Visitor Services

JOB PURPOSE
A Visitor Services Assistant is crucial to our visitors’ lasting impression of the property and in establishing and maintaining the Trust’s reputation as a guardian of Scotland’s heritage, and as the organisation that actively wants people to engage with and enjoy the properties it cares for. You will ensure the stories of the families who lived at Brodick Castle are told in an engaging and informative manner, as well as information pertaining to the site. As a guide you will bring our museum accredited collection and interpretation to life.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Customer Service & Visitor Experience
 Deliver a consistently high standard of customer service to all visitors.
 Provide confident knowledge of the collection and stories of Brodick Castle.
 Actively research independently to inform knowledge growth where appropriate.
 Provide general information to visitors about the wider site, including directions, facilities, opening hours, and key points of interest across Brodick Castle, Gardens and Country Park.
 Support occasional admissions and retail processes.
 Assisting with queue management by working at pace during busy periods to maintain a smooth visitor journey.

Membership Engagement & Promotion
 Share the benefits of membership with ticket holders and actively seek innovative ways to encourage recruitment.
 Actively promote the work of the National Trust for Scotland and the value of membership to existing and potential members.
 Occasionally processing sales of memberships through the tills.

Room Guiding and Tour Leading
 Deliver engaging content relevant to Brodick Castle to a wide range of audiences.
 Ask as a knowledge ambassador sharing the history, collection and wider landscape in an accessible way.
 Adapt tours and interpretation styles to meet the needs and requirement of group dynamics.
 Support the delivery of programmed activities in education sessions and themed tours.
 Support story telling by delivering talks in costumes relating to the stories being told.
 Develop a catalogue of stories of your special interest relevant to Brodick Castle.

Health, Safety and Welfare
 Ensure the health, safety and welfare or staff and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies.
 Work in line with the properties Risk Assessments and report any hazards, incidents or maintenance issues promptly.
 Carry out security duties, including opening and closing of the rooms within the castle, ensuring the space is safe, secure and ready for visitors at the start and end of each day.
 Assist as a fire marshal for the safety of all staff and visitors.

Communication and Teamwork
 A flexible approach to scheduling on a variable shift pattern.
 Communicating effectively with colleagues, supervisors and managers to support smooth daily operations – via radio/telephone and email.
 Contributing to a positive and inclusive team culture.
 Participation in educational programmes may require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To maximise visitor enjoyment of visitors to Brodie Castle and Estate by delivering the highest standards of housekeeping, and customer care across public facilities.

Background

Brodie Castle and Estate is situated in the parish of Dyke and Moy, Morayshire and boasts thousands of visitors each year. The castle has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland since 1979 and opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1980. Within Brodie Castle there are historic interiors of exceptional quality, which contain fine plaster ceilings and collections of international significance.
Brodie Estate is also home to The Playful Garden which contains a fascinating menagerie of characters inspired by the castle’s quirky and colourful history, including Scotland’s biggest bunny sculpture.

The post-holder is responsible, with the support of the Housekeeping and Holiday – Let Supervisor for delivering the highest standards of housekeeping across public facilities and staff office spaces.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Key Purposes of the post will be met by ensuring all public facilities and office spaces are cleaned and presented by the highest possible standard.

General Housekeeping:
Undertaking the routine cleaning and housekeeping of the public facilities on site which are spread across 3 main areas of the Estate. Duties include but not limited to:
• Vacuuming, sweeping, mopping of floors
• Cleaning of lavatories, sinks, staff-rooms etc
• Emptying bins
• Restocking toilet paper, soap and handtowels
• Dusting/polishing of fittings such as panelling, stairs, and doors
• Dusting/wiping of sills, skirting’s, door-frames, and window frames
• Cleaning of windows
 Supporting the use of the property for functions and events by:
o Protecting vulnerable collections;
o Assisting with functions furniture set-up and striking;
o Clearing and cleaning before and after the event.

Holiday Let Accommodation (the Laird’s Wing and other holiday cottages):
Undertaking occasional support in servicing of let accommodation of the property, including but not limited to:
• Vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, polishing of floors
• Dusting of surfaces, fittings, furniture, ornaments, doors
• Cleaning of windows
• Changing of bed linen and towels, and making of beds
• Cleaning of bathroom/toilet areas and fittings
• Cleaning of (let) kitchen/scullery areas and equipment
• Checking functionality of lighting, heating, TV/radio etc
• Replenishing of welcome/hospitality trays, and consumables
• Checking of collections and domestic inventories during changeover – specifically in the Laird’s Apartment.

Collections Care:
Very occasional Collection Care support may be required.

SCOPE OF ROLE

People Management
• Not a line manager
• Will work closely with other property colleagues and will have interaction with other technical/specialist advisory colleagues based in other locations and departments
• Will work with contractors working on site and suppliers
• Will have daily interaction with members of the public of all ages and abilities

Financial Management
• Not a budget holder.

