Play Ambassadors (Utica Children's Museum)

The Play Ambassador position supports both the Utica Children’s Museum and the Mobile Museum programming. A Play Ambassador serves as a facilitator by providing exceptional customer service, implementation of key early childhood education and developmental frameworks, and by ensuring safety practices are maintained in order to foster a fun, playful, stimulating, and inclusive environment for all children and families. The Play Ambassador will promote the philosophy and mission of the agency by performing the following duties.

Shift: Wednesday-Saturday 9:30am-5:30pm, Sundays 9:30am-4pm

Duties and Responsibilities

• Guest Engagement & Customer Service: Greet visitors, provide museum orientation, answer questions, resolve concerns diplomatically, and ensure a positive guest experience. Actively engage visitors, initiate conversations, and provide meaningful interactions.
• Facilitate Play & Learning: Engage in interactive play, guide children through exhibits and activities, and inspire learning through hands-on programs.
• Program & Event Implementation: Lead arts, crafts, storytelling, music, drama, movement, and cooperative games and activities both in the museum and at community events.
• Event & Party Assistance: Assist with facilitating school visits, summer camps, private events, birthday parties, field trips and outreach programs to create memorable experiences at the Children's Museum and with the Mobile Museum.
• Safety & Supervision: Monitor play areas, enforce rules, ensure visitor safety, and handle emergencies calmly and effectively.
• Exhibit & Facility Maintenance: Participate in routine checks, monitor exhibits, reset props, remove unsafe objects, uphold cleanliness standards by performing daily sanitizing and cleaning tasks, and report maintenance needs to Management.
• Communication & Teamwork: Collaborate with staff to ensure smooth operations and an engaging environment. Communicate with management when supplies are needed or something needs attention.
• Visitor Feedback & Continuous Improvement: Collect guest insights and report to management for experience enhancements.
• Mentoring & Training: Assist in training and mentoring fellow staff members as requested.
• Support Mobile Museum Operations: Assist with transportation, perform unloading and loading of vehicle, set up and break down of exhibits, and ensure necessary supplies are secured for Mobile Museum events and associated activities.
• Flexible Scheduling: Must be willing to work a flexible, variable schedule, including some holidays, evenings, and weekend days.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Interest and ability in working with children and families from a variety of backgrounds, abilities, experiences, perspectives.
• Ideal candidates must be engaging, enthusiastic, outgoing and energetic-willing to play.
• Excellent communication skills- can effectively communicate to visitors the educational content and value of museum exhibits and programs. Comfortable addressing large groups as well as in one-on-one interactions with visitors.
• Good interpersonal and organizational skills. Uses sensitivity and good judgment when engaging with children and families. Brings issues or concerns to appropriate supervisor.
• Must have a passion for play and guest service along with genuine joy interacting with children and families.
• Must have a positive attitude and strong work ethnic.
• Ability to respond to challenging situations in a calm and professional manner.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Respectful, approachable, and engaging personality.
• Commitment to maintaining a safe, clean, and organized environment.

Education/Experience:

• Minimum High School Diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Experience working with a child/family audience in a customer service environment or similar role (this includes relevant paid and unpaid work/volunteer/community work).
• Course-work in Early Learning or Childhood Development (0-10 years old) a plus.
• Experience working or volunteering with children in an educational or recreation setting.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $16.00 - $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: No more than 35 per week

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Commute:

• Utica, NY 13501 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Utica, NY 13501: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $16 - $20