Visitor Experience Lead (Part Time)

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

4d•$45,288 - $54,732•Onsite

About The Position

The Burke Museum values the critical role that frontline staff play in creating an onsite experience that is accessible, inclusive, and connects museum guests to our mission. To support this, we are seeking a collaborative, people-oriented assistant with strong communication skills and close attention to detail to support the work of the Visitor Experience team. The Visitor Experience Assistant will delegate daily work to the Visitor Services team in support or absence of the Manager or Coordinators, lead admissions opening and closing procedures, de-escalate difficult guest interactions, and elevate notable issues to supervisors. They will also perform the general responsibilities expected of Visitor Services Representatives. Often the first staff to engage with museum guests, Visitor Services Representatives are responsible for welcoming guests into the museum space, ensuring clear and easy ticketing and entry processes, and sharing opportunities for visitors to engage with the Burke more deeply. Visitor Service Representatives receive ongoing training on empathetic guest service best practices, and a thorough overview of the Burke’s collections and programs. The Visitor Experience Assistant will act as a key line of communication from on the floor guest and staff experience to the Visitor Experience Department to help inform adaptive policies. This position will spend a majority of their time on the floor.

Requirements

High school graduation or equivalent AND Two years of clerical experience.
Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in museums, visitor services, or customer service and/or strong interest in natural history and culture preferred.
Fluency in American Sign Language and/or languages other than English.
Cash handling and register experience.
CPR and first aid training and certification.
Experience with large groups of youth and adults.
Personable and warm individual with excellent guest service experience and strong communication skills.
Skilled in defusing conflict in a calm and professional manner.

Responsibilities

Delegate daily tasks to Visitor Services Representatives in support or in absence of Visitor Services Manager and Coordinators.
Act as on the floor support for Visitor Services Representative in connecting staff and guests to museum resources and protocols.
Support the training and onboarding of new Visitor Services team members.
Perform opening and closing of admissions and store registers, generate end of day reports in store and ticket POS systems.
De-escalate difficult visitor interactions in a calm and respectful manner, embodying our empathetic guest service philosophy and safety protocols.
Follow museum’s emergency response protocols when necessary.
Elevate notable issues observed on the floor by guest services staff to supervisors. This includes but is not limited to: exhibit damage, difficult guest interactions, accessibility and accommodation needs, admission and membership systems issues, etc.
Act as a key line of communication from on the floor guest and staff experience to the Visitor Experience Department to help inform adaptive policies.
Cross-train with the operations department on building safety and security protocols, including alarms, lighting, and shades.
Welcome visitors and provide excellent guest service.
Share information about daily happenings, exhibit highlights, and visitor amenities.
Warmly orient visitors, assist with wayfinding, and answer questions about the museum and surrounding area.
Process admission, membership, and gift store transactions.
Maintain working knowledge of admission prices, categories, and discounts.
Assist with line management and all ticketing and entry procedures.
Consistently and actively promote membership, working collaboratively to meet team membership sales goals.
Support the guest experience by maintaining a clean and orderly admission desk, notifying supervisors of any supply requests.
Maintain store stock, prepare inventory, and keep store spaces neat and orderly under guidance of the Store Coordinator.
Understand and be able to communicate museum policies and practices as they apply to the admissions, membership, gallery access and front of house matters.
Answer visitor services related phone-inquiries and direct in-person and phone inquiries appropriately to other departments as appropriate.
Warmly welcome visitors into the gallery spaces, assisting with wayfinding, connecting guests to daily happenings, and offering interpretative assistance in the galleries.
Support the “See-through-Experience” of the Burke by guiding visitors to activated spaces and sharing what is happening in the research labs and collections.
Help create a safe and positive guest experience by caring for galleries and exhibits through spot cleaning, picking up trash, and elevating any critical issues with exhibits or facilities to supervisors.
Act as the eyes and ears of safety for guests by monitoring guest behavior in the exhibits, communicating expected visitor code of conduct when needed, and alerting supervisors to assist with emergent issues.
Help the museum adapt to support emergent guest needs by reporting unanticipated uses of exhibit interactives, notable issues with wayfinding and gallery flow, visitor accommodation requests, etc to supervisors.
Facilitate guest safety by assisting with emergency evacuation procedures
Must be able to be mobile in the galleries for up to 3 hours cumulatively over a 4 hour period with intermittent breaks.