Museum Guide

TITLE: Museum Guide

WAGES: $16.20 per hour

POSITION: Part-Time, Non-Exempt

BENEFITS: 48 hours of Paid-Time-Off (PTO)

Historic St. Luke’s Restoration, doing business as St. Luke’s Historic Church & Museum, seeks a highly qualified individual to join the Museum Education Department and participate in and support St. Luke’s educational, museum, and preservation activities, programs, and initiatives. The Museum Guide directly reports to the Museum Educator.

Historic St. Luke’s Restoration (HSLR) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organized for charitable and educational purposes to support its ongoing mission. As a National Historic Landmark, our Mission is to preserve, protect, and promote this sacred church and cemetery and its collections, interpret its history with integrity, and educate our global audience about the importance of America’s journey to religious freedom.

Under the guidance of its Board of Directors, HSLR oversees investment reserves and designated funds to support the ongoing preservation, conservation, and stewardship of the church building, grounds, cemeteries, and collections. These collections include artifacts, furnishings, and ephemera. HSLR also promotes the history of the church building and Newport Parish, highlighting the early American pursuit of religious freedom and separation of church and state through various educational events, programs, and initiatives. Additionally, the Board annually approves, monitors, and assesses operational budgets and undertakes capital improvement campaigns to help preserve and enhance the 43-acre campus and chief artifact - the 17th-century brick church building.

TO QUALIFY:

● We are looking for a candidate with a minimum of two years of relative work or volunteer experience in a nonprofit, museum, or historic site. Must have experience working with a team of staff and volunteers and serving a community of stakeholders. Knowledge of museum best practices according to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and the National Association of Interpretation (NAI) is preferred.

● The successful candidate will possess excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, a results-driven mindset, and a tech-savvy, adaptable approach. They should demonstrate a strong ability to quickly learn new digital tools, navigate commonly used software and platforms, and troubleshoot basic technical issues as needed.

● A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is preferred; candidates currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree will also be considered. Fields of study and volunteer/work experience preferred include history (Early or Colonial American preferred), historic preservation, public history, cultural resource management, archaeology, art history, museum studies, American studies, or architectural history. A combination of field of study education and work/volunteer experience may be substituted for a degree.

SCHEDULE:

The schedule is Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 24 hours per week on average. Additional hours and days may be necessary based on organizational needs. Training will begin upon hire and be completed within a month. The first month of training will serve as a probationary period. During this time, trainees must pass a competency exam before being permitted to work independently in the gift shop or the church building and transitioning to regular status.

TO APPLY:

A complete application package must be submitted via email to the Executive Director, John Ericson, at jericson@stlukesmuseum.org. The package includes a Letter of Interest, Resume/CV, and List of three professional references. Following an initial interview, the applicant will complete and submit an Application for Employment to support the application and consideration process.

PLEASE NOTE:

Historic St. Luke’s Restoration is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment, based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin or disability (Civil Rights Act, 1964 and Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990). Job applicants are screened based on what is presented in the Employment Application, and criminal background checks are performed following prior applicant authorization. All full-time and part-time paid staff of Historic St. Luke’s Restoration are required to complete an Application for Employment. All volunteers of Historic St. Luke’s Restoration are required to complete an Application for Volunteerism.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Responsibilities:

The Museum Guide works under the supervision of the Education Coordinator to provide high-quality educational opportunities for our guests through daily self-guided tours, customer service in the gift shop, and assistance with special events, private tours, and educational programs. Additionally, the Museum Guide will help to manage and schedule volunteers and assist with multimedia education editing and content writing, educational program creation, and collections management.

Operations:

● Help guests navigate our guide on the Bloomberg Connects App during regular hours or by appointment for group tours.

● Support gift shop sales and maintenance while providing excellent customer service.

● Operate the Point-of-Sale system and maintain accurate opening and closing balances.

● Ensure proper opening and closing procedures, including security protocols and use of the “buddy system.”

● Answer phone inquiries and share information about our services with the public.

● Collect guest information through the registry system..

● Coordinate with and schedule volunteers to support daily operations.

● Solicit and obtain 5-star reviews from guests on TripAdvisor, Facebook, and Google.

Event Execution

● Assist in the execution of special events, projects, and field trips.

● Conduct historical research for event participants.

● Collaborate with the Museum Educator, Cemetery Sales & Services Manager, Development Coordinator, and Executive Director to grow and engage our community of invested stakeholders through interdepartmental programs and initiatives.

● Co-market educational events.

● Complete duties necessary for exceptional guest experiences for our events.

● Participate in post-mortem analysis.

Collections Coordination:

● Provide support for the stewardship, preservation, and promotion of museum collections in line with American Alliance of Museums (AAM) standards.

● Participate in the care and interpretation of the 17th-century church building while adhering to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) guidelines and easement, and the standards for St. Luke’s National Historic District.

Educational Production:

● Assist in the planning and execution of historical research in the production of educational programs and initiatives, including special events, podcasts, blogs, lectures, newsletter articles, and interdepartmental education.