Duty Manager
(Permanent role)
Join the team developing Gainsborough’s House as a world-class art gallery and museum and one of the leading cultural venues in East Anglia. Gainsborough’s House has just completed an ambitious building project, incorporating four new exhibition galleries designed to display historic and contemporary exhibitions of international appeal.
Gainsborough’s House is now looking for a reliable and enthusiastic part-time (up to 0.5) Duty Manager to support our Front of House and Commercial teams, particularly at weekends.
The successful candidate will have supervisory experience and excellent communication and customer service skills.
Job purpose
The main aim of the job is to act as duty manager for up to half the week, particularly at weekends, providing support to staff, volunteers and visitors.
Main duties & activities
Principal Duties
- To be responsible for the site, unlocking the museum and gallery in the mornings and securing the site at night, monitoring the lifts and setting alarms
- To undertake the above tasks at least 1 of every 2 weekends.
- Assisting with the daily running of the museum, responding to queries
and the needs of visitors as they negotiate the museum.
- To support Front of House, shop and gallery staff and volunteers as required.
- To be a point of contact for members of the public, answering queries in person and on the phone.
- To provide lunchtime cover for staff.
- To act as a keyholder.
- Helping with the delivery of events when needed.
- Developing a detailed knowledge of site facilities and services and
responding to daily changes that may affect a visit to the museum.
- Developing a basic understanding of Gainsborough’s House, Thomas Gainsborough and the collections of other artists on display, including the special exhibitions.
Supplementary Duties
- When required, to act as a room steward in the House and galleries.
- To support the setting up of exhibitions and events for Gainsborough’s House.
- On occasion, to attend and assist with events outside of normal working hours.
Requirements
- To comply with Gainsborough’s House policies and procedures and report any concerns to an appropriate person.
- To act as an ambassador for Gainsborough’s House whilst on duty.
- Other related tasks as deemed appropriate.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Professional
- Experience in customer service
- Experience in building management
- Experience in staff and/or volunteer management
- Knowledge of health & safety and first aid
- Experience of looking after a site where a wide range of activities take place
- Must be physically able to undertake the tasks associated with event and room set up in a museum environment
- Ability to work weekends, plus some evenings and Bank Holidays
Personal
- A self-starter who is able to work confidently with little supervision
- A practical approach: must be able to prioritise, respond well to challenges and solve problems quickly and effectively
- Ability to build relationships with a wide range of people
- A willingness to be hands-on and flexible, getting involved in a wide range of activities as and when required
Desirable Criteria
- Experience working in the museum or heritage sectors
- Experience in basic project management
- Qualification in health & safety
How to Apply
If you are interested in this role and wish to learn more, please contact:
Applications, comprising a CV and a cover letter of no more than two sides of A4, should be sent to the Director, Dr. Steven Parissien, at the email address above by noon on Friday 20 October 2023. Interviews will be held towards the end of October.
Equal Opportunities
Gainsborough’s House is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all staff and welcomes applications from all individuals for advertised jobs that match their skills and interests. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates.
About Gainsborough’s House
Gainsborough’s House is the national centre for the art of Thomas Gainsborough, based at the artist’s childhood home in Sudbury. Suffolk. With Gainsborough as its inspiration, it seeks to bring his art and ideals to life to inspire a new generation of visitors.
Our mission statement is ‘To promote the wider knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the art of Thomas Gainsborough within the context of the eighteenth century and the inspiration of the Suffolk landscape and to preserve and enhance Gainsborough’s House and its collections for the benefit of present and future generations’.
The House explores the life and art of Thomas Gainsborough. One of the greatest artists of his age, he is renowned throughout the world for his portrait and landscape paintings. Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) was born here and baptized at the Independent Meeting House in Friars Street on 14 May 1727. He lived here until around 1740 when, as a young teenager, he was sent to London to pursue a career as an artist. He returned to Sudbury from 1749 until 1752, during which time he painted his celebrated Mr and Mrs Andrews. Gainsborough never lost the influence of his native town and county. ‘Nature was his teacher, and the woods of Suffolk his academy’ noted an obituary after his death in 1788.
In 1958 Gainsborough’s House Society was formed to purchase the house and establish it as a centre for Thomas Gainsborough, and the Museum opened to the public in 1961. The House recently completed a major development in its aim to bring Thomas Gainsborough to life for a new generation of visitors.