Museum Experience Specialist - Del Valle

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 Museum Experience Specialist (MXS) is responsible for coordinating daily museum operations to maximize the guest experience and ensure efficient use of museum resources at Thinkery - Del Valle. As a model facilitator and mentor, the MXS ensures every guest enjoys a high-quality, engaging, and welcoming experience. This customer-facing role actively models and promotes play-based STEAM learning on the museum floor, in the Learning lab, and during programs. By fostering positive, joyful interactions, the MXS contributes to a culturally fluent environment that inspires curiosity, creativity, and exploration for all guests.

Essential Functions

• Oversees Daily Operations: Oversee museum operations to ensure a seamless and enjoyable guest experience, ensuring all activities run smoothly.
• Deploy Staff Strategically: Assign staff to optimize guest engagement and ensure coverage across all museum activities and events.
• Model Play-Based STEAM Learning: Exemplify Thinkery’s approach to play-based STEAM learning by engaging with museum guests—both children and adults—from diverse backgrounds with a playful, energetic, friendly, positive, and professional demeanor.
• Enforce Policies with Empathy and Clarity: Ensure that guests and staff follow Thinkery’s policies and procedures with a focus on empathy, ownership, and logic. Support and uphold leadership decisions, working collaboratively with Experience managers to address any issues and maintain smooth operations.
• Ensure Safety and Welcome: Maintain a safe, welcoming environment by upholding museum policies and procedures.
• Mentor and Inspire Staff: Guide and support Museum Experience staff in operational excellence. Encourage and support staff during pre/post shift meetings and offer in-the-moment guidance and redirection, while collaborating with the manager to help staff reach their full potential.
• Resolve Guest Issues Promptly: Address and resolve guest issues, collaborating with relevant teams to ensure effective solutions to reduce customer effort.
• (move up under play based) Proactively Enhance Joyful Learning Experiences: Assess daily guest needs and make immediate decisions about programming and materials to create joyful and engaging learning experiences for all Thinkery guests. Provide the highest level of customer service and model exemplary service behaviors for all staff.
• 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 and belonging.
  
  

Other Responsibilities

• Schedule reflects the demands of a 7-day-a-week operation, with the expectation of working weekends and holidays.
• Thinkery is open seven (7) days a week and all customer facing roles require staff to be available weekends, occasional evenings and holidays.
• This role will begin with limited hours, but is expected to increase in hours to a regular schedule of approximately 24-28 hours per week within 2-3 months of hire.
• Occasionally perform duties outside of/in excess of the regular workweek schedule during high-volume times.
  
  

Requirements

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Must be poised and composed under pressure.
• Exceptional attention to detail is essential.
• Excellent interpersonal and public interaction skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong collaborative skills, able to work effectively with staff and volunteers from multiple departments.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
  

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
  
  

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

• Reports to Museum Experience Manager
• No direct reports; oversees Museum Experience Leads and Assistants
• Peer collaboration with other team members cross departmentally
  
  

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
• Spanish fluency preferred, knowledge of ASL a plus
• 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
  
  

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:

• Observe and react to the needs of guests, staff, volunteers, and community partners
• Move throughout the museum
• Manipulate and move exhibit components and rental equipment weighing up to 45 pounds, including those that may be low to the ground or above eye level
• Communicate and exchange accurate information with guests, staff, volunteers, and community partners in a variety of formats including in-person, electronically, and over the phone
• Detect and respond to safety hazards
• Occasionally work in outdoor environments
• Operate a cash register and computer efficiently and accurately
  
  

Benefits

Thinkery offers competitive and affordable benefits for our full-time staff including options for 100% employer sponsored medical coverage. Our benefits package includes:

• Medical insurance options including HSA, PPO Gold, and PPO Platinum plans
• Affordable dental and vision
• 100% employer sponsored EAP, STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
• 2 weeks of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 13 paid holidays each year
• Pet and child friendly offices
• Paid family and sick leave