Join our passionate team and play a key role in delivering exceptional visitor experiences at the Scottish Seabird Centre!

In this role, you’ll be the friendly face of our retail and information desk, helping visitors discover our unique range of local, nature positive and sustainable products while ensuring every interaction is warm, informative, and memorable. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with an interest in cause-based retail who loves connecting with people, thrives in a dynamic environment, and wants to contribute to our mission - saving seabirds, restoring seas and inspiring change.

Our retail and visitor centre operation plays a vital role in connecting people to nature and raising funds for our conservation and education programmes. If you want to help us do more for nature, and you’re a proactive team player with a knack for customer service and a keen eye for detail, we’d love for you to be part of our story.

The Scottish Seabird Centre

The Scottish Seabird Centre (SSC) works to ensure that Scotland’s seas and coasts are alive with wildlife, celebrated and protected by all. We act to save seabirds and restore Scotland’s marine environment through conservation, learning, and unforgettable wildlife experiences:

Conservation – We manage internationally important seabird islands, including Bass Rock, which is home to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, and Craigleith, where our community conservation project, SOS Puffin, has quadrupled the population of breeding puffins.

Learning – We seek to build an understanding of and a passion for the marine environment. Over 60,000 children and young people have engaged with our education programme.

Experience – We operate one of the leading nature visitor centres in the UK, welcoming over 170,000 visitors a year, and were awarded the Gold Green Tourism Award in April 2025.

Physical Requirements:

This role involves active, hands-on work, including standing and moving for extended periods. We welcome applications from all candidates and will consider reasonable adjustments to enable applicants with disabilities to perform the role.

Key Responsibilities

• Welcome and assist visitors: Be the first point of contact at our information and retail desk, providing friendly, knowledgeable support to visitors, inspiring them to join our charity and visit the Discovery Experience

• Curate and promote our gift shop:Help shape and showcase a thoughtful selection of local, nature positive and sustainable products, creating an inviting shopping experience that reflects our values and delights our customers.

• Maintain a vibrant retail space:Use your creativity to merchandise our shop beautifully, manage stock efficiently, and keep displays fresh and engaging for all who visit.

• Support shop operations: Assist with stock handling, deliveries, and inventory management, ensuring our shop runs smoothly and is always well-stocked with exciting products.

• Grow and help administer online shop: Contribute to the growth of our online shop by helping with content creation, promotion and order fulfilment.

• Work as part of a dynamic team: Bring your adaptability, initiative, and problem-solving skills to a varied and rewarding role, where no two days are the same.

Join our team this season and inspire a love for Scotland’s marine wildlife!

Are you passionate about delivering outstanding customer experiences and sharing the wonders of Scotland’s marine and coastal environment? As a Visitor Experience Assistant, you’ll be the friendly face of the Scottish Seabird Centre, welcoming visitors and ensuring their time with us is unforgettable – and inspiring a love for seabirds, wildlife and our seas.

This dynamic role offers the chance to engage with people across our welcome desk, retail shop, Discovery Experience, and boat trips, while also supporting our café during busy periods. No two days will be the same as you help visitors connect with our mission and create lasting memories.

You’ll play a vital role in bringing our charitable work to life—whether by guiding visitors through our interactive exhibits and live camera feeds, recruiting new members for our charity, or sharing fascinating insights about Scotland’s wildlife. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills in customer service and environmental education - all while working in a stunning coastal setting.

The Scottish Seabird Centre

The Scottish Seabird Centre (SSC) works to ensure that Scotland’s seas and coasts are alive with wildlife, celebrated and protected by all. We act to save seabirds and restore Scotland’s marine environment through conservation, learning, and unforgettable wildlife experiences:

Conservation– We manage internationally important seabird islands, including Bass Rock, which is home to one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, and Craigleith, where our community conservation project, SOS Puffin, has quadrupled the population of breeding puffins.

Learning – We seek to build an understanding of and a passion for the marine environment. Over 60,000 children and young people have engaged with our education programme.

Experience – We operate one of the leading nature visitor centres in the UK, welcoming over 170,000 visitors a year, and were awarded the Gold Green Tourism Award in April 2025.

Physical Requirements:

This role involves active, hands-on work, including standing and moving for extended periods. We welcome applications from all candidates and will consider reasonable adjustments to enable applicants with disabilities to perform the role.

Key Responsibilities

Welcome and Inspire Visitors

Greet visitors with enthusiasm, providing information about our exhibits, activities, and charitable work.

Help visitors make the most of their visit, from booking boat trips and Discovery Experience sessions to processing admissions and memberships.

Promote donations and memberships, sharing and helping grow the impact of our conservation efforts.

Deliver Engaging Experiences

Bring our Discovery Experience to life by engaging visitors, supporting them to explore our interactive exhibits and live camera feeds.

Work closely with our volunteers, who work with the staff team to engage visitors and ensure all activities run smoothly.

When required, deliver presentations and other activities to engage and educate our visitors about the incredible seabirds and marine wildlife in the area (training provided).

Retail and Customer Service

Staff our Information and Retail counter, greeting visitors, dealing with enquiries and encouraging them to visit the Discovery Experience and take part in other activities.

Process retail sales, ensure displays are inviting and stock is well-managed.

Provide excellent service at the till and online, helping customers find the perfect sustainable souvenirs!

Boat Trips (Seasonal, March–October)

Process bookings, share exciting details about what visitors might see, and respond to any enquiries they might have.

Manage cancellations or refunds.