On Island Operations Manager, South Georgia Museum

Registered Scottish Charity SC 036819
South Georgia Heritage Trust,
Verdant Works, West Henderson’s Wynd, Dundee DD1 5BT

On Island Operations Manager, South Georgia Museum

Salary: £33,000 per annum
Provisional Contract Dates: 1st September 2026 – 31st August 2027

South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) operates the South Georgia Museum on behalf of the Government
of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI). The museum is located in the abandoned
whaling station of Grytviken, on the remote sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The museum is
visited each austral summer by over 15,000 visitors that arrive on cruise ships, research vessels and
yachts.

SGHT is seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee all aspects of routine SGHT activities on
South Georgia. These include the operation, management and upkeep of the South Georgia Museum,
the SGHT shop, the delivery of fundraising activities on island and line-management of the South
Georgia Museum team. The Operations Manager will be based on South Georgia from late September
until early April. For the remainder of their contract, they will work from home in the UK.

The duration of the contract will be from 1st September 2026 until 31st August 2027 and the successful
candidate will be contracted for 1924 hours over the year - equivalent to full-time and inclusive of
annual leave. It is anticipated that the Operations Manager will work the majority of their hours while
deployed to South Georgia between end of September and early April. Remaining hours, minus annual
leave, will be worked between early April and 31st August. During this time, the Operations Manager will
be required to travel to SGHT Head Office in Dundee for the purpose of interviewing candidates for the
seasonal team for 2026-27 and to attend a post-season debrief with their Line Manager, SGHT CEO.
They may also be required to attend trustee meetings in other locations in the UK.

Prior to deployment to the South Georgia Museum, the successful candidate will be required to take
part in pre-deployment training and team-building activities in the UK. Deployment (and continued
employment) will be conditional upon performance in these pre-deployment activities.

Travel to and from South Georgia, accommodation and food on island and medical expenses will be
covered by SGHT. The role will be eligible for 281 hours of annual leave during the year, inclusive of
bank holidays.

On island, working hours are dictated by the cruise ship schedule and require long days and weekend
working. The successful candidate will live in shared accommodation in a small cottage next door to the
museum and take part in a cooking and cleaning rota with other museum staff.

Candidates must be over the age of 18, have the right to work in the UK and be UK based. They must
also pass a British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit medical if offered the role. Due to the remote location,
and limited facilities available, employment is conditional on passing this medical assessment.
Candidates must have a UK passport which is valid for 12 months from their return to the UK from South
Georgia.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Operations Management

•  Management of day-to-day operation of the museum, including opening for visiting cruise ships,

welcoming visitors, responding to enquiries and delivering guided tours.

•  Communication with cruise ship staff to co-ordinate visits to the museum, including organising

tour timings and fundraising activities.

•  Working alongside the Off Island Operations Manager, oversee retail activities, including
operating the shop, executing the visual merchandising brief to a high standard and
implementing further updates throughout the season, managing stock, processing sales, cashing
up and completing stock checks.

•  Seasonal opening of the museum display and exhibition spaces - checking all collections stores
are dry, clean and safe at the beginning of the new season. Shut down of the museum spaces
and stores at the end of the season, ensuring all are dry, clean and secure.

•  Completion of risk assessments for all activities undertaken within the museum and by the

•

museum team.
Implementation of the museum’s health and safety policies and procedures, including managing
fire alarm drills and organising annual lifejacket testing.

•  Planning and management of general maintenance of the museum buildings throughout the

season, including waste management and cleaning tasks.

•  Planning and completion of seasonal ordering of operational supplies, ensuring all items are

ordered in time for the start of each season.

•  Co-ordination of seasonal logistics for staff and cargo transportation to and from the island.
•  Processing of, and thorough biosecurity of, incoming operational and retail cargo on island.
•  Communication with both GSGSSI and BAS personnel regarding operational and retail cargo,

logistics and operations as necessary.

Line Management

•  Line management of all SGHT museum staff on-island
•  Foster a safe and supportive environment for the emotional wellbeing of the SGHT museum

team.

Updated March 2026

•  Organisation and delivery of training sessions both on and off island.
•  Management of the recruitment and on-boarding of seasonal museum staff.

Fundraising Delivery

•  Overseeing delivery of fundraising presentations on board visiting cruise ships.
•  Promotion of SGHT activities and projects to visitors and expedition staff, passionately

advocating for support of SGHT and actively asking visitors for donations.

•  Overseeing donation administration, including processing and recording of donations made by

visitors in a timely manner.

•  Overseeing the organisation of auction lots and associated paperwork for visiting cruise ships.

Reporting

•  Submission of weekly reports to SGHT Head Office regarding museum operations, retail activities

and fundraising progress during the on-island season.

•  Creation of monthly reports for the Government of South Georgia during the on-island season.
•  Submission of reports to the SGHT Trustees ahead of each Board Meeting, summarising museum

operation and fundraising activity.

•  Creation of South Georgia Museum Annual Report after the end of each on-island season.

