The New York Hall of Science’s Visitor Experience staff are a critical and integral part of NYSCI’s overall operations. NYSCI depends upon the talents and skills of this team to successfully accomplish its mission. Under the direction of the Director of Audience Development and Experience, the Visitor Experience Manager provides support, direction, and consultation for NYSCI’s general visitor, membership and group admissions functions. Approximately 50% of the Visitor Experience Manager’s time is focused on NYSCI’s family and group visitors, 35% on supporting the Visitor Experience Associates, and 15% on the related administrative work.

The Visitor Experience Manager will oversee the day-to-day operations through general management of Visitor Experience Associates, maintaining a high level of customer service and promoting the welfare of the organization.

• Lead NYSCI’s daily visitor facing operations with a focus on customer service, organization, and efficiency ensuring visitors are attended to pleasantly, professionally, and promptly.

• Lead the Visitor Experience Team, and coordinate across departments to support operations including but not limited to: general visitor operations, group operations, birthday party operations, café seating, and operation of ancillary attractions such as Science Playground, Rocket Park Mini Golf, feature and traveling exhibitions, and more.

• Interact with the public in a positive and enthusiastic manner, modeling exemplary service standards for visitor experience team members.

• Communicate with a variety of visitors with diverse interests and abilities to ensure a positive museum experience.

• Demonstrate extraordinary customer service at all times.

• Support customer service staff in resolving visitor concerns and complaints in person, by phone, and via email.

• Maintain a well-informed working knowledge of NYSCI’s operational needs, exhibits, and services for ongoing training of staff, with the goal of ensuring that the team can support visitors in designing the best possible experience for their group/family/self during their visit.

• Maintain visitor amenities including lockers and locker kiosk, ATM, photo booth, and other amenities/novelty experiences.

• Maintain an inventory of all supplies needed to operate visitor facing operations, including stationery and informational materials, staff uniforms, Rocket Park Mini Golf supplies, and other materials required for front-of-house and back-office operations.

• Provide staffing support to various departments across the organization as needed to support specialty programs, events, and operations.

• Develop and execute operations plans when for new, temporary, and changed programs and activities as they arise.

• Share frontline feedback and operational expertise with senior leadership to support strategic planning.

• Take strategies developed by senior leadership and execute them at the operational level and provide feedback for continuous improvement.

• Coordinate with communications to maintain up-to-date webpages pertaining to museum visitation and visitor facing programs.

• Support annual department budgeting by planning operational personnel and OTPS needs.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Train and supervise Visitor Experience Associates, ensuring adherence to policies and procedures, and that outgoing information is current and accurate.

• Ensure Visitor Experience Associates have the information, materials, and supplies needed to carry out their assigned tasks successfully.

• Ensure registers are opened and closed according to procedure and reconciled with petty cash and deposited at the end of each workday.

• Ensure monetary transactions executed by Visitor Experience Associates are handled accurately and in accordance with NYSCI policy, including group check-in, membership sales, and visitor processing.

• Ensure all Visitor Experience Associates meet dress code requirements.

• Maintain staff schedules, ensuring full coverage of operational staffing needs.

• Deploy staff to various operational posts daily, ensure that staff are supported in their work assignments, and coordinate lunch coverage for staff as appropriate.

• Hold daily operations meetings with Visitor Experience staff, and convey relevant daily operational information including: expected attendance, modified operational procedures, staff assignments, and more.

BA in Business, Hospitality, or related field, or equivalent of two years of related experience working at a museum or visitor serving organization.

Knowledge

• Commitment to the philosophy and mission of New York Hall of Science.

• Ability to plan and organize the activities of others.

• Ability to get ideas accepted and to guide a group or individual to accomplish the task.

• Demonstrable experience in working with teams.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to express ideas clearly both in written and oral communications.

• Experience serving diverse audiences.

Evening/Weekends

• Ability and willingness to participate in events outside the workday schedule.

• Must be available to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Customer Service

• Ability to communicate with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public and other external sources, in person, in writing or by telephone.

• Ability to actively listen to what others are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, ask questions as appropriate and not interrupt at inappropriate times.

• Ability to provide information to supervisors, associates and other co-workers in person, in writing or by telephone.

• Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promotion, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategies and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Management/Leadership

• Knowledge of principles and techniques of supervision.

• Ability to modify leadership style and management approach to reach goal.

• Work with staff to identify their developmental needs then coach, mentor or otherwise help them to improve their knowledge or skills.

• Assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the performance of Visitor Experience Associates, recommending personnel actions.

• A science center, natural history museum, or children’s museum background is preferred but not required.

• Bilingual abilities (Spanish, Mandarin) are a plus

Commensurate with education, skills and experience; salary range is $60,000 – $65,000.

NYSCI strives to be an inclusive and equitable place to work. We work to foster diverse voices and perspectives, empower staff as problem solvers, and support professional growth for all.

The New York Hall of Science also offers generous benefits and perks for all regular full-time employees. These currently include:

• Health, dental and vision insurance options

• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care and commuter benefits

• Pension plan and 401k plan

• Free life insurance coverage

• Paid vacation and sick leave

• 13 paid holidays off

• Flexible work schedules

• Employee Assistance Program

• Free onsite parking

Please send cover letter and resume to jobs@nysci.org. Please include job title in subject line. No phone calls.

The New York Hall of Science is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and innovative environment with the best employees. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military service, marital status or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. We support a drug-free workplace.

If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.

NYSCI is New York City's science center, a place where everyone is invited to explore how science and engineering shape our world, and how we can use scientific tools and ideas to answer questions and solve problems. Visitors pose questions, design solutions, explore phenomena, and work together to make amazing things happen.

Located in Queens, one of the most diverse counties in the U.S., NYSCI welcomes 400,000 visitors annually, including families, students on field trips, and camp and after school groups. NYSCI also works with thousands of teachers each year to make classroom science more relevant, exciting and meaningful to students, and conducts innovative research about how science learning happens through everyday experience.

Our exhibitions, programs, and products are informed by strategies of engagement called Design, Make, Play. The defining characteristics of Design, Make, Play — open-ended exploration, imaginative learning, personal relevance, deep engagement and delight — are the ingredients that inspire passionate STEM learners.