Tools/Equipment
• Will be a frequent user of cleaning materials, tools and specialist cleaning chemicals;
• May be a user of ladders, hand tools etc. required to gain access to and to perform conservation work/cleaning;
• May be a user of IT equipment
• May wear PPE for personal protection and protection of the property.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

The below outlines the key skills the job holder will need to possess and exercise. In addition, either knowledge of or experience in the following is required:

Essential
• Attentive to detail with an eye for presentation and finish;
• Personal commitment to high standards of cleaning;
• Ability to manage time efficiently and effectively in an environment of changing priorities;
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently without close supervision;
• Willing to show commitment and flexibility in work practice.
• A personal commitment to excellence in customer care with the ability to enthuse and motivate others;

Desirable
• Experience as a Housekeeping Assistant (or similar) in a busy visitor attraction.
• Previous housekeeping experience including cleaning and presentation of areas open to the public or let for holiday rentals and/or cleaning of domestic and staff areas.

As a Brand Home Ambassador & Tour Guide, you will be the face of our brand new distillery and visitor centre in Luss.

Your role will be pivotal in delivering exceptional, engaging, and educational experiences to all guests, from immersive gin tours and to bespoke whisky tastings. You will bring our wide portfolio of brands to life, ensuring every visitor leaves with a memorable experience.

Please apply using the link below, or reach out with any questions to information@lussdistillery.com

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Provide a consistently high standard of customer service

• Welcome customers at all our key touch points, from their arrival in our car park and entrance area, to making purchases in our café and shop, exploring our unique reconstruction of a 300-year-old turf house or enjoying the info hub, cinema and exhibition.
• Provide a responsive, friendly and efficient service tailored to the needs of both individual visitors and tour groups.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the place you work, enabling you to share stories.

• visitors, offer ideas to help them enjoy their visit and answer common questions.
Follow guidelines to ensure retail or catering displays remain enticing throughout the day and help with stock replenishment to ensure product availability.
• Work flexibly and in harmony with your colleagues across departments, supporting each other to make best use of team resources, especially at busy times.
• Seek visitor feedback and share your own ideas to develop and improve our offer, service and operations.
• Help gather photos / videos for social media to promote our activities and encourage visits.
• Assist with the set-up, stewarding and break-down of functions and events.

Generate the income that enables us to look after special places

• Be aware of the team’s targets for generating income and aim to achieve and exceed them.
• Actively upsell our café, shop and membership products and services with excellent product knowledge, tailored to customer preferences.
• Be responsible for accurate and secure till operation and sales processing, supporting the reconciliation of end-of-day takings.

Maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation and safety

• Help with behind-the-scenes tasks to prepare for opening at the start of the day and close-down at the end.
• Take pride in the presentation of our buildings and surrounding landscape, maintaining high standards throughout by helping to clean public and staff areas.
• Report all instances of damage, wear and tear or maintenance needs promptly.
• Ensure you are clearly identifiable and appropriately dressed by wearing uniform, name badge and PPE, as required.
• Share responsibility for the health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to NTS Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Provide a consistently high standard of customer service

• Welcome customers and offer an exceptional visitor experience at our key touch points, from arriving in our car park and coach park, to climbing up the Monument and enjoying our exhibition, or making purchases in our café and shop.
• Provide a responsive, friendly and efficient service, tailored to the needs of both individual visitors and tour groups.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the place you work, enabling you to share stories with visitors, offer ideas to help them enjoy their visit and answer common questions.
• Follow guidelines to ensure retail or catering displays remain enticing throughout the day and help with stock replenishment to ensure product availability.
• Work flexibly and in harmony with your colleagues across departments, supporting each other to make best use of team resources, especially at busy times.
• Seek visitor feedback and share your own ideas to develop and improve our offer, service and operations.
• Help gather photos / videos for social media to promote our activities and encourage visits.
• Assist with the set-up, stewarding and break-down of functions and events.

Generate the income that enables us to look after special places

• Be aware of the team’s targets for generating income and aim to achieve and exceed them.
• Actively upsell our café, shop and membership offer and services with excellent product knowledge, tailored to customer preferences.
• Be responsible for accurate and secure till operation and sales processing, supporting the reconciliation of end-of-day takings.

Maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation and safety

• Help with behind-the-scenes tasks to prepare for opening at the start of the day and close-down at the end.
• Take pride in the presentation of our buildings and surrounding landscape, maintaining high standards throughout by helping to clean public and staff areas.
• Report all instances of damage, wear and tear or maintenance needs promptly.
• Ensure you are clearly identifiable and appropriately dressed by wearing uniform, name badges, and PPE as required.
• Share responsibility for the health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to NTS Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines.