Visitor Services Associate (VSA)

JOB DESCRIPTION:  VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIATE[1]

FLSA Status:  Non-Exempt[2] 

1. Position Title: The Valentine Visitor Services Associate

2. Job Objective: The Visitor Services Associate is the first impression for the museum and the museum store. He/she has responsibility for implementing the daily procedures at the front desk.  He/she is a primary source of access and communication within The Valentine. This person answers and directs phone calls or other inquires, processes admissions fees, takes and processes reservations for the public walking and bus tours, conducts sales in the museum store, helps to provide security for The Valentine by issuing badges and keeping logs for visitors to restricted areas, and provides tours of the 1812 Wickham House.  Weekend availability required.

3. Reporting Supervisor: Visitor Services & Volunteer Programs Manager 

4. Positions Supervised: None

5. Attire: Uniform (The Valentine Shirt) / Black or Khaki Pants 

6. Wage & Hours:    Part-time hourly position. Hours per week will vary, with no less than 4 hours and no more than 29 hours per scheduled work week.

7. Core Job Responsibilities and Duties:

Operations and Security: Assist in the daily open and close of The Valentine, the Wickham House, and the First Freedom Center by turning on lights and disarming alarms. Maintain a security log of loaned keys and identification badges to staff, interns, volunteers, contractors, and guests. Validate parking for visitors and appointments, while maintaining a log for The Valentine Lot. Sell validation stickers to additional staff lots. Print a daily appointment schedule-greet assigned visitors, and contact staff concerning arrivals. Provide parking attendant with a daily list of appointments requiring parking. Ensure entry log for staff. Volunteers, and interns is properly displayed and dated. File incident report for alarm activities or other mishaps and turn completed forms into the Director of Operations.

Front Desk: Provide top-quality customer service for the front desk, museum store, and First Freedom Center. Directs phone calls to staff members and key resources. Advise visitors of pricing categories, ticket information, and the public areas of access.  Process admission sales for individual visitors as well as for unexpected group visits. Complete a daily reconciliation of sales make a deposit of monies received. Assist in management of daily crises, particularly those related to Historic Richmond Tours, Wickham House tours, and the front desk. Help to secure the collections by restricting umbrellas, backpacks, or camera tripods from entering the galleries or house. Take reservations or supply information for occasional special events, directing RSVPs to the proper sources or voicemails. Assist with projects or mailings when necessary. Keep the desk in good repair, displaying a clean, neat appearance to the public..

Museum Store: Assist with the Museum Store by using suggestive selling techniques and processing retail sales. Restock products that are sold and maintain a clean and welcoming storefront.

Research: Instruct inquiries of procedures for accessing the archival and collection’s materials. Process completed application forms and monies for archival and collections research appointments, while maintaining an access log for visitors entering those restricted areas.

Tours: Conduct informed Wickham House tours. Remain aware of the guests’ presence on House tours and attempt to guard the collections by restricting the touching of physical objects or other actions that might cause the structure or furnishings harm. Help provide security during Wickham House tours, while carrying a radio for emergency contact. Conduct gallery conversations at the First Freedom Center using the resources provided.

Programs and Walking Tours: Direct calls concerning group tours and programs to the proper sources. Process admission sales for groups attending prearranged programs, bus tours, walking tours, and/or Wickham House tours. Take individual reservations for walking and bus tours for the public tour season. Give directions to starting points for public tours or to The Valentine location. Guide visitors gathering for public bus tours that depart from The Valentine, confirming reservations and party numbers. Aid and assist with promotion of programs and tours, based on The Valentine’s marketing plan.

8. Physical Demands: The Visitor Services Associate must be physically able to stand and walk with a group for a minimum of 30 minutes and be able to climb narrow stairs. While performing the duties of this position, the Visitor Services Associate is regularly required to reach with hands and arms, speak for extended periods of time and listen.  The Visitor Services Associate may be occasionally asked to lift and carry objects such as books or files weighing up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision and the ability to focus.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

9. Training Requirements: The Visitor Services Associate will be provided with a training material. The Visitor Services Associate will spend time with the Visitor Services Manager, Museum Store Manager and Curator of General Collections as well as shadow other experienced guides on their tours.  Visitor Services Associates will then conduct a “preview tour” of his or her design for the supervisor or another guide or staff member. Once the tour is approved, the individual will begin work with the public. Supplemental articles will be furnished or recommended monthly to give the guide a better understanding of the period or specific issues.

[1] DISCLAIMER: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

[2] FLSA stands for the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was enacted by Congress in 1938 and is under Federal Wage and Hour statutes. The Fair Labor Standards Act uses the terms exempt and nonexempt to describe work that is included (nonexempt) or not included (exempt) in the Act’s overtime and record-keeping provisions. The Act requires that overtime (payment for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in one week) be paid to employees performing nonexempt work.