Operations Assistant, South Georgia Museum

South Georgia Heritage Trust operates the South Georgia Museum on behalf of the Government of South Georgia. 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 two practical and enthusiastic Operations Assistants to join the small team which will spend 7 months (September – April) on South Georgia. The Operations Assistants will be involved in opening the museum, operating the SGHT shop and undertaking fundraising and other projects. The Operations Assistants will report to the SGHT Director SG. 

Payment is £1200 per month worked, and all food and accommodation is provided. For tax purposes the Operations Assistant is self-employed, and it is each person’s responsibility to report their activity to the appropriate tax authority. Travel to and from South Georgia is arranged by, and covered by, South Georgia Heritage Trust. Working hours are flexible and are dictated by the cruise ship schedule. This can sometimes mean working long, unsociable hours but, where possible, the team will take two days off per week. Successful candidates 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. 

Duties of this role include:

Front of House:

• Opening and closing the museum for visiting ships. 
• Welcoming visitors to the museum and responding to questions about the museum, South Georgia and SGHT.
• Delivering guided tours of Grytviken Whaling Station.

Retail:

• Serving customers in the shop during ship visits.
• Stock management, including barcoding new stock, re-stocking during and after ship visits, and assisting with stock inventories.
• Assisting with merchandising of shop stock, including refreshing displays throughout the season.

Fundraising:

• Delivering fundraising presentations on board visiting cruise ships. 
• Processing donations and associated paperwork. 
• Engaging with guests about the work of SGHT and encouraging them to support the charity.

Curatorial:

• Completing day-to-day house keeping tasks to ensure high-quality object care. 
• Occasionally assisting with curatorial projects, including object cleaning and exhibition installation, under the supervision of the director or curator. 

Maintenance:

• Undertaking waste management, including sorting and packing of waste. 
• Completing basic maintenance tasks, such as sanding and painting, around the museum.
• Cleaning the museum and toilets between ship visits. 
• Taking part in the annual deep clean of the museum and church. 

Other:

• Supporting the SGHT Director SG with office administration as required. 
• Taking part in a cooking and cleaning rota within shared museum accommodation.

Experience:

• Operating in a busy retail environment, including using EPOS systems and completing inventories. (Essential)
• Using Excel and other software packages to record and manage shop stock. (Desirable)
• Speaking to visitors of all ages and backgrounds, from all around the world. (Essential)
• Cleaning and waste management tasks in a non-domestic setting. (Desirable)
• Basic maintenance tasks such as sanding and painting. (Desirable)
• Public speaking and delivering presentations. (Essential)
• Working in a museum or heritage environment. (Desirable)
• Living and working in a small team. (Essential)
• Cooking for groups of people, taking into consideration dietary requirements. (Desirable)
• Living and working in remote and isolated communities, and an awareness of the challenges of this. (Desirable)
• Walking and hiking in mountain terrain. (Desirable)

Person Specification:

• An excellent team player, always looking for ways to support their immediate team and wider community. (Essential)
• Self-sufficient, with the ability to identify tasks and complete them independently. (Essential)
• Strong sense of personal responsibility, and awareness of their role and impact within a small community. (Essential)
• Careful and considerate, understanding that historic objects are irreplaceable and that getting replacements for tools and equipment is difficult in remote locations. (Essential)
• Enthusiastic and resilient, able to remain positive and proactive even at the end of a long day. (Essential)
• Adaptable and able to adjust quickly to short-notice changes of plan. (Essential)
• Detail orientated and committed to ensuring that tasks are always completed to the highest standard. (Essential)
• Practical and willing to tackle hands-on tasks such as painting, cleaning and maintenance. (Essential)
• Physically fit and able to undertake heavy lifting and other physical work. (Essential)
• Environmentally aware and willing to be an advocate for conservation and wildlife. (Essential)
• Strong numeracy skills and comfortable using them within a retail environment. (Essential)
• Confident speaker of languages additional to English, particularly French, German or Mandarin. (Desirable)

Applications should consist of a 1-page cover letter plus CV, clearly outlining relevant skills and experience. Please submit applications to Deirdre Mitchell, SGHT Director SG at: deirdre.mitchell@sght.org.

The deadline for applications is midnight on 20^th April 2025. Interviews will take place in June 2025 and can be via Zoom or in-person at Verdant Works, West Henderson’s Wynd, Dundee DD1 5BT.