Visitor Services Coordinator

Overview
The Noble Maritime Collection is looking for a hospitable individual to join the museum staff as a part-time Visitor Services Coordinator.  This role requires someone who genuinely enjoys meeting new people and seeing to their needs while they are guests at our unique museum located in a National Historic Landmark at Snug Harbor on Staten Island’s North Shore.  The hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 5 PM, and it is important that candidates for this position are reliable and willing to work every weekend.  Throughout their shift, the Visitor Services Coordinator works out of the museum’s small and popular shop, and therefore the strongest candidates will also have retail experience.  A passion for art and history are also a plus.  This position reports to the executive director.

Work Schedule
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 to 5 PM
Part-time, 20 hours per week
The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Salary
$18 to $20 per hour
Sick leave is accrued at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked

Qualifications

  • A friendly demeanor and passion for working with the public

  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to clearly and warmly convey key museum information to individuals or small groups of visitors

  • Prior experience in a service-oriented role, including, but not limited to, customer service, retail, or museum visitor services

  • Punctuality, as well as good organizational and time management skills

  • Light physical activity, including, but not limited to, the beginning and end of each shift to open and close the museum

  • Ability to lift at least 25 pounds

  • Attention to detail, including responsibly maintaining shop inventory and daily sales receipts

  • Excellent organizational skills, a good work ethic, and the willingness to be proactive and take initiative

  • Basic computer skills

  • High school diploma or equivalent

Responsibilities

  • Works in collaboration with administrative staff, museum interpreters, and volunteers to oversee all aspects of the museum’s public use.

  • Opens and closes the museum’s historic building for its public gallery hours, including opening galleries and interior window shutters.

  • Greets every visitor to the museum and gives them a brief orientation.

  • Provides general assistance to visitors.

  • Updates visitor’s sign-in log and daily log of attendance.

  • Monitors collection during public hours to ensure exhibitions are in order and informs senior staff of any maintenance needs in galleries or public areas that need attention.

  • Light maintenance of public areas may be required to ensure a proper visitor experience, including spot cleaning and the changing of light bulbs.

  • Oversees the museum shop, and orders stock and manages inventory.  Uses visual merchandising skills to position the merchandise for best sell through.

  • Uses product knowledge and selling skills to increase sales.  Serves as liaison between consignment artists and other vendors and the museum.

  • Promotes and sells museum memberships and is knowledgeable of member benefits.

  • Stocks information rack with current marketing materials.

  • Assists with special events as needed.

How to Apply: Please email a written cover letter and resume to Executive Director Ciro Galeno Jr. at jobs@noblemaritime.org.  No phone calls, please.  Those whose candidacy is being considered will be contacted by the museum.

Organizational Profile
The mission of the Noble Maritime Collection, an art and history museum on Staten Island, is to present exhibitions and programs that celebrate the working waterfront of New York Harbor in the tradition of distinguished artist John A. Noble (1913-83), and to preserve Robbins Reef Lighthouse and the history of Sailors’ Snug Harbor. The museum is located at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, formerly the retirement home Sailors' Snug Harbor from 1833 to 1976. Noble was an artist and sailor who worked on schooners based out of New York in the 1920s. He lived on Staten Island and is known for his unique houseboat studio, fashioned out of parts of 19th-century wooden vessels.

The museum’s vision, inspired by its namesake, is to use art to make the working waterfront accessible to all people, and in doing so, foster an understanding of its history and relevance to the culture and economy of the local community. Its primary program areas are preservation and display of the permanent collection, new exhibits, arts education, and public programs.

The museum was founded as a nonprofit in 1986. Since that time its dedicated volunteer crew worked to recover, repair and preserve an historic building that previously housed retired sailors as part of Sailors’ Snug Harbor. The building itself is part of the unique experience of visiting the Noble Maritime Collection. The centerpiece of its exhibitions is John A. Noble’s unique houseboat art studio, restored and installed inside the museum.

The Noble Maritime Collection is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The organization cultivates an inclusive work environment and nurtures a diverse team that is responsive to community needs. The Noble Maritime Collection does not discriminate with respect to employment or participation on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or on account of any other basis prohibited by applicable City, State, or Federal law.