Visitor Engagement Assistant

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including: 

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year). 
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. 
• Access to training and development. 
• Flexible working. 
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan. 

Introduction 

The Participation Team works to give the public a voice and to shape Parliament in the interests of the public. We reach out to communities and audiences across the UK, promoting an understanding of the role and relevance of both Houses, inspiring people to get involved and empowering citizens to have a voice.

The Role 

We are looking to recruit enthusiastic and dynamic Visitor Engagement Assistants (VEAs) to join the Visitor Experience Team at the Houses of Parliament. You will welcome visitors, deliver engaging tours and talks, and open the Palace of Westminster to members of the public.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Welcome visitors from around the world to the iconic UK Parliament, provide information, and assist them to their destinations, managing any specific access requirements. This includes facilitating access to the public galleries of the House of Commons and House of Lords.
• Ensure that you are providing a world-class welcome to all visitors to Parliament, proactively working to exceed expectation.
• Offer meaningful and rich visit experiences to all audiences, including UK citizens, overseas visitors and those who are disengaged from mainstream politics.
• To work alongside other Parliamentary teams (e.g. security) to manage visitor access and flow through the building, ensuring a smooth visitor journey from start to finish.
• Support the multimedia tour programme, issuing devices, troubleshooting issues and engaging with visitors whilst they are on the multimedia tour route to answer questions and share your knowledge. 

Skills and Experience 

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• An ability to deliver engaging presentations to large audiences and adapt style and content to meet audience needs.
• A good understanding of what excellent customer service is, and how to deliver it, with the ability to meet the needs of different audience groups and uphold the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• A willingness to help others and the ability to work well as part of a team in a pressured environment.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1-4 in the Job Description.  

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Several different contracts will be available subject to business need, this includes part-time and full-time working, with full-time post-holders required to work 5 days a week. If you are selected for interview, you will be asked to inform the panel of the days/hours you are available to work. The exact daily times of attendance will be agreed with line management, but please note all contracts require Saturday working on a rostered basis. Shift times are subject to the operational need and are linked to the Business of the House.

We operate a rolling recruitment process for this role, shortlisting for interview periodically. You should expect to hear from us within 2 - 3 months after you submit your application.