Visitor Welcome Assistant

Visitor Welcome Assistant
Job Description & Person Specification

Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC), an independent charity based in Truro, is seeking to appoint a Visitor
Welcome Assistant to join its friendly and dedicated team. This is a key front-facing role, responsible for
delivering  a  warm,  professional,  and  memorable  welcome  to  all  museum  visitors.  The  successful
candidate will take a proactive approach, confidently juggling a range of tasks to ensure a seamless visitor
experience. Working collaboratively with colleagues across RIC, the role will contribute directly to the
organisation’s strategic ambitions and commitment to excellence in public engagement.

Background

The RIC runs the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery and Courtney Library, publishes a journal and provides
a programme of exhibitions, events and activities. The museum cares for and shares some of the most
significant collections in Cornwall that together tell the story of this nation and our links to the rest of the
world.

In 2020 the museum closed to the public to start a process of radical change and to carry out emergency
maintenance  work.  The  museum  leadership  team  changed  with  new  Board  members  and  the
appointment of Artistic and Executive Directors bringing in a new vision, operating model and 5-year plan.
Since 2021 we have focused on introducing a fresh programme of exhibitions and exploring new ways of
engaging with audiences to reach more people and more diverse people. We have developed a flexible
operating model to adapt to the uncertain environment we are currently in, whilst at the same time we
are committed to embedding solid foundations to ensure we can achieve our vision.

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The RIC is embarking on an exciting transformation. We have big ambitions and have secured a number
of  significant project  grants  to support  our  public programmes,  undertake  capital  transformation  and
strengthen our sustainability. We will transform the museum to create a compelling visitor destination, a
vibrant creative hub and a welcoming community space. It will attract over 60k visitors a year and all its
activities will be underpinned by a robust, agile, and sustainable operating model. We are now looking for
an exceptional team member to support our ambitions and help deliver a great visitor experience.

About the RIC:

The RIC charitable objective is ‘to advance the education of the public by encouraging and promoting the
study and knowledge of literature, natural sciences, archaeology, history, ethnology, geology and the fine
and applied arts, with special reference to Cornwall’.

The founding values from 1818 are:

•  To establish and share collections and archives that celebrate Cornwall and Cornish culture
•  To create a space at the heart of Cornwall society where ideas can be discussed and challenged
•  To be a place for sharing knowledge learning, creativity and ambition

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Our Vision

Cornwall  is  unique.  The  seas  and  the  landscapes,  its  language  and  its  minerals,  as  well  as

countless generations of Cornish people who have lived and worked across this land, have all

combined across the generations to make Cornwall a place like no other.

At  the  very  heart  of  Cornwall  and  its  cultural  life,  the  Cornwall  Museum  and  Art  Gallery  is  a

centre  of  exploration  and  learning.  Using  the  eclectic  collections  of  Cornish  culture,  art,

antiquities, archaeology, science, and natural history we take people on a journey from deep

underground, up into the sky, around the world and way back in time. In doing this, we use our

collections to help our communities look forward together.

What we do

Through our collections, spaces, exhibitions and events, we hold and gather stories of

Cornwall – and invite everyone in to help shape where they might lead.

•  We are an incorporated independent charity with more than 400 members
•  We own and operate the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery and Art Gallery in the City of Truro
•  We hold extensive historic collections including the Courtney Library and Archive
•  We run education and outreach programmes
•  We publish articles and journals
•  We run events, family activities and curate and hold exhibitions

In doing this we deliver an Arts Council of England funded programme of development work.

