Historical Interpreter II

State of Oklahoma

8d•$45,000

About The Position

About Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum The Pawnee Bill Ranch was once the showplace of the world-renowned Wild West Show entertainer Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie. Visitors can explore the museum with exhibits related to Pawnee Bill, Wild West Shows, and the Pawnee Nation. The 500-acre grounds include the original ranch blacksmith shop, a 1903 log cabin, a large barn built in 1926, and an Indian Flower Shrine—all available to the public. Basic Purpose This position serves as an essential member of the Pawnee Bill Ranch team through the development of programming for all ages, social media content, and educational exhibits. This position serves as the front-line staff of the Pawnee Bill Ranch, creating a welcoming, positive, educational experience for every visitor. The historical interpreter will give tours through the Pawnee Bill Mansion and manage the museum store as well as assist with reenactments and the maintenance of the site. Customer Service is an essential quality. Further Information This is the leadership level of this job family where employees perform the full range of work associated with the presentation of educational programs at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum and supervises other staff in the performance of assigned work. Strong emphasis is placed on the development of programs, brochures, and social media. Employees will be responsible for coordinating large-scale reenactments and will develop and implement multi-phased projects often involving several divisions and outside groups.

Requirements

Education and Experience requirements at this level consist of a bachelor’s degree in history, anthropology, archaeology, education, museum studies, or a closely related field, and two years of public contact work with one of the years of experience as an interpreter/educator or curator in a museum or historic site; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of the preparation of informational material; of Oklahoma history; of principles of living history; of appropriate costuming styles; of education theories and applications; of survey development; ability to manage multiple; and supervisory principles and practices.
Ability is required to train; establish and maintain working relationships with others; communicate effectively both orally and in writing; to perform historical research; to coordinate and supervise the production of large-scale living history

Responsibilities

Conducts tours of museums and historic sites for visitors; schedules programs and group tours.
Conducts historical research to develop programs; writes scripts for interpretative brochures and videos.
Develop curriculum units for public school use.
Portrays historical characters including developing appropriate costuming and dialogue; coordinates the presentation of special events portraying people and events of the past.
Recruits, trains, schedules and supervises staff and volunteers; responds to requests for information.
Greets the public and manages the gift shop operation; assists in the selection of appropriate educational merchandise for the gift shops.
Maintains positive relations with visitors, being courteous, and respectful, and exercising flexibility to serve the public best, during all work activities, through verbal and nonverbal means of communication, resulting in few to no register complaints.
Correspond with the public and museum staff through emails, meetings, and phone calls.
Act as a site liaison with volunteers and the Board of the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association.
Write a quarterly newsletter.
Prepares for public: programs, presentations, exhibitions, and displays relating to the site's mission statement. Achieving the results of being historically correct, organized, safe, educational, and entertaining when appropriate. Communicating in a stimulating and or enthusiastic and professional manner.
Gives site tours to those who request them and provides engaging information to every visitor.
Work collaboratively in the development of temporary and permanent exhibits with special attention to the educational components that will enrich the visitors' experience.
Operates cash register with few or no errors and monitors all revenue category funds. Documents accounting secures and processes income according to agency policy and procedures, and within established timeframes.
Historical Interpreter is responsible for the operation of the museum store, ordering and stocking in a timely manner. Historical Interpreter is responsible for fiscal accountability and the daily reconciliation of the revenue.
Monitors material on exhibit weekly and assist in maintaining exhibits and displays within all buildings on site.
Performs maintenance tasks in assigned work areas including inspection and grounds, daily cleaning and sanitizing of all public restrooms and fixtures, cleaning of exterior and interior surfaces, and housekeeping duties appropriate for historic and other contents.
Assist in maintaining, accessioning, and monitoring historic artifacts in the collection. This includes reporting condition, temperature, and humidity levels, ordering conservation supplies, and helping investigate possible new items to add to the collection.
Maintaining and managing all social media for the Ranch, the Online Store, and all online special events; including all facility bookings. Post events and information on social media as well as historical information.