Chiltern Open Air Museum requires an experienced museum professional with a learning / visitors services background to provide temporary cover for staff departures during the main museum season. Following participation in the Heritage Leaders Renaissance funded project last year, the Museum has taken the opportunity to create this new management post to explore improved staffing structures for the future.

Reporting to :
Museum Director

Line Managing:
Catering Manager (FT) and volunteer shop managers (PT)
Schools and Events Officer (PT))
Museums Assistant / Cleaner (PT)
Temporary Education Assistant (PT)
Freelance Workshop session leaders
Temporary Visitor Services Assistant (June – September PT)

Salary : £24 000 – 28 000 pro rata (dependent on experience)

Chiltern Open Air Museum has a collection of 33 historic buildings, rescued and rebuilt within 45 acres of Chilterns traditional landscape. The site is half a mile in length and incorporates part of the Chiltern Hills. The post will involve a lot of walking around the site to carry out some duties and working outdoors in all weathers. There is no public transport to the site; although there are tube stations nearby with around a 30 minutes walk to the museum through country lanes.

Hours of Work
40 hours per Week
5 out of every 7 days - (including approx 2 weekend days per month, as well as some bank holidays, with very occasional evening requirements)
Duty Staff days require an .008 am start to around 6.00 pm or after – approx 1 to 2 days per week. Shorter hours to be worked on non duty staff days and time off in lieu.

Job Description

• Oversee the visitor experience throughout the site
• Monitor service standards using assessment tool kits on a weekly basis
• Propose and implement agreed improvements to visitor services
• Oversee the collection and collation of visitor surveys / gift aid forms
• Supervise the creation of monthly front of house volunteer/till operator rotas
• Organise and participate in monthly duty staff rotas for 7 days a week – participation includes locking and unlocking the site, organising and supervising front of house volunteers for the daily operation, dealing with public queries
• Supervise Heritage Lottery Fund Skills for the Future trainees programme for  1 X education and 1 X Visitor Service trainees
• Manage current organisation and delivery of learning services (formal and informal and events)
• Review learning services delivery
• Recruitment and induction of volunteers
• Organisation and delivery of volunteer training for front of house roles
• Assisting with organisation and creation of special event programme

Person Specification

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 years museum experience in learning /visitor services roles
• Minimum of 5 years experience of managing paid staff and volunteers
• Highly organized, able to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good IT skills including the use of Microsoft Word, internet and email, spreadsheets, PowerPoint and databases.
• Ability to work in a diverse team
• Ability to work on multiple tasks
• Self motivated with a “can do” attitude
• Excellent diplomacy and negotiation skills
• Excellent problem solving and innovation skills
• Interest in historic buildings and environments
• Patience
• Sense of humour!

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification in Museum /heritage studies
• First Aid at Work qualification
• Experience of involvement in delivery of trading/commercial activities

Annual Holiday entitlement: 20 days (Pro rata)

Stakeholder pensions are available through the Museum’s professional advisors but the Museum is not able to contribute to any employee’s pension scheme at present. 

Chiltern Open Air Museum is an equal opportunities employer.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
The post holder will be subject to an enhanced CRB check.

Application Process

Applications on Museum application form (download here). CVs may be sent as supporting information, but CVs without application forms will not be considered.

Application forms BY EMAIL ONLY – to Sue Shave, Museum Director, on director@coam.org.uk by 21 May.

We regret that we are unable to acknowledge all applications received. If you have not been contacted by the date of the interview, please assume that on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful. Thank you for your interest in this post and our museum.

Closing Date               Monday 21 May
Interview Date            Wednesday 30 May
Web Site                 www.coam.org.uk

This information is available in large print or clear print – please email director@coam.org.uk if you require this to be emailed to you.

