Visitor Experience and Engagement Associate
South Street Seaport Museum
Organization Description:
South Street Seaport Museum, located in lower Manhattan, is dedicated to engaging guests in the story of New York and its port through interactive experiences with the museum’s fleet of historic ships, historic buildings and galleries, 19th-century letterpress print-shops, and large collection of artifacts. Learn more at seaportmuseum.org
Position Description:
As a Visitor Experience and Engagement Associate, you will assist in welcoming visitors to the museum, helping to tell the story of the rise of New York as a port city and its critical role in the development of the United States. With energy and enthusiasm, you will engage locals and tourists, newcomers and returning visitors, through tours and self-guided experiences on our ships, in the exhibition galleries, and throughout our campus. Associates also help guests follow health and safety protocols, sell tickets and answer front-desk questions, and assist with retail operations. Essential to this role is engaging with diverse visitors including non-traditional museum-goers. Museum hours are 11 – 5; the season begins Fri- Sun and expands to Wed- Sun. Regular weekend work and occasional holiday and early evening availability is required.
Reports to:
Senior Director of Programs and Education
Job Requirements & Responsibilities:
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
– Welcome visitors to the Museum and maintain a friendly, personable, and positive attitude.
– With warmth and enthusiasm, proactively engage visitors on board historic ships and in exhibition spaces, answering questions, sharing information, and listening to guests and encouraging engagement and connection with the content.
– Support the visitor experience of diverse guests, including non-traditional museum-goers and non-English-speakers
– Lead tours of ships, and provide interpretation at other parts of the museum campus, with a focus on the visitor as well as on the content.
– Encourage visitorship and guest participation in programmatic activities across the Museum campus, such as promoting tickets to public sails.
– Encourage guests to follow up with further engagement, including memberships, donations, mailing lists, reviews, and other activity.
– Respond to and resolve visitor complaints and concerns with patience, empathy, and professionalism, including referring visitors to managers or other staff members as needed.
– Collaboratively create and operate “Discovery Stations,” new tours, and other interpretive activities.
– Participate as a member of a professional learning community in ongoing group and individual professional development to increase your content knowledge and skills.
Additional responsibilities:
– Help set up and strike signage, exhibits, stanchions, and other components at the beginning and end of the day
– Welcome guests at the reception desk or tent, answering questions from both museum visitors and the non-museum going public, and handle incoming mail, packages, and appointments.
– Assist with guest check-in and boarding for boat rides on schooner Pioneer and tugboat W.O.Decker
– Assist with occasional public programs and events
– Assist with point-of-sale ticketing for museum visits and public programs including walking tours, public sails, exhibitions, and events, along with selling and troubleshooting membership to the Museum
– Promote merchandise sales and ring up retail transactions.
– Follow all safety protocols for staff, and empathetically assist guests in following guest safety protocols. – Be flexible as Covid and other regulations change.
– Participate in ongoing light maintenance procedures, as needed.
– Other tasks as required
Candidate Qualifications:
Professional Qualifications:
– Experience in education, interpretation, or customer service, preferably in a cultural institution and/or non-profit organization.
– Demonstrated interest in museums/cultural institutions, maritime and/or New York City history and geography, and storytelling
– Interest in and ability to learn new content about Museum’s ships, the port of New York, and other content.
– Bachelor’s Degree (completed or in progress), or equivalent experience, preferred
– Teaching or presentation experience a plus
– Second language proficiency a plus
– Theatrical experience a plus
Personal qualifications:
– An outgoing personality with the ability to communicate well in public settings.
– Professional and personable demeanor.
– Flexibility and positivity in dealing with new experiences and people.
– Experience with, or ability to learn and use,ticketing software
– Responsibility in handling cash and credit card transactions
– Reliability, ability to function well as a team member
– Must be available to work weekend hours (preferably both Saturdays and Sundays) as well as some weekdays.
Physical Demands and Work Environment:
– The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
– Ability to spend several hours walking and/or standing in indoor and outdoor public spaces.
– Must be able to climb ladders and work outdoors in very hot and/or inclement weather.
– Job will require stooping, bending, and carrying weights of up to 30 pounds
Position Type:
Part-time/hourly, 2-5 days per week. Positions are temporary but may be converted to year-round. No full-time positions available.
Union Status:
Non-Union
FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt
Schedule:
Museum hours are 11 – 5; the season begins Fri- Sun and expands to Wed- Sun. Regular weekend work and occasional holiday and early evening availability is required. Associates work 2-5 days/week.
Salary or Compensation:
Starts at $18/hour, increasing to $20/hour after approximately three months
Organization or Project Website:
seaportmuseum.org
Application Info:
Note: Visitor Experience and Engagement Associates are also encouraged to become Museum Educators and Maritime Educators, teaching K-12 school programs on our ships and in our galleries.
How to Apply:
Email resume and cover letter with “ Visitor Experience Associate” in the subject line to visitorexperiencejobs@seany.org. Applications without an attached cover letter will not be considered.
No phone calls please.
The South Street Seaport Museum is an equal opportunity employer. Non-traditional applicants and/or those with suitable alternatives to the above criteria are encouraged to apply. The Seaport Museum strongly encourages applications from members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums; we seek to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as New York City and our audience.