Job Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Job Title: Guest Experience Manager

Institution: Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum

About the Institution: The Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum is the sole children's museum in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region. Serving a diverse range of families, the Museum offers programming, exhibits, field trips, and other opportunities for children and families to learn, grow, and develop life-long skills needed in the 21st century. The Museum's main programmatic focus areas include School Readiness, Health & Wellness, and Community Building. 

Job Description: 
The Guest Experience Manager is responsible for ensuring positive and memorable experiences for Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum guests by managing all aspects of daily museum operations including: opening and closing of the museum, overseeing front desk operations and floor staffing, handling inquiries, and booking groups. This position provides supervision and leadership for the Guest Experience staff and floor volunteers, and is a member of the museum’s senior management team. This position also manages the museum gift shop business operations and oversees coordination, logistics, and operation of the museum’s Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market.

Duties & Responsibilities:
General Museum Operations

• Daily Operations: Ensures a safe, clean and welcoming environment for guests through daily management of all public spaces (exhibit gallery spaces, lobby, program/party room, restrooms, deck, parking lot, pavilion and museum grounds). Oversees and coordinates daily opening and closing of museum. Maintains and resets exhibit areas. Monitors and cleans public spaces and restrooms throughout the day. Trouble-shoots a variety of operational issues, as required. Manages cleaning supplies inventory and orders cleaning supplies.
• Front Desk Operations: Provides oversight of front desk operations including: processing payments for admission, discounts and membership sales, store sales, handling safety and security issues, fielding inquiries, directing calls to appropriate staff, and ensuring smooth group check-in. Anticipates and responds to guest needs and requests. Staffs the front desk in rotation with team members and provides back-office support. Reviews and updates front desk policies and trains staff, as needed.
• Customer Service: Responds to inquiries, issues and/or complaints in timely, courteous and professional manner, keeping in mind the comfort and safety of museum guests, the reputation of the museum, and the policies of the museum at all times.
• Database support: Serves as Altru database administrator for point-of-sale (POS), ticketing, and registration/bookings functions. Creates and shares monthly zip code and admissions reports.
• Cross Department Collaboration: Works closely with members of senior management team on special events, donor relations, grounds maintenance and security, staff training, volunteer placement, and other special initiatives.
• Supervision of Staff: Responsible for hiring, training, evaluating and supervising members of the Guest Experience team, as well as volunteer floor staff. Empowers team by supporting individual and group dynamics with effective training in communication, parent engagement, safety, decision-making and conflict resolution skills and strategies.
• Scheduling: Responsible for monthly scheduling of Guest Experience team, ensuring adequate staffing by staff and volunteers for regular operations, after-hours functions, and special events.
• Training: Oversees ongoing customer service/hospitality training, parent engagement training, and emergency response training within department and across the organization, as required. Ensures regular First Aid training for all staff.
• Programs and Events: Provides event staffing and assists with museum set-up for evening rentals and special events. Serves as birthday party host. Facilitates weekend science demonstrations and weekday drop-in programs. Coordinates logistics with community events and festivals happening on the Poughkeepsie Waterfront.
• Gift Shop: Manages all gift shop business operations including but not limited to: revenue, expenses and loss prevention. Serves as a buyer, manages inventory and handles merchandising and marketing.
• Other duties: Performs other duties as requested.

Waterfront Market Operations- Seasonal (May-October)

• Daily Operations: Ensures market is ready for vendors/patrons' arrival. This includes opening pavilion and turning on power, setting up tables and chairs, setting up information table (including payment terminal/cash box), interacting with vendors and patrons, displaying all roadside signage (museum entrance, Waryas park, train station), putting out garbage and recycling receptacles, and opening bathrooms.
• Administrative: Stays current with all administrative requirements of the market, including staying informed about vendor applications and ensuring timely payments are made, maintaining our good standing with government organizations regarding their applications and guidelines (USDA, SNAP/EBT, FNS, DUFB, etc.), keeping daily records regarding cash and token usage, scheduling live music and other pop-up guests. Solicits for new vendors, collects payments, and communicates with vendors about logistics.
• Marketing: Preserves the market's online and community presence. This includes creating graphics and posting to our social media, putting up banners around the local city area, handing out flyers and rack cards to community groups/housing complexes/businesses, and assisting with newsletter information and other museum initiatives that involve the market.

• Upbeat, friendly and positive attitude, with enthusiasm for the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, its audience and its mission.
• Provides excellent customer service, “think on your feet,” and handles challenging interpersonal situations with grace and poise. Exhibits excellent judgment in decision making and problem solving. When necessary, able to enforce museum policies in courteous but firm manner. Sensitive to the importance of guest and other community stakeholder relationships on the overall success of the museum.
• 2+ years managing paid staff and leading teams (including training, scheduling and evaluating performance).
• Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of people. Excellent written and oral communication skills, with special care given to interpersonal communication, timeliness, and the ability to handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Desire to be a team player who is willing and able to take initiative and perform non-glamorous tasks.
• Excellent organizational skills and focus on cleanliness and order. Able to complete non-glamorous tasks with a smile.
• Able organize self and others and keep attention to detail, even in the face of frequent interruptions.
• Willing to take direction, take initiative and follow-through on assignments.
• Strong computer skills: Microsoft Office; Outlook, database, cashier and point-of-sale software experience. Experience with Altru preferred.
• Personal attributes: authentic, strong interpersonal, leadership and collaboration skills; friendly with excellent customer service orientation; creative, flexible, and resourceful; high energy with sense of humor.

• 4-year college degree
• Experience working in a museum/not-for-profit organization and working with/managing volunteers (including recruiting, placement, training, evaluation, and recognition)
• Bilingual – English/Spanish
• Background in safety and first aid (First Aid and CPR certification will be required within first 90 days)
• Experience in event coordination

• Family-friendly, hands-on (and sometimes messy!) museum environment. Usually high energy and busy, but can also have slow periods.
• Must be willing and able to handle frequent interruptions in order to enhance the experiences of individual museum guests.
• Must be able to lift and move 30 pounds (folding tables, incoming mail, boxes of supplies, etc.).
• Must have the physical endurance and willingness to work on feet for a significant portion of each day.

Time Commitment
Full-time (40 hours/week) position. Frequent weekend, holiday and occasional evening work required. Potential for advancement. 

This Position is: In-Person

Position Type: Full-Time

Salary Range: $40,000 - $45,000 

Salary Type: Exempt

Benefits: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid time off, Contribution to Retirement Plan