The Visitor Services Lead plays a central role in the smooth daily running of Surgeons’ Hall Museums. Working within the Visitor Services team, you will provide on-shift operational leadership to ensure visitors enjoy a safe, welcoming, and high-quality experience.
Acting as the visible lead on the gallery floor, you will guide and support the Visitor Services Assistants (VSAs) throughout the day, ensuring service standards are consistently met. While not a formal line manager, you will carry delegated supervisory responsibilities, coordinate daily activities, and take the lead in responding to visitor issues or incidents such as evacuations or first aid.
This is a varied and rewarding role, ideal for someone who enjoys being hands-on in a busy public environment, has excellent interpersonal skills, and thrives on supporting and motivating others.
The post is 28 hours per week (0.8 FTE), normally worked across four days on a rota, including weekends and occasional evenings.
The Visitor Services Lead reports to the Visitor Services Supervisor.
Requirements
The successful candidate will have a good general education (for example GCSEs/National 5, A Levels/Highers, or equivalent) and proven experience in a visitor-facing customer service role. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to provide clear direction and support to colleagues and to lead by example in daily operations. The role requires sound judgement, calm decision-making under pressure, awareness of health, safety and security in a public environment, and confidence with cash and card transactions.
It would be advantageous, though not essential, to have prior experience of supervisory or shift-leading responsibilities, experience working in museums, heritage or cultural venues, first aid training, or knowledge of museum and heritage operations.
Other information
Dates of interviews will be confirmed in due course. Candidates who have been shortlisted for interview will be contacted in the first instance by email.
The application is a tool for helping us to shortlist candidates for interview and as a basis for the interview itself. Any decision to shortlist you for interview will be based solely upon the information you supply on your application.
If you have any difficulty in completing the forms or require the forms in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment Department by e-mail: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an equal opportunities employer. If you consider you have a disability (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) and have any specific requirements, or require assistance or reasonable adjustments (for example, information in larger font) to be made for you during the selection process, we will do our best to assist you. You are given the opportunity to express your needs by attaching a separate sheet to your application form or by contacting the HR Department on +44 (0) 131 527 1587 or by e-mail: recruitment@rcsed.ac.uk
The Equal Opportunities Monitoring form can be returned with your application. It will be retained within the HR Department and used solely for monitoring purposes; it will not be made available to the short-listing panel.
Thank you for your interest in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. We look forward to receiving your completed application by 9am on Friday 16 January 2026. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact us.
Please note, previous unsuccessful applicants need not apply.