Visitor Experience Associate

• Part Time, Nonexempt
• $16-$21 per hour
• 15-32 hours per week
• Shift: Saturdays and Sundays from 9:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (early opens and late closes as required)
• Reports to: Visitor Services & Audience Insights Manager
• Directs Reports: None

This individual will represent the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) by greeting, welcoming, and assisting visitors with the highest degree of professional competence. Responsible for promoting a positive, welcoming visitor experience and providing a radically hospitable and informative environment. This role will promote and execute sales of admission tickets, audio guides, memberships, retail transactions, and education and rental events, online,  in person and by phone, and largely be responsible that the front end visitor experience is welcoming, engaging and orderly. This role will advocate for and assist with the audiences the museum serves.

Responsibilities will include:

VISITOR SERVICES (75%)

• Serving as the primary contact for the museum, by welcoming and engaging with all visitors and volunteers to MMAM either in-person, or on the phone
• Proactively and warmly welcoming guests, responding to questions, and offering assistance–always showing the highest quality of customer service
• Creating and maintaining a positive and inviting experience for museum visitors, that is conducive to repeat visits, new and renewing memberships, and positive word of mouth for MMAM
• Handling all transactions (admissions, program and rental fees, memberships, donations, retail purchases, etc.) that are conducted at the front desk
• Thoughtfully and proactively promoting MMAM memberships and benefits
• Knowing, sharing, and promoting upcoming exhibitions, education and public programs, and events
• Welcoming, supporting, and working alongside with Greeter Guide colleagues
• Monitoring and assisting with daily facility upkeep (tidying store, desk, outdoor visitor areas – seasonal – and cafe areas)
• Attending and providing insight at Visitor Experience Team and other department meetings as requested
• Performing all necessary opening and close-out procedures daily, as well as maintaining daily operations at the front desk
• Helping craft a welcoming, accessible, and audience-focused experience for a diverse population of visitors
• Creating and supporting a culture of hospitality and meaningful visitor experiences

AUDIENCE INSIGHTS (15%)

• Assisting with visitor studies and data collection, as directed by the Visitor Services & Audience Insights Manager, including, but not limited to, conducting visitor intercept interviews and visitor tracking and timing studies
• Entering visitor data

OTHER (5%)

• Assisting with the enterprise functions of the museum by assisting the Enterprise Manager with assigned tasks, including receiving and shipping packages, maintaining inventory, restocking, cafe upkeep, and general store upkeep

Position Specifics

• Part-time (up to 32 hours per week)
• Required to work a varied schedule including evenings and weekends, as required.
• Work location: on location
• Benefits: eligible for our part time benefits package including 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, museum membership, retail store discount, PTO, and much more.

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. As no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply if you feel that much of the following matches your experience:

YOU’LL LIKELY DEMONSTRATE:

• Excellent customer service and communication skills
• Experience with digital word processing tools (preferably Microsoft Office), point of sale system (preferably Square), customer management system software (preferably Little Green Light), and cloud-based operating systems (preferably Google Suite), and/or the ability to learn new computer software quickly
• Retail or customer service experience preferred
• Museum or arts organization experience preferred
• Experience working with diverse populations, and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion preferred

VALUES – YOU ARE A CHAMPION OF:

• Centering your work in Relationships and Collaboration.
• Stewarding Sustainability, Equity, and Hospitality.
• Operating with Honesty, Transparency and Trust.
• Being Bold and Brave.
• Always Enterprising, Always Outstanding.

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is committed to being an inclusive workplace. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities and audiences we serve. We are dedicated to fair and inclusive employment practices for all individuals.  The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is an equal opportunity employer and will consider requests for reasonable accommodations based on disability or sincerely-held religious beliefs possible without undue hardship.

MISSION

To create meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water.

VISION

To spark wonder and create a more compassionate and connected world for all.

ABOUT

Before there ever was a Minnesota Marine Art Museum, there was a Maritime Heritage Society, a community group dedicated to preserving and sharing stories about life on the river. Their commitment set in motion the creation of a museum to showcase art inspired by water. MMAM opened in 2006 with the vision of creating a nationally recognized center for arts and culture in Southeast Minnesota. The initial collections consisted of traditional marine paintings and regional folk art. After expanding the quality and diversity of its collections, evolving the exhibition program, adding an annual roster of educational programs and temporary exhibitions, and enlarging its facility, today’s MMAM is a dynamic and surprising experience for tens of thousands of visitors a year.

MMAM operates from Mni Sota Makoce (Land Where the Waters Reflect The Clouds), the traditional homeland of the Dakota people. Residing here since time immemorial, Dakota still call Mni Sota Makoce home, with four federally recognized Dakota nations and many more Dakota people residing in what is now the state of Minnesota. Due to continued legacies of colonization,, genocide and forced removal, generations of Dakota people remain disenfranchised from their traditional homeland.  Presently, Mni Sota Makoce has become a refuge and home for many Indigenous nations and peoples, including seven federally recognized Ojibwe nations.  We humbly encourage our audiences to reflect upon the historical legacies held in the lands they occupy.

MMAM is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to make our communities—social, cultural, and natural— better off than we found them. Built on a former industrial site, the museum’s five-acre gardens—our 7th Gallery—are not only a source of natural beauty, they are the base of MMAM’s sustainability goals. The land has transformed to become a biodiverse ecosystem that sequesters carbon and improves climate sustainability. From the roots of the plants to the roof of the museum, MMAM is working to achieve Net Zero by 2030.

To apply:

APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 26

Please submit your resume, two professional references, and a cover letter to MMAM by email at hello@minnesotamarineart.org.

Applications are due by 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2023.  Interviews will be scheduled the week of April 23 and April 30, 2023.