Membership & Visitor Services Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY

Join us as the Membership, Visitor Services, and Store Assistant (MVSA) at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, where you'll be the friendly face welcoming visitors to a world of playful learning and discovery. As the first point of contact, you'll handle admissions, membership and store sales, and share information about our engaging programs. Your commitment to exceptional customer service and belief in our mission will inspire a passion for discovery in every child. Beyond the front desk, you'll contribute to administrative tasks and special events, playing a crucial role in the overall success of the museum. If you're eager to be part of a dynamic team fostering curiosity and excitement, the MVSA position is your gateway to a rewarding experience in creating unforgettable memories for our visitors.

The hourly rate is $22.05/hour , with bilingual candidates (fluent in English and Spanish) earning $23.05/hour, along with the chance to positively impact lives in a public-facing role. This role is 95%+ public facing with shifts available during museum operating hours and fluctuate seasonally. This is a part-time position averaging 16 hours per week. The position requires weekend availability, including both Saturday and Sunday, as well as Monday availability when holidays require additional coverage. We offer a supportive work environment that values your unique talents and contributions. Join our vibrant team at our picturesque 7.5-acre Fort Baker campus in Sausalito, CA, right next to the Golden Gate Bridge, where every day brings exciting opportunities to engage with our diverse community.

To ensure adequate coverage during high-volume periods, attendance is required on the following mandatory shift dates (subject to change). Please note, this schedule will be updated for 2027.

2026

• September 5-7
• October 17-18, 24-25 and 31
• November 21-23 and 27-29
• December 19-21 and 25-28

The Membership & Visitor Services (MVS) team offers a comprehensive hands-on training experience.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Embrace the opportunity to welcome and engage with guests in a friendly and helpful manner, ensuring the highest standards of customer service while also enforcing code of conduct.
2. Your professional demeanor will shine as you calmly address guest issues in our active environment, reporting any concerns to our management team. Reports areas of ongoing concern to Manager of Membership and Visitor Services.
3. Take pride in handling cashier duties and admissions opening/closing procedures with precision, guaranteeing accurate cash handling, form submissions, and data entry. Performs cashier duties and admissions opening/closing procedures while ensuring the proper handling of cash and sales receipts.
4. Be the face of our museum by promoting and selling memberships, programs, and store merchandise, contributing to the growth of our community. Promotes and sells museum memberships, programs, and merchandise.
5. Provide information and assistance to visitors and members through telephone and email inquiries.
6. Maintain the welcoming atmosphere of our museum by keeping admission stations, ticketing areas, and related spaces clean and tidy.
7. Your organizational skills will shine as you assist in managing lost and found items, will call lists, and donation requests.
8. Take part in essential administrative tasks, from inputting daily membership sales to fulfilling memberships and restocking supplies and merchandise.
9. Your attention to detail ensures seamless operations and a positive visitor experience.
10. Help foster a safe environment by participating in procedures to address escalated situations in partnership with trained safety staff, utilizing a provided walkie talkie with comprehensive training.
11. Receive assistance and support with all tasks and responsibilities including performance coaching from the MVS Manager and MVS Coordinators.
12. Additional duties as assigned by the MVS management team.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Showcase your positive, energetic, and friendly demeanor to ensure a positive interaction with every visitor.
• Customer Service Experience: Bring a minimum of 1 year of customer service experience, preferably in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment. Bonus points if you've worked in a museum, school, tourist attraction, or amusement park setting.
• Language Proficiency: Demonstrate your English proficiency, with bilingual skills being a plus. Spanish proficiency is preferred.
• Tech Savvy: Highlight your proficiency in computer literacy, including experience with Microsoft Office and Google Suite. Familiarity with cash handling, point of sale, or ticketing systems is preferred, and experience with the ACME and/or Square point-of-sale system is a plus.
• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: Emphasize your professional commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion, showcasing an open and thoughtful approach to creating a sense of welcome and belonging for both staff and visitors.
• Dependability and Initiative: Illustrate your dependability with being on time and present for scheduled shifts. Showcase your ability to take initiative to plan complete projects effectively and within the timeframe provided.
• Collaborative Spirit: Highlight your ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team, fostering positive relationships with other museum departments.
• Maintaining Professionalism: Showcase your capability to maintain focus and a positive, professional demeanor while serving large numbers of visitors.
• Detail-Oriented: Emphasize your ability to positively accept direction, complete tasks with attention to detail, and maintain a high degree of accuracy.
• Adherence to Health and Safety Protocols: Emphasize your commitment to abiding by and enforcing the organization's health and safety protocols.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The employee is required to come and go from the work area; to frequently use a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and telephone utilizing safe ergonomic practices; to speak and listen; and to read and understand documents containing text, numbers, and images. The employee is required to move from one location to another and sit or stand, as well as to lift and carry objects such as store merchandise, files, and signage weighing up to 15 pounds. The employee may frequently be required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, or crouch.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Predominantly working in an indoor public-facing environment, moderate to high noise level, an indoor temperate environment, and light levels that are bright and conducive to minimal eye strain. 

TO APPLY

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. We encourage those from all backgrounds to apply to allow us to build the most inclusive and creative team possible.

Please do not remove yourself from contention before you even apply. Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. If much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply.

ABOUT US
At the Bay Area Discovery Museum, we believe that providing children with the high-quality early learning experiences they need to be successful is the best investment we can make as a society.

Whether at the Museum, online, or in the community, we provide experiences that spark children’s natural curiosity for the world around them, while building their creative problem-solving skills and STEM content knowledge. Both on-site and off-site, we facilitate research-backed learning experiences that are fun and engaging for children and families. At our one-of-a-kind location at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, this includes hands-on exhibits, rich STEM and art programming, an on-site preschool, and camps and classes. Off-site, our museum educators bring hands-on STEM programming to students and families at schools and libraries in all nine Bay Area counties.

We believe that these research-backed on-site and off-site experiences should be made available to all children and families and offer a variety of access initiatives toward this goal. We are currently working our way back up to our pre-pandemic numbers:

• 350,000 visitors each year, including nearly 80,000 with free or reduced admission
• 10,000 member families
• 33,000 children through our school and community programs
• 587 schools and 215 libraries through all nine Bay Area counties

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is committed to being welcoming and inclusive. We are continuously working toward the goal of reflecting the diversity of the Bay Area both within our organization and with those we serve.

NOTE TO CANDIDATE
Due to the sensitivity and requirements of our positions, you should expect to undergo and be cleared of an employment background/criminal check if extended an offer for employment. You may also be asked to provide proof of educational degree(s), licenses, credentials, or vaccinations pertinent to the position.

The specific statements shown in each section of this job description are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria necessary to perform the job successfully. The Bay Area Discovery Museum reserves the right to modify and expand job responsibilities and duties over time.