Finance & Development Assistant (Farnsworth House)

National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States•Plano, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

First conceived by world-renowned architect Mies van der Rohe in 1945 and completed in 1951, the Edith Farnsworth House is an icon of modern architecture and continues to inspire artists and designers around the world. Built as a country retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, the house is a building of white-painted steel and glass, which stands in striking contrast to its naturalistic setting. Located in a floodplain landscape along the Fox River, the setting is integral to Mies van der Rohe’s aesthetic conception and continues to be managed and developed as the house and site are restored and interpreted. Serve as bookkeeper for the site, handling day-to-day financial operations, accounting and reporting – including use of retail sales and ticketing software. Process contracts and assist with budget, grants management, processing of donations, and sponsorship program. Assist Operations Manager and Retail Coordinator with any purchasing and inventory control for the museum shop. Record and track donations, reporting monthly. Serve as development assistant for the site, working closely with Executive Director, Operations Manager and others, to receive, record and track donations, as well as assisting to generate intermittent appeals, donor recognitions and sponsorship programs. As needed, support Visitor Center Operations including: opening and closing the Visitor Center, Barnsworth Gallery, and Edith Farnsworth House; serve as sales associate, cashier or customer service associate; assist with online, telephone and in-person ticket sales; operate the museum shop and cash register; restock inventory; and provide outstanding customer service. This is a regular, year-round, part-time position that is eligible for benefits. The expectation is that the person in this role will work 21-25 hours per week at an hourly rate of $23.87. This role is hybrid and will allow for remote work on occasion.

Requirements

At least 2 years of college or equivalent educational/work experience, with a demonstrated interest in historic preservation preferred. Demonstrated successful experience in shop oversight, including leading teams and/or supervising other staff. Work in a customer-service setting strongly preferred.
Demonstrated understanding of shop accounting principles; knowledge of point-of-sales software highly preferred.
Ability to manage budgets, scheduling and coordination for numerous projects at one time, i.e. multi-tasker
General office and administration experience; able to learn and use MS Office, Fare Harbor ticketing and POS systems, as well as National Trust accounting and reporting software.
Excellent communicator with experience in accounting, retail sales and visitor services.
Basic analytical and problem-solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization. Basic project-organization skills. Ability to achieve results with moderate supervision.
Excellent attention to detail. Strong organizational skills required.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Experience successfully interacting with key stakeholders. Ability to collaborate and achieve results. Public contact and ability to work successfully in close proximity to others required. Demonstrated success in working with culturally diverse colleagues and stakeholders.
Ability to prioritize, multi-task efficiently and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion. Ability to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic work environment. Ability to work effectively with frequent interruptions required. Able to handle frequently changing and/or unscheduled tasks with accuracy. Entrepreneurial spirit and skill set a plus.
Ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and communications best practices.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products required, including Outlook, Word and Excel.
Regular and reliable attendance required.
Enjoy interacting with a wide variety of people. Personable, outgoing, courteous, reliable and responsible. Able to work independently but accept supervision. Physically able to stand for long periods of time. Comfortable speaking in front of groups. Able to work weekdays and some weekends. Physically able to walk the site, move materials and endure several walks of 1 mile per day.
Ability to drive 15-passenger van (CDL not required) and golf carts.

Nice To Haves

Experience in tourism promotions, marketing and fundraising a plus.
Bi-lingual language skills a plus.
Experience with web site maintenance and other online promotional tools a plus.
Entrepreneurial spirit and skill set a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as Bookkeeper for the site, setting up new vendors, assisting with contract procurement, processing invoices, processing financial transactions and preparing financial and statistical reports. Assist in maintaining organized and up-to-date paper and digital Accounting files. Assist with budget, grants management, processing of donation, and sponsorship program.
Assist Operations Manager and Retail Coordinator with purchasing, merchandising and inventory control for the museum shop and online museum shop including stocking and returns, controlling inventory and restocking.
Make trips to the bank and post office once or twice a week.
Assist Operations Manager with organizing and maintaining group tour schedules and Special Property Use agreements and scheduling.
Use and operate cash register POS system including credit card processing.
Provide a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable atmosphere that supports the needs of visitors.
Make sure staff and Visitor Center Associates have working knowledge of all finance and development operations with which they are involved.
Maintain open communications with Operations Manager, Retail Coordinator, and site team for museum shop and finance projects and procedures.
Conduct periodic inventory control, including manual count of merchandise and recommendations for re-orders.
Help receive, unpack, price and stock gift shop items if necessary.
Print Reports needed for daily tour operations, accounting, ticketing, donation, and other reporting as needed.
Address issues in theater area if they arise, including assuring the music and/or presentation are functioning properly.
Assist group tours and SPU guests as needed.
Assist with greeting tour groups and individuals as they arrive at the Visitor Center.
Answer visitor questions or collect contact information when needed to follow-up.
Deal skillfully with a diverse variety of groups under a wide array of circumstances.
Continually broaden knowledge of Mies van der Rohe and Modernism to better serve our visitors.
Work closely with Executive Director, Operations Manager and others, to receive, record and track donations. This consists of online donations made through Engaging Networks (linked through website, ticketing software, newsletter, social media and texts), Fare Harbor ticketing, in-person donations in the gift shop (i.e. donations box, round-up’s at the register, and cash or checks entered into the POS system) and tracking donor information in annual spreadsheet.
Assist Executive Director with intermittent appeals, including letters, emails and text-to-donate campaigns. Also assist with donor recognition emails, letters and panel in Visitor Center, updated annually.
Provide invoicing, collecting and tracking assistance for Sponsorship Program, run by Executive Director, Marketing & Events Manager, Exhibitions & Programs Senior Assistant, and other staff.
Assist Marketing & Events Manager and related staff as required by providing occasional event support including processing of new vendors, contracts, invoices and payments, profit & loss statements and final reports.
Assist with a variety of special projects as requested.
Answer telephones, take messages in a timely, effective manner.
Assist visitors and volunteers with transportation around the site (golf carts, van, occasional use of personal vehicle).
Other duties as assigned.