Seasonal Cleaner(s) Required
March - November

Reporting to: Visitor Services Officer / Director

School Terms Weekday Afternoons : 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
School Holidays Weekday Mornings : 8.00 am – 11.00 am

• Caversham Public Convenience , Mid Site toilets and Haversham toilets at Wood End
• School lunching venues, which may include, Skippings and Northolt Barn, PortaKabin or temporary facilities
• Occasional locking and alarming of buildings when cleaning completed at closing time

Occasional Sundays / Sunday or/and Monday of Bank Holidays as required by arrangement for a couple of hours at the beginning or end of day, eg. 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm or 8.00 am – 10.00 am.

Occasional additional 3  - 5 hours for cleaning of key historic buildings in rotation once a week, times by arrangement around visitor requirements and availability of cleaner :

• Thame Vicarage Room
• Skippings Barn
• Arborfield Barn
• Northolt Barn
• Prefab
• Henton Mission Room
• Toll House
• Furniture Factory

Please note that the Museum buildings are spread over a 45 acre site with a distance of half a mile from one end of the site to the other. Therefore, in addition to the physical nature of the cleaning work, the role will involve a lot of walking.

Job would suit up to two people with the hours divided as convenient or for one person with greater flexibility.

Required to start from 26 March / beginning of April onwards

To Apply

Please complete our application form and email to Sue Shave, Director, Chiltern Open Air Museum on director@coam.org.uk as soon as possible. Your application will be acknowledged by email only. You may be asked to come in for an informal interview. If you do not hear from us within 2 weeks of sending your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful.

The information about this post is available in
clear or large print on request.

Chiltern Open Air M useum is a 45 acre site with 30 re-erected historic buildings in Chiltern hills and woodlands. The M useum is a charity and an independent museum with no government funding. The M useum also has a trading company, Chiltern Open Air M useum Enterprises Ltd., consisting of the Wood End Cafe and shop, which gifts profits back to the Museum.

TICKETS AND SHOP  

The Museum requires occasional casual relief ticket stewards to work in the visitor entrance building, particularly to provide support at busy times such as Bank Holidays and weekends during school holiday periods. Shifts will usually last from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm but this could vary. The role includes:

• Welcoming visitors
• Selling tickets and guide books
• Promoting gift aid
• Promoting audio tours and accessible guides
• Selling Friends membership
• Operating shop till
• Using hand held radios for communication
• Collection visitor data/customer satisfaction surveys

CATERING OUTLETS

The Museum also requires casual assistants to support the catering operation at busy times.

Wood End Cafe -  open from 11.00 am - 4.00 pm every day during the open season for the Museum. It is located at the other end of the site from the ticket office, about 10 minutes walk from the entrance. The cafe is housed in part of the Furniture Factory from High Wycombe and has a seating area for around 30 people. The Cafe offers a menu of sandwiches made on the premises, sausage rolls (warmed), soup, a selection of salads, snacks, chocolates, fruit, ice creams and a wide range of drinks. Occasionally, on busy special event days, the Cafe is able to offer barbeque food either by the cafe or at another location.

The Ticket Office -  stocks drinks, ice creams, and snacks.

Café on the Green - another part time café outlet on the Village Green area operating from the end of Skippings Barn on an occasional basis, particularly for special events, weekends and at busy times.

Sundays during school holiday periods and on special events
Sunday and Monday during Bank Holiday
Some week days during the school holidays

TERMS

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Must be 17 years of age or over
• Excellent customer service skills
• Cheerful and welcoming manner
• Some experience of till operation, sales and customer service
• Some knowledge of food hygiene (A valid Food Hygiene Certificate an advantage )
• Able to work on your own and use initiative
• Able to work  regular weekend days
• Able to be flexible about days and hours worked

We are unable to guarantee a certain number of hours each month and may need to revise our plans to take the effect of possible bad weather into account.

If you are interested in helping out as a Till Operator from time to time at the Museum, please complete the application form and return it to Sue Shave at the Museum with a short letter explaining your availability to work.

We will then ask you to come in for an informal interview.

Send your application to:
Sue Shave, Museum Director
Email : director@coam.org.uk
Or by post to : Chiltern Open Air M useum, N ewland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, HP8 4AB.