Front Desk Lead

Description

Status: Full Time, non-exempt

Wages: $19.00 - $22.00 per hour, DOQ

About Us:
The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative. The Museum is recognized as a national Museum for All and won a Noyce Foundation Bright Lights Award for bringing art and science education to underserved populations.

Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach, and family support programs.

Position Summary

As a member of the Visitor Services team, the Front Desk Lead is a front-facing customer service position and is the first point of contact for Hands’ On Children’s Museum (HOCM) visitors. They are expected to promote an exceptional customer experience while answering phones, selling tickets, memberships, and gift shop purchases. This full-time position provides reservations and membership support and can effectively communicate information in person, through email, and over the phone. They facilitate a welcoming and positive experience for HOCM visitors by modeling HOCM's mission, vision, and values. 

The Front Desk Lead will possess a strong understanding of museum programs and operations and assist the front desk and other museum staff by answering questions and providing on-the-spot training.  Working with the Visitor Services and Café Managers/Supervisors, they will troubleshoot and resolve daily museum staffing or customer service issues. This position may be required to provide backup coverage for the gift shop or reservations.  

Requirements

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, relevant work experience may substitute.
• 1-2 years of progressively responsible experience in a retail and office setting, including experience supervising staff or as a lead and meeting sales goals.
• Experience using a POS system to sell tickets, merchandise, memberships, and manage constituent records with a high degree of accuracy.
• Cash handling experience and excellent customer service skills.
• Experience using a multi-line phone system and other office equipment. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Weekend availability – this position works 1 weekend day each week.
• Must be able to work with individuals from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work in a team setting with a high degree of daily communication required. 
• Excellent initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent project coordination skills; multi-tasking and prioritizing. 
• Able to work independently with limited direction in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be reliable, flexible and detail-oriented.
• Must care about and value the viewpoints of the other team members and the organizational mission.
• Follow Museum Safety procedures to maintain a safe environment for visitors and staff.
   

Physical Demands:

• Ability to work, speak loudly, hear customers, and use a radio in a noisy environment. 
• Ability to sit, stand and work on a computer for extended periods of time or repeatedly sit and stand.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds.

Workplace Values

Achieving our mission requires great people who actively demonstrate our core values.

Compensation & Benefits: $19 - $22 per hour, medical, dental, and vision, employee wellness program, paid holidays and time off, a 401(k) retirement plan, and lots of adorable children. See the benefit details for this position here.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, 3 professional references, and a bullet point list noting how your experience and skills match the requirements of the position. 

For more information, please visit our website at www.hocm.org 

The Hands On Children’s Museum exhibits, education programs, and employment are available to all without discrimination.