Travel Counselor

Administrative Associate I (S)

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is the state's lead agency for economic, community and workforce development. The department works with local, regional, national and international organizations to fulfill its mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians.

The Department connects businesses with the site locations, workforce and infrastructure they need to succeed in one of the nation's top states for business. We also connect local communities with the grants and funding they need to attract new business and ensure future prosperity.

The Visitor Services Program works in cooperation with strategic partners to strengthen the state's tourism industry by providing customer service and information on travel to and within North Carolina to visitors and potential visitors. It is comprised of four components: North Carolina Welcome Centers, Tourism Call Center, Tourism Fulfillment Center, and Tourism Warehouse. The Welcome Center program maximizes the opportunities to increase visitor expenditures through responsive promotion and marketing initiatives and by providing excellent customer service at points of entry to the state along interstate highways. Welcome Centers provide multiple travel services, such as providing travel information, planning trips, routing, distributing travel literature and making reservations for accommodations. Travel Information Counselors must enjoy working with the public and can communicate clearly with the public in oral and written form. Travel Counselors:

• Use all available resources to provide visitors with excellent customer service;
• Provide information about the state and its tourist facilities to visitors;
• Distribute information on attractions, events, and accommodations to visitors;
• Provide highway routing information to visitors;
• Maintain brochure display racks, back stock, and order new and replacement brochures;
• Participate in study/familiarization tours and share your experiences with coworkers;
• Occasionally conduct oral presentations to schools or civic groups.

Welcome Centers are open 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm. The work schedule will include weekday, weekend, and holiday work. This position is located at the I-85 North Welcome Center in Norlina, NC (Warren County).

Applicants who possess the following qualifications may receive management preference:

• Ability to provide customer service-focused hospitality to the traveling public.
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, MS Excel, and Internet search engines.
• Experience providing information about North Carolina's attractions, events, accommodations, recreational opportunities, history, and geographic features.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with the public through oral and written communication while assisting visitors with travel-related inquiries.

This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) with State Benefits, including health insurance, as well as retirement. The work schedule will include weekday, weekend, and holiday work.

We value our employees and offer a wide variety of competitive and family-friendly benefits. Benefits to include:

• 12 Annual Paid Holidays and monthly accrual of vacation and sick leave
• North Carolina State Health Plan administered by Aetna
• Supplemental Benefits including Flexible Spending Accounts, Accident Insurance, Cancer & Specified Disease, Critical Illness, Dental, and Vision
• NC State Retirement (TSERS), 401(k), and 457 savings plans
• WeSave Employee Discounts
• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Learn more about new hire resources, safety, health, and wellness information, leave options, employee discounts and more by selecting the benefits link.

It is critical to our screening and salary determination process that applications contain comprehensive information. Please make sure you complete the application in full. Information should be provided in the appropriate areas to include all work experience, the beginning and ending dates of jobs worked, education with the graduation date, and certificates/licenses. Any information omitted from the application cannot be considered in screening for qualifying credit. Hiring salary will be based on relevant qualifications, internal equity, and budgetary considerations pertinent to the advertised position.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is an Equal Opportunity Employer who embraces an Employment First philosophy which consists of complying with all federal laws, state laws, and Executive Orders. We are committed to reviewing requests for reasonable accommodation at any time during the hiring process or while on the job. Commerce does not provide employment visa sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and throughout employment.