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RIC 2022-26 Strategic Priorities

1.  Achieve financial sustainability
2.  Build audiences & engagement
3.  Secure capital investment to repair and improve our buildings and our visitor offer
4.  Improve care and management of our collections
5.  Develop our capacity
6.  Environmental sustainability – working towards net zero carbon by 2030

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Job Description

Role:

Visitor Welcome Assistant

Accountable to:

Operations Manager

Accountable for:

N/A

Contract:

Part Time (0.4 FTE)

Term:

Salary:

Fixed term until 01/11/2026

Real Living wage

Applications:

Please enclose a CV and Cover letter to daniel@cornwallmuseum.org

Closing Date:

Monday 9th March 2026

Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery
Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery is expecting over 50,000 visitors in 2026, with ambitions to visitor numbers
to 60,000 in the next two years. Alongside this, the museum is in the middle of a major project to transform
the building to improve accessibility of our spaces, securing our collections, and updating our exhibitions to
make them more engaging for our visitors.

The team at Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery must achieve key financial targets in 2026 to meet
funding requirements. Within the Operations Team, there are ambitious targets for income generation,
visitor footfall, alongside continued development of best practice in health and safety, security, and
visitor services. This role will play an important part in supporting the action plan and helping to deliver
these targets over the coming months.

The Role
This role will support the Operations Manager and wider Museum team in delivering a consistent, high
class visitor experience, driving admissions & retail financial targets, increasing membership and gift aid
sign-ups and assisting the wider museum team when required.

Visitor Welcome Team
The Visitor Welcome Team is the face of Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, providing the first point of
contact when a visitor begins their journey in the museum. The team is responsible for providing a world-
class standard of visitor service to all our visitors, assisting them with their visit, and ensuring they return
another time. This role will support the Operations Manager in achieving the aims of the team.

•  Be a part of the Visitor Welcome Team dealing with admissions, group visits, selling annual

passes and memberships, and increasing our footfall onsite by providing experiences that
encourage visitors to return.

•  Ensuring the highest standard of welcome to all our visitors.

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•  Champion inclusivity across site and support the Visitor Welcome team to provide a welcoming

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and inclusive space across site.
Lead by example, providing excellent visitor experience to all visitors who enter the museum,
providing a warm welcome, and being considerate of visitor perceptions.

•  Provide support to the wider Museum required, responding to any visitor queries or situations,

escalating where necessary and responding to any issues onsite.

•  Be willing to assist with any other duties as reasonably required, including but not limited to

administrative tasks across the wider organization and assisting other departments as required.
Support includes, but is not limited to, assisting with library enquiries and requests, support for
the promotion and administration of memberships, processing enquiries relating to loans boxes,
including administration, distribution and collection of boxes.

•  Being an advocate for the new transformation of the space and interpretation of the collection

to visitors and explaining the rationale behind the changes to visitors.

•  Supporting the Operations Manager with general tasks including, but not limited to, retail

merchandising, visitor and group booking administration, responding to any general enquiries in
person, via email or phone call, and any other reasonable requests.

•  Assisting the team with events, both during the day and in the evenings, including, but not

limited to, setting up spaces, serving food and drinks, greeting guests, tidying up and packing
down.

•  Achieving agreed targets for the collection of customer data through the creation of accounts

for visitors.

•  Achieving agreed targets for gift aid conversion of transactions for tickets and donations
•  Constantly and proactively look for opportunities to go the extra mile for our visitors, to improve

their experience in the museum and retail, ensuring consistently high-quality service and
experience.

Person Specification
What we are looking for:

We are interested in an individual committed to the values of our charity

You will have a flexible approach

You will be willing and available to work on weekend dates and evening events on a rota-basis

You will have excellent communication skills and will be comfortable in dealing with a variety of public

You will have a passion for working in a front-facing role where you can make positive change happen

You will be a creative problem solver, able to respond to complex and changing solutions under pressure

You will enjoy working collaboratively with the RIC’s team of staff and volunteers

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Essential Skills

•  Previous experience of working within front of house teams within a visitor attraction or similar

organization.

•  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
•  Clear thinking and solutions focused
•  Ability to work on own initiative and part of a team
•  Awareness of and commitment to equality and cultural diversity in the workplace
•  Good IT skills including the use of Microsoft Office.

Desirable

•  Knowledge of Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, its collections and vision for the future.

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