Visitor Experience Associate

Organizational Overview

The Museum of Us (formerly the San Diego Museum of Man) is located on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Kumeyaay Nation in what is now known as Balboa Park. Our mission is inspiring human connections by exploring the human experience—in all of its beauty and its messiness. With our community’s guidance, we’ve transformed an old-school anthropology museum with a legacy of colonial and racist harm into a human-centered museum that builds understanding, empathy, and belonging, and—in turn—the capacity to effectuate positive change. We’re a place for everyone, but especially for those who haven’t been able to tell their own stories in mainstream museums. We’re also a place for the new and future generations of museum-goers, who will continue to expect more from their cultural institutions. The driving force behind our work is developing better and better practices in what a decolonial and anti-racist museum can look like and then creating a ripple effect in the museum field (and beyond). Four interrelated themes loom large for us: Identity, Home, Wellness, and Justice. Every one of our projects/initiatives begins with an examination of whether (and, if so, how) the work is oriented around and informed by our decolonial and anti-racist commitments.

Position Summary

The Visitor Experience Association serves as the external face of the Museum of Us and is an integral member of the team. The core of the Visitor Experience Associate role is providing guests with a positive and memorable experience. This position requires experience working with diverse groups of visitors, being a flexible team player to accommodate changing needs, and the capability to handle a fast-paced environment while providing a quality visitor experience. Duties include actively welcoming visitors to our space, selling museum admission and memberships, and providing information about museum exhibits and programs. This position is full time, non-exempt, with a Wednesday through Sunday schedule, including holidays. The schedule may occasionally include evenings for programs and events.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Visitor Experience Coordinator, the Visitor Experience Associate is expected to work collaboratively with individuals throughout the Museum of Us and perform the following:

• Actively greet visitors and welcome them to the Museum of Us in a friendly and warm manner; employ customer service best practices with visitors, staff, and vendors.
• Promote museum programs, events, and exhibits. Provide information to visitors about Museum of Us and Balboa Park.
• Complete visitor sales transactions with a high level of accuracy. This includes processing cash, check and credit card transactions, receipt printing and scanning Go Pass and Explorer Pass.
• Conduct tours of the California Tower.
• Maintain a clean and professional shared workspace in public areas at the museum lobby admissions desk, and secondary admissions desk at Evernham Hall.
• Immediately report facilities, exhibits, or software issues to ensure timely resolution and contribute to a high-quality experience for visitors.
• Perform regular walk-throughs of the exhibits to ensure consumable materials are stocked, exhibit surfaces are clean and tidy, and assist guests in the galleries.
• Assist with retail inventory, upkeep of displays, and other sales-related functions. Assist with the daily cleaning of exhibits, with special attention paid to interactives, knobs, handrails, and other frequently touched surfaces.
• Assist guests with any accessibility assistance requests and accommodate wherever possible, including providing noise-canceling headphones, providing wheelchairs, and operating the wheelchair lift.
• Confirm that end of the day transaction reports are accurate and complete, including a daily reporting of admissions data.
• Collaborate with other museum departments to support the visitor experience, including occasionally working at after-hours events.
• Participate in all required museum training programs, work towards the museum mission, and uphold the museum values.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience & Education

• Experience working in museums and/or cultural centers.
• Experience working in hospitality, sales, or customer service.
• Experience with cash handling.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, customer service, and public engagement skills; enjoys working with people.
• Ability to remain calm in escalated interactions; experience deescalating and resolving customer service issues.
• Willingness to be CPR/AED and First Aid certified.
• Availability to work weekends and holidays.
• Speaking a second language is highly desirable.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

ADA Notations

• Indoor/outdoor working environment including sitting, walking, climbing stairs, balancing, crouching, stooping, and communication (talking/ hearing).
• Ability to move between all areas of the museum, some of which are widely spaced on uneven terrain and require climbing stairs.
• Ability to lift and carry large/bulky items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Vision requirements include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Noise conditions range from quiet to moderate noise.

Salary & Benefits

• Full-time salary $22.00 per hour
• Rooted in a focus on equitability and sustainability, we offer an exceptional employee benefits package, including:
  • Medical/dental/vision/life insurance and disability benefits;
  • 14 paid holidays, with the ability to substitute employee-designated holidays for museum-designated holidays;
  • Vacation (10-20 days/year, depending on seniority) and sick leave (10 days/year);
  • Three days paid Community-Centered leave to support and build community however define it;
  • Matching retirement contribution plan, up to 6% of your annual salary;
  • $200 in “Museum Bucks” for you to support your work-life balance;
  • Birthday and anniversary gift cards;
  • A human-centered and highly supportive environment, which encourages team members to bring their whole selves to work.

Application Process

To apply for the Visitor Experience Associate position, please email your resume and cover letter to museum@museumofus.org. Deadline to apply is September 29, 2023.