Museum Guide

Museum Guides are the front-line team delivering the Wonder Works Children’s Museum (“Wonder Works” or “Museum”) experience, working directly with visitors, volunteers, and staff.

The mission of Wonder Works is to spark curiosity and creativity in all young children through positive play-based learning experiences. Museum Guides actualize this mission through playful engagement, helpful guidance, respect for all visitors, giving 100% while at work, and ensuring a safe and clean space.

Essential Job Functions

• Play and Learning Facilitation
• Initiate joyful play with children and their families/caregivers to make experiences, events, and programs wonderful.
• Lead play-based formal and informal programs with groups of all ages and sizes.
• Facilitate art room projects and sensory bin exploration, and actively engage with children visiting the art room and sensory bins.
• Assist with group events, including birthday parties, field trips, and other rental groups.

Customer Service and Front Desk

• Greet and orient all visitors to the museum, making them feel invited and welcome in our space. Communicate daily schedule and upcoming events to visitors with a joyful, friendly attitude.
• Run cash register and point of sale system for ticket sales, membership sales, event ticket sales, and retail purchases. Promote memberships, birthday parties, upcoming events, and fundraising efforts.
• Respond to and resolve visitor questions and concerns in person and over the phone, calling upon a supervisor as needed.
• Balance cash drawers at the beginning and end of the shift, following Wonder Works cash handling procedures.

Cleanliness and Safety

• Continuous resetting of play materials on the museum floor.
• Assist with museum opening and closing procedures.
• Perform thorough cleaning tasks: bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, trash removal, windows, sanitation, laundry, outdoor maintenance, and bodily fluid clean-up.
• Follow safety practices with cleaning chemicals and tools; use personal protective equipment.
• Maintain cleanliness of storage spaces; report inventory and equipment issues.
• Assist with set up and break down of special events indoors and outdoors, including tables, chairs, tents, and other equipment.
• Provide basic first aid and assist with management of emergency situations

Training, Administrative Tasks, Special Projects

• Attend all required meetings, including daily morning stand-ups, monthly virtual meetings, quarterly in-person training, and other meetings as determined necessary.
• Assist with training new staff and volunteers through being shadowed on tasks and programs.
• Stay up to date with museum exhibits, events, programs, promotions, policies, and procedures.
• Assist with museum projects, such as exhibit maintenance, opening and closing seasonal outdoor exhibits, and event set up and take down.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must have an interest in working with young children and their adult caregivers from a variety of ages, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.
• Repetitive friendly and respectful communication while engaging with visitors. Comfortable with speaking with children and adults individually, in small groups, and in large groups. Use of PA systems and walkie-talkies for communication.
• Reliable, maintains a solid attendance record.
• Proactive, takes initiative to resolve problems and anticipates tasks that need completion.
• Ability to manage time and work independently as well as a team player.
• Working knowledge of PCs, tablets, phones, and digital communication platforms. Willingness to learn how to use new software and tools.
• Bilingual a plus, but not required.

Experience and Education Considerations

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must pass background and reference checks.
• Must have reliable transportation.
• One year of customer service experience, especially with families and young children, preferred.
• Childcare experience and/or course-work in Early Learning through Elementary (0-10 yo) a plus.
• Guest-facing museum, retail, or related experience, a plus.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Must have open and flexible availability being able to work a variety of shifts, including evenings, weekends, and special events. Must be available to work on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 8am to 8pm for shifts up to 8.5 hours. The museum is open to visitors and groups seven days a week, hours vary between 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Stamina and physical endurance to stand on museum floor 6-8 hours, maintaining quality interactions with museum visitors and staff.
• This job is performed in a visitor-facing environment. The employee must be able to focus on assigned tasks where the activity and interruptions are constant and demanding.
• The noise level in the museum is typically moderate but ongoing, noise level may be overstimulating at times.
• Bending, stooping, kneeling, crawling, pushing, pulling, reaching above the shoulders, reaching in all directions, grasping and handling motions throughout the work period.
• Lifting of moderately heavy objects, possibly up to 50 pounds.
• Maintain a fun and professional appearance and demeanor, and adheres to the provided dress code.

This job description will be updated if duties and responsibilities change significantly. Job functions are subject to modification based on business necessity.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $15.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Free parking
• Professional development assistance

Experience:

• Customer service: 1 year (Preferred)
• Childcare: 1 year (Preferred)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)
• Night Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Oak Park, IL 60302 (Required)

Work Location: In person