Budget Management

•  Tracking and accurate recording of retail and fundraising income throughout the season,

including onboard auctions of SGHT goods.

•  Management of the operational supply budget for the museum, ensuring that spending on
equipment, supplies, travel and accommodation remain within budget for the season.

•  Preparation of cash donations for banking in the Falkland Islands.

Collections Management and Care:

•  Following direction from the Curator, oversight of the museum team in basic museum
housekeeping and collections care tasks throughout the season, such as regular pest
management checks.

•  Work with the Curatorial team to manage and undertake essential deep cleaning in the museum

and collection spaces.

•  Carry out weekly visual checks of all objects on public display and in collection storage spaces.
•  Work with the Curator to ensure all security checks are in place in line with the GSGSSI

Collections Insurance policy.

Other:

•  Oversee creation of museum operations’ content for SGHT social media presence, including

Instagram, Facebook and the museum blog.

•  Representation of SGHT and the museum in TV and radio interviews only as directed by SGHT’s
PR consultants, communicating key messages about current projects, exhibitions, and the
organisation’s mission.

Updated March 2026

•  Networking with outside organisations at events whilst on island, including cruise ship

companies.

•  Provision of basic IT support for museum staff, including troubleshooting common hardware and

software issues and coordinating with external IT providers when needed.

•  Data management and ensuring that all visitor data captured on-island is securely handled in line

with GDPR.

•  Contribution to a cooking and cleaning rota within shared museum accommodation.
•  Participation in and organisation of events and activities for the museum team and further island

community to strengthen both professional and personal relationships.

Person Specification

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

•  Leading and managing a diverse team, cultivating a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.
•  Delegating tasks and overseeing team workload to ensure smooth day-to-day operations.
•  Living and working with small teams in isolated and remote environments, and a thorough

understanding of the challenges this might present.

•  Overseeing operations at a busy visitor-facing or tourist site.
•  Front-of-House duties, including speaking to visitors of all ages and backgrounds, from all around

the world.

•  Public speaking and tour delivery, including presenting to diverse audiences and working

effectively through translators.

•  Operating in a busy retail environment, including the use of EPOS systems, conducting

inventories, handling cashing-up procedures, and managing EPOS back-office functions.

•  Creation, implementation and management of health and safety procedures.
•  Report writing for a range of different stakeholders and audiences.
•  Stakeholder management, including liaising and co-ordinating with different organisations.

Desirable

•  Fundraising activities, including delivering presentations, inspiring visitors regarding the work,

projects and goals of the charity, and confidently asking for support from visitors.

•  Remote logistics, including travel co-ordination and supplies procurement.
•  Managing budgets and monitoring financial expenditures.
•  Planning and delivery of training sessions.
•  Working in a museum or heritage environment, with an understanding of collections care.
•  Providing basic IT support and troubleshooting, including resolving technical issues and liaising

with external support as needed.

•  Creating content for social media, including Instagram and Facebook, and writing online blogs.
•  Cleaning and waste management tasks in a non-domestic setting.
•  Basic maintenance tasks such as sanding and painting.
•  Cooking for groups of people, accommodating different dietary requirements.

Updated March 2026

•  Walking and hiking in remote mountain terrain.
•  Mental Health First Aid experience and awareness.

Skills/Abilities

•  Highly organised and always well prepared, ensuring that operations run as smoothly as possible.
•  Detail orientated and committed to ensuring that tasks are always completed to the highest

standard.

•  Good mental well-being, able to cope with the stresses of living and working in a small island

community.

•  Self-sufficient and able to work independently, both regarding decision making and managing

workload.

•  Confident and calm when responding to unexpected challenges or problems, and able to quickly

identify and implement a solution.

•  Resilient and able to remain enthusiastic and positive even after a long day.
•  Adaptable and flexible, able to adjust quickly to short notice changes of plan.
•  Naturally careful and cautious, making conservative judgement calls regarding safety issues.
•  Confident managing multiple competing priorities, effectively managing your workload to ensure

tasks are completed on time.

•  Excellent team player, considerate of other team members and the wider community, and able

to recognise how best to support them.

•  Strong sense of personal responsibility, and awareness of their role and impact within a small

community.

•  Excellent communication skills, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and that plans are

effectively shared with the whole team.

•  Strong numeracy skills and comfortable using them within a retail and fundraising environment.
•  Excellent administrative skills, including report writing, email management and other office tasks.
•  Proficient in use of Excel, Word and other Microsoft Office applications.
•  Practical and willing to tackle hands-on tasks, such as waste management and cargo movement.
•  Physically fit and able to undertake heavy lifting and other physical work.
•  Environmentally aware and willing to be an advocate for conservation and wildlife.

Applications should consist of a 1-page cover letter plus CV, clearly outlining relevant skills and
experience. Please submit applications to Lauren Elliott, at lauren.elliott@sght.org

The deadline for applications is midnight on 20th April 2026. Interviews will take place in June 2026.

Updated March 2026