Customer Experience Assistant

September 2025

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the Mercury and the role of Customer Experience Assistant.

We are recruiting fantastic front of house staff to join our customer-facing team. Our Customer
Experience Team deliver outstanding customer service in our café bar and for performances.

Our Customer Experience Team are the first point of contact for our audiences, supporting them,
as required, be it at the café bar or during a show or event.

The  Mercury  provides  a  social  and  safe  space  for  multiple  voices,  giving  people  with  different
backgrounds and experiences the opportunity to meet, take part in a creative process and start to
realise their own creative potential and, most importantly, to connect.

In this pack you will find:

•  Job description and person specification
•

Information about how to apply

Further information about the Mercury can be found on www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

We recognise that these are challenging times for theatre, but we are committed to maintaining
and building our audience, delivering artistic excellence, and growing the Mercury’s reputation as
a launchpad for talent and innovation in the East of England and on tour across the UK.

To  apply,  complete  the  application  form  and  questions  on  the  Staffology  Link  by  10:00am  on
Friday 26th September 2025.

Interviews will be held on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 October.
Successful candidates can expect their first day of employment to be on Monday 20 October.

We warmly encourage applications from people who identify as having a protected characteristic.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Deborah Sawyerr
Executive Director

Customer Experience Assistant

September 2025

Job Description

Job Title
Department
Responsible to
Key working relationships   Head of Customer Experience

Customer Experience Assistants
Operations
Customer Experience Supervisors

Operations Director
Head of Facilities
Café Bar Supervisor
Catering Team

Purpose of the Post

Work within the Customer Experience Team to ensure the smooth running of our Front of
House operations and ensure first class customer care, in line with the Mercury’s values

Customer Experience Assistants provide a welcoming, friendly and safe environment for all
customers, visitors and participants to the Mercury. To usher, sell merchandise/tickets or
work in the café bar whilst ensuring customer safety is maintained at all times.

These posts will involve evening and weekend work and training opportunities.

Main Duties
Café bar

•  Sell/serve drinks, food, ice cream and merchandise, using our till and stock control

system and taking both cash and card payments,

•  To sell drinks in the bar, ensuring that all alcoholic drinks dispensed conform to
legal measures and that all other drinks conform to measures as advised and
displayed as per legal requirements,

•  To ensure that service in the bar conforms with licensing legislation with regards to

opening hours and age restrictions,

•  Prepare bar snacks, hot drinks and café produce, in line with training,
•  Serve food and drinks to customers and clear tables.

Performance and events

•  To show an active interest in the theatre's programme of events and  to be able to
promote the work of the Mercury and all of its activities in a positive and professional
manner

•  Welcoming customers and dealing with enquiries in a professional manner
•  During performances, direct customers to their seats, act as an usher and assist in

emergency procedures taking part in drills as required

•  Set up rooms and events for hirers of the building as directed
•  To maintain the cleanliness and tidiness of all areas

Health and Safety

•  Contribute to maintenance of a clean, tidy and safe working environment
•  Assist with an evacuation of the building if required
•  Take part in trial evacuations and drills as required

Customer Experience Assistant

September 2025

General Duties

•  To be fully informed and proactive in the marketing of the Theatre's products,

services and facilities, looking to create sales opportunities whenever appropriate.
•  Manage time effectively meeting deadlines as directed by the Customer Experience

Supervisors

•  Participate actively as a member of the Operations team
•  Undertake training as required
•  Attend and contribute to staff meetings and/or training sessions
•  Maintain positive and effective relationships with colleagues across the organisation
•  Adhere to all Mercury Theatre policies included Safeguarding, Health and Safety,

and environmental policies

•  Maximise income and minimise expenditure whilst ensuring high quality delivery
•  Undertake any further duties as may be reasonably requested

This job description is a guide to the nature of the work required of this position. It is neither wholly
comprehensive nor restrictive and does not preclude change or development that might be
required in the future. It does not form part of the contract of employment

Person Specification
Professional Competencies
Essential

•  Experience of working in a customer focused environment,
•  Previous food and beverage experience,
•  Excellent timekeeping,
•  Experience of delivering excellent customer service,
•  Excellent communication and people skills,
•  Basic understanding of bar licensing regulations,
•  Cash handing experience,
•  Understanding that the role will include evening and weekend hours.

Desirable

•  Knowledge of current production food safety health and safety regulations and good

practice.

Personal Qualities

•  Enthusiasm and cheerfulness are essential to gain the opportunity to join this

friendly team,

•  Self-disciplined, organised and self-motivating,
•  Ability to work as part of a flexible team, responding to instructions, contributing

ideas, supporting other team members as required,
•  Adaptable and receptive to new ideas and initiatives,
•  Ability to work under pressure and manage competing deadlines,
•  Good organisational/housekeeping skills,
•  Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to listen, build rapport and communicate

with people at all levels.

Customer Experience Assistant

September 2025

Outline of Terms and Conditions

Salary:
Hours:

Annual Leave:

Probationary Period:
Notice Period:

DBS Check:

Pension:

Other Benefits

£12.21 per hour
This is a variable-hours contract. Hours will be allocated on a
rota basis; we expect to be an average of 2 to 3 4-hour shifts
per week. This post will require the successful candidate to
work weekends (Friday evening, Saturday, and
occasionally Sunday) and unsocial hours weekly.
Annual leave entitlement for the part-time contracts is 20 days
for each holiday year plus statutory Bank Holidays (pro-rata).
When you complete one years’ service, your holiday
entitlement will increase by one day each year thereafter to a
maximum of 25 days (pro-rata) per annum.
Annual leave entitlement for zero-hour contracts is paid
monthly at a rate of 12.07% of monthly earnings.
6 shifts.
One month by either party in writing after an initial probationary
period during which time the notice period is 2 weeks by either
party.
Should your post have regular contact with children and/or
vulnerable adults a DBS check will be required.
Colchester Mercury Theatre Ltd operates a Stakeholder
Pension scheme. Full details of the scheme are available from
the Finance Department.

•  Discount drinks in the Mercury’s bar
•  Access to the discounted staff menu in the café bar.
•  The company encourages attendance at performances with an allocation of tickets

to employees (subject to availability and the Mercury’s ticket policy).
•  Discount on selected Creative Engagement activities and workshops.

Customer Experience Assistant

September 2025