logistical and administrative support to the Events Officer and Marketing Officer across planning, marketing, delivery, and evaluation of events.
Assist with the setup, running and clear-up of events, including evening and weekend programming such as Museum Lates and walking tours.
Support liaison with freelance creatives such as walking tour guides, coordinating availability, bookings, and invoicing to ensure smooth delivery of the programme.
Coordinate basic ticketing and audience communications, including queries and pre-visit information.
Support the preparation, proofing and scheduling of marketing and promotional content across website, social media, listings, and email newsletters.
Monitor and collate audience feedback and event metrics to support evaluation.
Support the testing and documentation of new live experience formats to inform future programme development.
Liaise with suppliers and partners to ensure smooth delivery of events.
Help ensure accessibility and inclusion considerations are reflected in logistics and communications.
Maintain administrative records and assist with documentation, bookings and internal calendars.
Support content gathering (e.g. photos, quotes, analytics) for impact reporting and marketing use.
Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade as required to support the wider programme.

Experience, Qualifications and Key Skills

You will have relevant vocational training or equivalent professional experience and experience of supporting public-facing events, programmes or visitor activities. You will be highly organised, comfortable managing multiple tasks and deadlines, and confident communicating with a wide range of people. You will have experience supporting marketing or promotional activity and be comfortable using social media, digital tools and email platforms. Strong written communication and attention to detail are important, as you will help prepare, proof and schedule content and respond to audience enquiries and bookings. You will enjoy working as part of a small, busy team while also being able to manage your own workload and respond calmly and practically when plans change. You should be comfortable working with diverse audiences and committed to providing an inclusive and high-quality visitor experience.

Experience of working in a heritage, cultural or other public-facing organisation would be advantageous, as would experience of content management systems, ticketing or booking platforms, basic graphic design, digital analytics or tools such as Canva, Photoshop, Premiere Pro or Audition. Because of the nature of Surgeons’ Hall Museum and its collections, you will also need an awareness of, and aptitude for working with, sensitive and ethically complex subject matter, including human remains, in accordance with Museum policies and professional standards. This role may particularly appeal to someone looking to build a career in museum events, marketing or audience engagement and who enjoys a combination of practical event delivery, creative communications and public-facing work.

Our thanks

Vital Signs is made possible with support from Museums Galleries Scotland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are grateful for their support in enabling Surgeons’ Hall Museumto develop new experiences, strengthen its engagement with audiences and build a sustainable programme for the future.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit:

A current CV (maximum two A4 pages); and
A supporting statement (maximum two A4 pages) outlining your interest in the role and demonstrating how your skills,
knowledge and experience must meet the requirements of the person specification.
Closing date for applications: 12 October 2026
Please note that applications submitted without both a CV and supporting statement may not be considered.

Contact Information

For any queries, you can email our team on: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW