Putting visitors first, you will pride yourself on delivering engaging and informative guided tours to an international audience whilst proactively promoting and selling the Bodleian's range of public offers. You will provide excellent customer service, respond to enquiries, promote tours and products, and contribute to a positive visitor experience. You will also support safety and security, including assisting in emergency situations when required. This role involves working to a daily staffing schedule where you will be required to move around the different service point positions, walk groups around the site on guided tours, and lift and move lightweight equipment. This is a permanent, part-time role working either: You will have experience in a busy customer-facing role and be confident engaging with visitors from a wide range of backgrounds. You will have strong communication skills and the ability to deliver engaging tours, alongside a positive and flexible approach to teamwork. You will be comfortable working under pressure, handling cash, and adapting to different situations. An interest in history or heritage and additional language skills would be advantageous. What We Offer To extend a high standard of welcome and service to all visitors. To provide knowledgeable and entertaining tours to groups with a wide range of interests and levels of engagement. To maximise visitor enjoyment of the Bodleian Libraries and to facilitate access. To support the commercial income of the library and to ensure the site and its assets are safe and secure. To achieve this through effective teamwork with staff, volunteers and stakeholders, through high standards of presentation, and by keeping abreast of changes in procedure and of events in the library. Deliver engaging and memorable guided tours of the Bodleian Libraries and partner institutions in Oxford, utilising pre-written scripts and content, provided research materials and other sources. You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting evidence form using the attached template as part of your online application. Your supporting evidence form should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. CVs alone will not be considered. We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities. The Chair of this recruitment panel will be Sian Tezel, Operations Manager, who can be contacted with enquiries relating to the role ([email protected]). General queries about the recruitment and application process should be directed to the Recruitment team within our Human Resources department ([email protected]). Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Tuesday 7 April 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Wednesday 29 April 2026.Job Summary
Job Description
Post 1 - 0.77 FTE - 28 hours per week
Post 2 - 0.606 FTE - 22.125 hours per week (averaged over a fortnight)
Please indicate your preferred working pattern in your supporting evidence form.
As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees' wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:
An excellent contributory pension scheme
38 days of annual leave
A comprehensive range of childcare services
Family leave schemes
Cycle loan scheme
Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loansJob Requirements
Job Responsibilities
Provide consistently high standards of visitor care at all times, welcoming visitors of all ages and nationalities, and adapting approach when necessary.
Maintain a positive, empathetic and customer-focussed attitude, including a warm welcome and open and friendly manner.
Answer visitors' telephone and face-to-face enquiries, providing accurate information about the Bodleian and its activities.
Encourage in-person and online visitor feedback, escalating feedback to the supervisor when appropriate.
Develop knowledge of the Bodleian's collections and history, including attending curator-led tours of new exhibitions, sharing this with visitors in the gallery spaces.Useful Links
How to Apply