Museum Experience Specialist - Admissions

Description

Thinkery is where Austin’s children and their families come to enjoy play-based, inquiry-rich, hands-on learning experiences.?We believe that innovative, play-based, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning experiences are a powerful way for children to develop?problem-solving skills,?critical thinking, and?curiosity?about the world around them.? Our exhibits and programs encourage children—alongside their caregivers—to solve creative challenges, explore a variety of materials, and to develop new ways to complete unfamiliar projects. Through these activities, children gain the tools and confidence to develop and grow into enthusiastic,?creative,?lifelong STEAM learners?and?thinkers.?

Position Summary

The Guest Experience Specialist (GXS) ensures a high-quality guest experience at the museum’s Front of House, where first and lasting impressions are shaped. This customer-facing role focuses on efficient transactions, superior customer service, and effective line management, contributing to a welcoming and enjoyable experience. The GXS is responsible for the smooth operation of admissions and the museum store, promoting memberships and encouraging repeat visits. By fostering positive, seamless interactions, the GXS plays a vital role in creating an inclusive environment that inspires exploration and discovery for all guests.

Essential Functions

• Enhance Museum Experience: Ensure a high quality experience at the Front of House, providing an elevated level of customer service at admissions, membership sales, and the museum store.
• Facilitate Smooth Admissions Process: promote and ensure a smooth, welcoming admissions process for all guests from line management through transaction.
• Promote Sales: Drive sales as a service to guests at admissions and in the museum store, focusing on promoting memberships and additional programming opportunities and encouraging repeat visits.
• Facilitate Clear Communication: Act as a direct link between administrative and floor staff, effectively sharing programming details, policy updates, changes, upcoming events, and opportunities to ensure seamless operations.
• Ensure Safety and Welcome: Ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all guests, adhering to museum policies and procedures.
• Mentor and Inspire Staff: Serve as a role model for Museum Experience staff by demonstrating effective facilitation techniques and technological approaches. Encourage and support staff during pre/post shift meetings and offer in-the-moment guidance and redirection, while collaborating with coordinators and managers to help staff reach their full potential.
• Engage Guests Actively: Interact with guests to offer assistance, information, and direction, enhancing their museum experience.
• Resolve Guest Issues Promptly: Address and resolve guest issues, collaborating with relevant teams to ensure effective solutions to reduce customer effort.
• Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with all Thinkery Experience teammates to meet the organization’s daily, weekly, and quarterly goals, ensuring a cohesive and successful museum experience.
• Model Core Values: Model and promote the museum’s core values, emphasizing playfulness.
  
  

Other Responsibilities

• Schedule reflects the demands of a 7-day-a-week operation, with the expectation of working weekends and holidays.
• Occasionally perform duties outside of/in excess of regular workweek schedule during high-volume times.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Must be poised and composed under pressure.
• Comfortable managing high volumes of transactions with accuracy and speed.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, varied, and demanding work environment.
• Confident in mentoring staff on customer service, sales techniques, and cash handling procedures.
• Strong sales experience with a focus on converting visits to memberships.
• Excellent communication skills, including active listening and comprehension.
• Hands-on, team-oriented, and attentive to detail.
• Comfortable taking initiative and offering guidance to colleagues and leadership when necessary.
• Experience with POS and database systems, with Tessitura preferred.
  
  

COMPETENCIES

• Community Focus: Building strong community relationships and delivering community-centric solutions
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Values Differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
• Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder
• Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity
  
  

Requirements

EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

• High School Diploma or GED, a STEAM-related associates’ or bachelors’ degree preferred
• 3+ years of customer service experience
• 1+ years of experience mentoring/supervising staff
• Experience working or volunteering in a busy, loud, public-facing environment, i.e. museums, food service, retail, etc.
• Experience working with children and families, a plus
• Spanish fluency preferred, knowledge of ASL a plus
  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This position is very active. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:

• Observe and respond to the needs of guests, staff, and community partners.
• Move throughout the museum
• Manipulate and move exhibit components weighing up to 45 pounds, including those that may be low to the ground or above eye level
• Clean and disinfect a variety of surfaces and props of various sizes at various heights.
• Communicate and exchange accurate information with guests, staff, and community partners in a variety of formats including in-person, electronically, and over the phone.?
• Identify and respond to safety hazards
• Work in outdoor environments