What are the responsibilities and job description for the Museum Interpreter, Connecticut’s Old State House position at The Connecticut Democracy Center?
Job Type: Non-exempt, hourly, part-time 16 – 21 hours per week
Museum Interpreters play an important role in representing and conveying the vision, mission, and values of the CT Democracy Center at CT’s Old State House to school groups and the public. Interpreters lead interactive virtual and in-person school programs for students of all ages, provide the public with guided tours of Connecticut’s Old State House, and contribute to a friendly and welcoming environment for anyone who visits, lives, works, or studies in downtown Hartford. The Museum Interpreter’s goal is to represent Connecticut and communicate information about its complex history and state government in ways that are accurate, engaging, and useful to a wide variety of visitors and students.
Interpreters must feel comfortable talking with people while guiding them through historic rooms, answering questions, finding answers, and helping them understand how stories from our past connect with our present. Success in this position relies on a love of learning and the ability to research, organize, and share information and ideas with adults and children of different ages, backgrounds, experiences, and interests through conversation and presentation.
Expectations
- Engage adults and students in school programs, public programs and events, and guided tours that help them understand how Connecticut’s history connects to our present and how Connecticut people can effect change by knowing about our past, our state government, and how people can work together across differences.
- Commit to continuous training and self-directed learning about history, civics, civic skills, state government, and communication and interpretation skills.
- Act as an informed, friendly ambassador for CT’s Old State House during tours, public programs, in-person and virtual school programs, and all other activities as assigned
- Create and maintain orderly and accessible research records.
- Work with colleagues to ensure that everyone who comes to the Old State House grounds or engages in our programs and services feels welcome and respected.
- Assist with greeting visitors, selling admission tickets and shop merchandise, and providing visitor information about the Old State House, Hartford, and sites within our region.
Requirements
- Interest in history, civics, state government, and enthusiasm for sharing these topics with students and the public
- Ability to research and share information in ways that meet student and public interests and needs
- Commitment to the values and behaviors that support teamwork
- Willingness and flexibility to work evenings, weekends and holidays as scheduled or required, including scheduled or unscheduled overtime
- Physical requirements include the ability to lead school groups up and down stairs numerous times per day, conduct outdoor walking tours and lift 30 pounds.
Apply by sending a resume and cover letter to careers@ctdemocracycenter.org with subject line: “OSH Museum Interpreter.” Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search. The goal is to begin the work in May.
The CT Democracy Center is committed to fostering equity and inclusion. We strongly encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. For more details please see: www.ctdemocracycenter.org.
Connecticut Public Affairs Network, Inc. d/b/a The Connecticut Democracy Center is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is proud to be a Drug-Free Workplace.