Salary: Real Living Wage

Contract type: Permanent

Reporting to: Retail Shop Officer

Department: Operations

Who are we?

We are Scotland’s design museum. Designed for everyone, firing imaginations and sparking curiosity in design across Scotland and around the world. At V&A Dundee we are on a mission to inspire and empower through design.

Design shapes our world, it's part of everyday life and it's everywhere. We are a museum with energy and have a vision of the future where everyone is inspired through design and recognizes its far-reaching impact in our lives.

We are a welcoming place for people of Dundee to explore design and to use as an everyday part of their city, as well as inviting visitors from around the world. We are part of the V&A family of museums that celebrate creativity in all its forms from across centuries, for everyone.

Role profile

Working across both our retail shop and eCommerce business, the Retail Assistant will place the visitor and customer experience at the heart of everything they do. They will provide a warm welcome to all customers, proactively offering assistance, answering queries and sharing engaging product knowledge that helps connect our retail offer to the museum’s stories, collections and exhibitions.

The postholder will develop a strong understanding of our product range, including items inspired by our building, exhibitions and collections, as well as products created by local makers and designers. They will use this knowledge to confidently engage customers, support sales, and contribute to the commercial success of the museum through excellent service and product recommendations.

The Retail Assistant will take pride in maintaining high standards across our retail spaces, viewing the environment through the eyes of our visitors and proactively addressing anything that could improve the customer experience. They will also support the ongoing development of our retail offer by contributing ideas for new products and seasonal or exhibition-related ranges.

Duties and Responsibilities

To be a confident, proactive, approachable and customer focused individual, helping visitors to engage with the shop and all our product stories, whilst maintaining a consistent engaging and professional manner at all times.

• Ensure that the shop and its products are always presented to the highest standard, carrying out product replenishment, product tagging and pricing, clothes steaming, light cleaning, tidying and maintenance duties as required.

• To develop an extensive knowledge of the museum’s layout, exhibitions, activities, and the surrounding local area, to provide tailored service of the highest standard.

• To encourage visitor participation with a broad range of public programmes available at V&A Dundee, such as educational and family activities.

• To work comfortably as part of the team, developing an understanding for the importance that each colleague plays in delivering the overall retail experience, and communicating confidently to ensure this is achieved.

• To be security conscious and diligent, ensuring in depth knowledge and co-operation with all museum security procedures.

• To be able to respond quickly and efficiently to all incidents, near misses and emergency and evacuation procedures, by clearing and securing areas when necessary and ensuring the safety of visitors and colleagues by reporting issues through the appropriate channels.

• To promote equality, diversity, and inclusion within the museum, ensuring that visitors and colleagues are treated with respect and dignity, and to actively contribute to developments that support the museum strategy for widening access.

• To be committed to and promote health and safety, ensuring familiarity with all the museum's health and safety policies and procedures.

• To be always presentable and approachable, wearing the uniform pieces provided whilst in all public areas.

• To attend training courses as required.

• To comply with all the museum’s HR, retail, cash and stock handling procedures.

• To carry out other ad hoc duties, instructions or reasonable requests required by the business by the Management team within the Visitor Operations Department.

Person specification

Essential

• A customer service focused individual with previous experience in delivering outstanding customer service in a commercial or hospitality role.

• Able to anticipate different visitor/customer needs and tailor services accordingly.

• Sound communication skills, including spoken English.

• Sales experience including ability to proactively introduce additional products or services to visitors, upselling and maximising sales.

• The ability to promote all business initiatives of V&A Dundee, including ticket sales, exhibitions, events, retail, gift aid and donations.

• The ability to work both under front line pressure while maintaining a positive and flexible approach, adapting quickly to new information and providing an efficient and effective service at all times.

• Clear understanding of security issues with the ability to be alert to potential dangers or vulnerable areas, regarding security and safety of both collections and the public at all times.

• Able to follow procedures in relation to emergency situations and to react sensibly to unforeseen circumstances.

• A reliable, punctual and trustworthy individual with high levels of common sense.

• Ability to operate with minimum supervision and able to adapt to new or changing situations. Must have a sense of responsibility and initiative in all tasks undertaken.

• Smart self-presentation.

Desirable

• Experience of working in retail and/or hospitality

• Working knowledge of a POS system