Night Security Guard

About this role

The Vacancy

The Royal Academy of Arts is currently seeking a professional, vigilant, and reliable Night Security Guard (Red Collar) to join our Security Team. This important position plays a key role in safeguarding the Royal Academy’s premises, artworks, and personnel throughout the night.

As a Night Security Guard, you will be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of the Academy during night hours, ensuring a safe and secure environment for our people, visitors, artworks and collections. You will undertake regular patrols across our galleries, offices, storage areas and external areas, while monitoring security systems and controlling access to the building.

The role requires a high level of vigilance and attention to detail, with the ability to identify and respond appropriately to any security, safety or maintenance issues. You will take prompt action in response to alarms, emergencies and incidents, including fire, medical and security situations, remaining calm and making effective decisions under pressure. You will also lead on the opening and closing of the premises and ensure a thorough handover is completed with the FOH team at the end of each shift.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will hold a valid SIA licence and have previous experience in a security role, ideally within a museum, gallery or similar institution. You will have experience of working with security systems and responding to emergencies, alongside a strong understanding of the importance of maintaining a secure environment.

A highly vigilant individual, you will have exceptional observational skills and a keen eye for detail, with the ability to notice changes or irregularities in your surroundings, particularly during late hours. You will be able to remain calm and use your judgement effectively in high pressure situations.

This role involves regular patrolling and monitoring throughout the night, so you will need to be comfortable maintaining a high level of alertness for extended periods.

The Company

The RA dates way back to 1768 when a group of artists and architects persuaded King George lll to help them to ‘establish a society for promoting the Art of Design'. The original academy, in Pall Mall, was less than 10 meters long. Since then, there have been many changes, though the RA’s core purpose of bringing art and design to a broad audience and championing art and artists still holds true.

Today we are a contemporary art organisation hosting internationally acclaimed exhibitions and through investment in employee training and development, with courses such as Unconscious Bias, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Bystander, and Mental Health First Aid training, we are striving to foster a safe space for everyone through positive action. We also have Employee Network Groups, Ways In Groups, and an Employee Council so every employee has a voice and a way to feel heard by colleagues through the CEO.

The RA is truly a unique place, both as an attraction to our visitors, but also as a workplace. Our people are at the heart of all we do, and we support a broad and inspiring mix of departments; from exhibitions, curators, art handlers, researchers, publishers, and digital to schools and education, visitor welcome, fundraisers, and corporate support.

The Benefits

Exhibitions

Reciprocal Agreements with galleries across the UK

Enhanced Pension

Generous employer contributions

Enhanced Holiday

25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays

Wellbeing

Access to a virtual GP Service and Mental Health First Aiders

Agile Working

The opportunity to work flexibly

RA Staff Council

Where your views are heard and listened to

Employee Clubs

Football, Staff Choir and more

About security roles for ex-police

Security management, operations and consultancy roles. Years of operational policing — command, incident response, public order — translate directly into corporate security, and employers in this sector actively rate police experience.