Visitor Assistant

English Heritage Ltd; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A nationwide heritage charity is seeking a Visitor Assistant to work at Clifford's Tower in York. This role involves engaging with visitors and offering excellent customer service. Responsibilities include managing ticket sales, conducting guided tours, and maintaining site presentation. Ideal candidates should be passionate about heritage and enjoy working in a team environment. This position offers between 0 to 27 hours per week in different seasons and includes opportunities for career progress and several benefits.

Benefits

25% discount in shops and cafés

25 days' holiday plus Bank Holidays

Free access to heritage sites for family members

Qualifications

• Passion for delivering excellent customer service.
• Ability to engage with diverse visitors.
• Willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions.

Responsibilities

• Engage with visitors, members, and stakeholders.
• Manage ticket sales and admissions.
• Conduct guided tours of the York Cold War Bunker.

Skills

Excellent customer service

Teamwork

Adaptability to weather

Job description

Visitor Assistant

Title Visitor Assistant
Location Cliffords Tower, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9SA
Salary £12.39 per hour / 27 hours per week April to October, 0 to 7 hours November to March / Permanent.
*All salaries will increase following the NLW rise on 1st April 2026 to a minimum of £12.71 per hour*

Would you like to work for the charity that cares for hundreds of historic sites in every corner of England? We are looking for a Visitor Assistant to join us at Clifford's Tower. We have a range of different contracts available from zero to 27 hours per week summer time (April - October) and zero to 7 hours per week winter (November to March).

No history background? No problem. What is important to us is a passion for people and excellent customer service. You will enjoy working with others as part of a team and understand what makes excellent customer service to deliver an engaging visitor experience to a diverse audience.

Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage.

Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings. That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.

Clifford's Tower is one of York's premier visitor attractions and welcomes in excess of 200,000 visitors a year. Following a multi-million pound conservation and re-interpretation project, Clifford's Tower opened to the public in spring 2022 and was hugely successful from day one. The investment in the property transformed the visitor experience and provided new opportunities to develop income streams. We aim to add to our team to further the positive experience that inspires visitors, promotes community involvement and provides a healthy financial return to conserve England's heritage for the future.

Responsibilities

• Act as the face of Clifford's Tower and engage with members, visitors, volunteers and stakeholders.
• Ensure the site is safe, presentable and welcoming at all times.
• Sell and check tickets, manage admissions.
• Perform retail sales and stock management.
• Promote and sell memberships, matching benefits to visitor needs.
• Assist visitors in finding their way and making the most of the site.
• Manage queues and maintain general cleaning duties.
• Work outdoors in all weathers at an iconic heritage attraction.
• Provide high‑quality guided tours of the York Cold War Bunker, including education visits for school groups.
• Help protect, conserve and maintain the site’s collection.
• Receive full training in tour delivery, encouraging interpretation and personalised delivery.

Benefits

• The opportunity for career progression within the heritage sector in retail, food and beverage or general management.
• Opportunities to attend live music and history events.
• Free access to all English Heritage sites for you and up to 6 friends and/or family members.
• 25% discount in our shops and cafés.
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/shared parental leave.
• 25 days' holiday plus Bank Holidays pro rata, rising to 28 days after 3 years.
• Options to buy additional leave.
• Matched pension contributions up to a maximum of 10%.

To find out more about us and what we do, please register via one of the links below or join us at one of our webinars.

Friday 23rd January 2026 11.30am-12.30pm

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3ac4acf3-1db2-40d8-a81b-5c178615e5e6@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9

Wednesday 4th February 2026 6-7pm

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ea661ca0-f117-46dd-8c83-af63e055008a@30116e44-4d79-44c0-a8c1-ebc0707da3c9

You can also find out more about us here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/ and meet some of our people and hear about why they enjoy working with us: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/our-people/careers-with-us/

Everybody's welcome at English Heritage.

Forget the stereotypes. It takes thousands of people from every background to care for England's heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy. We're looking for every type of person with every kind of skill and experience, and we're committed to making sure that English Heritage is an equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work. You can connect with others through our EDI networks as a member or ally. These include Ethnic Diversity, Faith & Belief, Social Equity, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Age, Disability and Gender Health and Wellbeing.

We take wellbeing seriously. We are committed to ensuring everyone feels safe at work and can carry out their role. To support this, we have a network of Mental Health First aiders, regular information and awareness events, unlimited access to an Employee Assistance Programme and work with our people to implement reasonable adjustments.

If you would like to talk to us before you apply e.g. about workplace adjustments or working patterns, please contact Julie Brookes, Site Manager, on [e-mail], or Jake Tatman, Site Supervisor, on [e-mail].

No agencies please.

You will need to refer to the following documents when completing your application.