Gallery assistant job description

We are looking for friendly and outgoing people to join our team for the duration of the exhibition Edward Hopper’s New York . Be a part of our dedicated Visitor and Gallery Assistants (VGAs) team at the premier Museum of 20th and 21st Century American Art. As the customer service representatives of the Visitor and Member Experience team, VGAs engage visitors on their journey throughout the Museum. This is a temporary assignment from September 25, 2022 through March 5, 2023.

Edward Hopper’s New York will take a comprehensive look at Hopper’s life and work through his city pictures, from his early impressions of New York in sketches, prints, and illustrations, to his late paintings, in which the city served as a backdrop for his evocative distillations of urban experience. This exhibition will be the first of its kind to focus on Hopper’s rich and sustained relationship with New York: how the city served as the subject, setting, and inspiration for so many of the artist’s most celebrated and persistently vexing pictures. Art lovers are encouraged to apply.

VGAs promote the Whitney’s broad program and ensure that visitors understand and abide by the Museum’s visitor policies in a warm, welcoming, and professional manner. You will play an integral role in keeping our Museum community safe by ensuring visitors understand visitor policies, and follow current health and safety protocols. VGAs partner with Membership to increase museum revenue by implementing onsite fundraising strategies. Team members are expected to provide excellent customer service and deliver a memorable experience for our visitors and members

Your Safety:

At the Whitney, the safety and security of our staff and visitors are our top priority. Our operational plans are in line with CDC and often exceed public health guidance for reducing the transmission of COVID-19 and are reviewed on an ongoing basis with an outside medical expert. Public-facing staff are issued PPE daily.

General Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service to members and visitors by adhering to the guidelines provided in the Visitor Experience Principles
• Act as an Ambassador for the Museum. Promote offerings like the Shop, membership program, and the overall exhibition program.
• Maintain the health and safety of the entire Museum community by ensuring visitors understand and abide by current health and safety protocols.
• Execute daily logistical operations
• Support in the protection of the art by engaging with visitors about prohibited items
• Provide support during after–hours events and programs

SUPPORTING DAILY OPERATIONS:

• Entry validation (ticket scanning) and line management (indoor and outdoor)
• Staff coat check as a part of daily operations
• Perform daily duties such as stanchion setup, stocking, tour signs, and other duties as required
• Facilitate and process admissions and membership transactions for all visitors
• Observe all cash management policies and procedures
• Utilize onsite software systems including accesso–Siriusware (Point-of-Sales ticketing system), Outlook (email), Slack (internal communication platform), and Zendesk (cloud-based customer support software)

IN THE GALLERIES:

• Initiate conversations with visitors, anticipate visitor needs and respond to visitor questions
• Maintain the integrity of the Whitney’s galleries by ensuring that visitors understand appropriate onsite conduct and the Museum’s visitor policies. Deliver that message in a way that ensures visitors feel welcome
• Keep an open line of communication with colleagues in Security, Facilities, Engineers, AV, and Retail
• Uphold high standards of customer service and professionalism at all times. Go the extra mile to ensure visitors have an exemplary experience

Requirements:

• Open and friendly attitude
• A minimum of 1-2 years of customer service experience in a public-facing environment
• Must be able to work weekend, holidays, early and evening hours
• Previous POS and cash handling experience preferred
• Working knowledge of a Microsoft Office Suite or comparable software
• Excellent communication and empathetic listening skills
• Works well under pressure in fast-paced environment
• Bi-lingual a plus
• Ability to stand or be in a stationary position at several posts for long periods of time, including outdoors in all weather conditions
• Ability to move objects of up to 25 pounds

Compensation

This temporary, part-time position (up to 27 paid hours per week) starts at $17 per hour. The Whitney offers free admission to most museums nationally and discounts at local restaurants and shops.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse work experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in the arts and culture space and what you hope to bring to this role.

About the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.

EEO Statement

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.

COVID guidelines

The health and safety of our Museum community is the highest priority. As such, the Whitney Museum requires all newly hired staff members to be fully vaccinated and boosted with an FDA authorized and/or approved COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations for medical, religious, or other reasons will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

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