Description

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is among America’s most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum’s campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educators and storytellers, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art to their lives. The Walters’ Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for visitors. The museum offers challenging and creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museum’s Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and shares; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision-making.

OVERVIEW OF ROLE

As a frontline staff member, The Visitor Experience Associate creates a welcoming environment for all visitors to the Walters Art Museum through a positive, proactive and personal customer service model that exemplifies the values of the Walters’ Visitor Promise.

The Visitor Experience Associate is a key member of the Visitor Experience Department (Visitor Experience, Gallery Experience, and Evaluation and Audience Impact), which is committed to making the Walters Art Museum a welcoming and inclusive space for all. The Associate supports cross-departmental projects to champion visitor needs across the institution. This position reports to the Manager of Visitor Experience.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Visitor Experience Associate will:

Provide a welcoming experience for all museum visitors and model a positive, proactive, and personal level of service:

• Uphold the museum’s Visitor Promise by ensuring that the museum is safe, welcoming, and accessible.
• Anticipate and assist visitors with various needs.
• Provide information about the museum collection and navigating the Walters campus, Baltimore City, and surrounding areas.
• Resolve routine customer issues and complaints.
• Promote the supporter program and facilitate sales and renewals of memberships.
• Staff information areas throughout the museum.

• Be knowledgeable on visitor policy and support all front of house staff with enforcement.
• Respond to Visitor Experience email, phone, and in-person inquiries, responding in a timely manner, taking initiative to solve any problems or answer any questions, and forwarding onto colleagues when appropriate.
• Manage visitor amenities (mobility devices, strollers, sensory kits, floor plans, informational brochures, supporter materials, etc.)
• All other duties as assigned.

Support the daily operations and frontline teams:

• Generate a weekly report of upcoming programs, tours and events to share with front of house teams and volunteers and add to the “What’s On” weekly communication document for volunteers and staff.
• Conduct floor inspections to ensure that the museum is in proper order, and follow up with any needed requests.
• Ensure that all visitor facing signage is up-to-date and properly displayed.

• Share daily insights from the floor including visitor interactions, volunteer updates, challenges, insights and feedback through meeting spaces, shift reports, and staff newsletter.
• Maintain print resources, ensuring that they are up-to-date, properly branded and inventoried.
• Ensure technology for various visitor surveys are properly synced and maintained, reporting problems to the appropriate staff in a timely manner.
• Attend daily Front of House meetings and be prepared to communicate updates that will impact other Front of House teams, the visitor’s or volunteer’s experience.
• Maintain communication with Front of House teams throughout the day via radio, phone, and direct channels.
• Have working knowledge of offerings in the Museum Cafe and Store.
• Identify areas and make recommendations for improvement of the visitor experience, efficiencies in administrative duties, and interdepartmental communication that would positively impact overall operations.
• All other duties as assigned.

Assist Manager of Visitor Experience in maintaining a diverse and enthusiastic corps of volunteers, by overseeing volunteer communication.

• Contribute engaging content to the “What’s On” weekly communication document for volunteers and staff that generates curiosity and models fun ways to explore the Walters collection.
• Train and provide assistance for volunteers with volunteer management software.
• Manage volunteer schedules in volunteer management software, building shift opportunities and creating weekly volunteer schedules.
• Ensure all volunteer records are maintained, including contact information, trainings, hours, and agreements.
• Run quarterly queries to ensure all volunteers are meeting monthly minimum requirements and reach out to volunteers that are below minimum requirements.
• Oversee daily shift reports, ensuring that each Volunteer completes the report and submits visitor interaction numbers.
• Run periodic queries to gather volunteer-related metrics used for reporting and attendance data.
• Review shift reports on a weekly basis, and share insights with the Visitor Experience Department.
• All other duties as assigned.

Assist Manager of Visitor Experience in maintaining a diverse and enthusiastic corps of volunteers, by supporting Volunteer Team growth and culture:

• Coordinate Volunteer recruitment through scheduling and conducting interviews for interested candidates, vetting prospective volunteers, and submitting background checks and appropriate paperwork for selected participants.
• Update on-site volunteer training materials including volunteer management software resources, shadow shift trainings and wayfinding exercises.
• Ensure that volunteers are providing excellent customer service and all volunteers are familiar with procedures, policies, activities and events associated with the Museum.
• Manage in-depth check-in and check-out procedures for each Volunteer shift, ensuring clear communication for each Volunteer to fully understand what’s happening in the museum and to fully debrief after each shift, providing Volunteers an opportunity to relay any pertinent information.
• Engage with the Volunteer team during shifts, providing support and creating community within the corps.
• Support special events for the volunteer team including Volunteer Appreciation Month celebrations, volunteering anniversaries, birthdays, years served, etc.
• Assist in building enrichment and wayfinding tools that encourage Volunteers to get curious about the collection.
• All other duties as assigned.

Actively contribute to the work of the Visitor Experience Department and advocate for visitor needs in interdepartmental projects, museum operations, and logistics:

• Contribute to long-range planning and goal setting discussions.
• Attend project-related or various team meetings as necessary, representing the visitor and Front of House perspectives and needs.

• Participate in interviews and onboardings for new staff.
• Participate in iterative program development and provide insights and recommendations for visitor-centric programming, policies, and accommodations.
• Provide program and event support with registration, check-in, and wayfinding, as requested.
• Support the development team during donor and supporter events.
• Collect visitor data through pop-up evaluations, the visitor survey, or other exchanges, as requested.
• Support the distribution and inventory of visitor resources including drawing supplies and Gallery Guides.
• All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• High School/GED
• 1 year experience in visitor service, retail, or hospitality.
• Demonstrates effective hospitality and customer service skills.
• Interest in art history and museum practice.
• Demonstrates effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and public relations skills.
• Competent in handling financial transactions and preparing daily visitor reports.
• Computer proficiency to include Microsoft Word, Google suite, Excel, Vista for Windows and Outlook at the intermediate level.
• Ability to evaluate problems, determine causes of events, formulate and recommend solutions.
• Ability to interact with a diverse group of people.
• Ability to multitask in a fast paced environment, juggling several projects in an organized and timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability to work on teams, comfortable working closely with colleagues on projects and balancing responsibilities, as well as providing support when needed.
• Able to accommodate a Wednesday through Sunday schedule, including evenings and some holidays.

JOB SCHEDULE

Starting Hourly Rate

$17.50/hour

The Walters Art Museum provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, prescription, vision, subsidized transportation and parking, museum membership, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, FSA (flexible spending account), 457b retirement, and free professional financial management counseling.

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The museum does not sponsor work visas. The position is classified as Non-Exempt Status (eligible for overtime pay) and is in a bargaining unit represented by a union.