Front of House Assistants - Edinburgh Science Festival 2026

Pay: £12.60 per hour + Holiday pay
Hours: Part-time - circa 35 hours; minimum shift length 3 hours (including daytime, evening and weekend shifts)
Contract: Fixed term
Location: Edinburgh (National Museum of Scotland, Central Hall, McEwan Hall and other Festival venues)

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Key Dates:

  • Mandatory training: Saturday 21 March 2026
  • Festival delivery: Thursday 2 April – Sunday 19 April 2026
  • CAC Schools Programme: Tuesday 21 April – Thursday 23 April 2026
  • Location: Edinburgh (National Museum of Scotland, Central Hall, McEwan Hall and other festival venues)

About the role:

As a Front of House (FOH) Assistant with Edinburgh Science Festival, you will be part of the team delivering a welcoming, safe and high-quality experience for visitors across our venues. This includes our flagship family venue at the National Museum of Scotland and other locations throughout the city.

You will support audiences before and during events, help children prepare for activities where required, and ensure the smooth running of sessions. The FOH team are the public face of the Festival, providing friendly, confident and knowledgeable customer service.

This role plays a vital part in shaping the experience of children, families and adult audiences. As the Festival runs for a short, intensive period, we rely on staff being reliable, flexible and committed to working across the full programme.

About you:

You will be a confident and friendly communicator with previous experience in a front of house, customer service or visitor-facing role. You are able to communicate clearly with both colleagues and the public, remain calm under pressure, and enjoy working in a busy, fast-paced environment.

You will be a strong team player and ideally have experience working at festivals, events, or with children aged 3–15 and their families (desirable but not essential).

Most shifts will be based at the National Museum of Scotland, with some work at other city venues. Full training will be provided in advance.

Working Pattern

This role involves a mixture of daytime, evening and weekend shifts. The contract will cover approximately 35 hours between Thursday 2 April and Thursday 23 April 2026, with a minimum call time of 3 hours per shift. Applicants must be available across the full Festival period and willing to work flexibly across different venues.

How to Apply

To view the full job description and apply, please visit: Job Description

Applications must be submitted via our career's portal; applications sent by other methods will not be considered. 

Right to Work:

By the start of employment, you must have the right to work in the UK and be able to provide documentary evidence.

Closing date: Sunday 15 February 2026, 11:59pm

Interview period: Monday 23 February – Friday 27 February 2026

Edinburgh Science welcomes applications from all backgrounds. We believe that diverse perspectives, ideas and experiences lead to stronger teams and better outcomes for our audiences.

 

Apply now

Opportunities

  • Event crew and Technicians - Edinburgh Science Festival 2026

    Pay: Industry competitive salary
    Hours: Part Time
    Duration: Temporary, fixed-term contracts, 1 February - 5 June 2026
    Start: 1 February 2026 onwards
    Work Location: Edinburgh Science offices, warehouses, venues across Edinburgh

    We are seeking interest and CVs from crew, technicians, and production staff with experience in preparation, installation, de-rig, and live operations within a festival and live event setting. As part of our network of contractors, you will support Edinburgh Science as we deliver our multi-disciplinary programme, including our flagship festival in April 2026 and our Generation Science schools touring program. Additional work is also available supporting the general operations of the organisation.

    Find out more

Edinburgh Science

Edinburgh Science Foundation is an educational charity that inspires people of all ages and backgrounds around the world to experience the wonder of science and technology. Best known for Edinburgh’s annual Science Festival – the world’s first science festival and still one of the world’s largest – and for our Learning programmes that sees Generation Science tour Scotland and bring science to life in classrooms throughout the year and promotes STEM careers to teens through initiatives such as Careers Hive. An increasing worldwide element shares our content, passion and expertise more widely through an extensive portfolio of international projects.

Our mission is to inspire, encourage and challenge people of all ages and backgrounds to explore, understand and engage with the world around them and to communicate the educational, social and economic benefits of science and technology.

 

Our language is that of live experiences that amaze, inform and entertain in equal measure. We put the customer first whether they are the public, school teacher or pupil. We want to be the best before we are the largest. We thrive on creativity, rely upon professionalism and insist on accuracy. We believe in testing what we do assuming that rarely can an event not be improved. We respect and nurture the partnerships on which we depend for support, people and ideas. We know we are only as good as the people we work with and so value them all, here and abroad.