Vacancy Information
The salary advertised is full time (35 hours per week). Part-time hours will be pro-rated accordingly.
Hourly rate of pay: £ - £
Temporary until 27th September 2026.
Days and Hours of Work:
Working days and hours will vary and can be seen in the attached document.
To start 31st March 2026.
Locations being recruited to are John Muir's Birthplace, Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery, Prestongrange Museum, and the John Gray Centre Museum. Please refer to the attached document for further information on the locations and shifts available.
We are looking for people with enthusiasm, flexibility, great communication and organisational skills and a passion for delivering great customer service to join our team to help visitors get the most from their visit to our museums. Museum Assistants open and close our museums, welcome visitors to our venues, answer enquiries and make sure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe visit. They operate our shops, assist with school and other groups, activities, events and exhibitions. We operate four museums and have a range of shift patterns available.
The John Gray Centre Museum in Haddington showcases the history of East Lothian in a range of long term and temporary exhibitions. The successful candidate will work closely with the team in the Archive and Local History Services who are based in the adjacent part of the centre as well as the Library team who are located on the ground floor.
Prestongrange Museum is located just outside Prestonpans in East Lothian. Prestongrange is a site of major importance in the story of Scotland's Industrial Revolution. It was the location of a sixteenth century harbour, a seventeenth century glass works, eighteenth and nineteenth century potteries and a nineteenth/twentieth century coal mine and brick works. Remnants of these former industries can still be seen, and many of the structures are still intact including the rare Hoffman Kiln built in 1937, the Cornish Beam Engine, unique in Scotland as it the only beam engine still on the site where it worked and the Engine Shed. Successful applicants will open and close the Visitor Centre, run the shop and café and take guided tours around the site (training will be provided). Museum Assistants are also responsible for cleaning the Visitor Centre and Activity Room. In summer 2026 Museum Assistants will also facilitate the use of a new Volunteer Base and Activity Room helping to book in, set up and clear up events.
Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery is housed the historic Dunbar Town House which was built around the end of the 16th century. After 400 years of use it is now a museum and gallery with temporary exhibitions showcasing art and culture from Dunbar and surrounding districts. Visitors can find out about the town and its people, past and present, from ten thousand years ago to the present day. The successful applicants will work closely with volunteers from our partners Dunbar and District History Society.
John Muir is a world figure who continues to inspire. The Dunbar birthplace of the pioneering conservationist is a stunning interpretative centre highlighting the work and achievements of this remarkable man. During a visit to the Birthplace visitors can find out about John's adventures and travels all over the world, find extracts from his journals and sketches of wildlife and plants and be inspired to follow in his footsteps with our interactive games. Museum Assistants play an essential role in communicating these fascinating stories. The successful applicants will work alongside volunteers from the John Muir Birthplace Charitable Trust.
Job Details
To assist in the delivery of Museum services across East Lothian, maximising efficiency of service delivery within specific standards and in accordance with the Council’s policies and plans with a commitment to achieve best value.