Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Posting Number:     201800953AP

Position Type:   Administrative Professional

Work Hours/Week:  40

Proposed Annual Salary Range:  $45,000-$50,000

Desired Start Date:   03/01/2019

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on:   11/12/2018

Application portal:  https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/61771

Description of Work Unit:

The Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising is a university teaching collection as well as a public museum of 20,000 historically and culturally significant items of dress, textiles and interior artifacts representing regional, national, and international cultures. The Avenir Museum is housed in a 19,000 sq. ft. facility (opened in 2016) at 216 E Lake Street, adjacent to the University Center for the Arts, and includes four galleries, a large dedicated smart classroom and program space, expanded collections storage and work areas, extensive library/conference room, and conservation lab.

The Avenir Museum is a unit of the Department of Design and Merchandising, which is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences. The Museum embraces a vision of excellence in its community-facing delivery of exhibitions and programs serving a wide variety of audiences, in addition to its primary role as a teaching collection for Colorado State University. The Department of Design and Merchandising has 13 full-time faculty positions, plus additional special faculty appointments and non-tenure-track faculty, serving over 500 undergraduate students and 35 graduate students in several campus facilities, including the Avenir Museum. The Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising currently has full-time staff positions of Director of Operations and Engagement; Curator/Assistant Professor of Design and Merchandising (a joint faculty-staff position); and Assistant Curator/Collections Manager. These positions currently report to the Department Head of Design and Merchandising

Position Summary:

The primary responsibility of the Visitor Services and Venue Coordinator is to support and enhance all visitor experience – whether CSU student, out-of-town visitor, or community guest – and to expand access to the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising as a singular university and regional community resource, both in the Museum setting and through related online platforms.

Ideal candidates for the position of Visitor Services and Venue Coordinator will have strong interpersonal skills, excellent customer service orientation and experience, be capable of coordinating multiple projects and deadlines, and will understand that working at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising is a collaborative effort requiring the ability to work within a team, as well as across all areas of Colorado State University, to create a superior experience for all museum guests. This position is an opportunity to become a valued and integral team member at an academic museum whose facilities have recently undergone major renovation and expansion, and to contribute to excellence in policy development, visitor services, operations, marketing and promotions strategies, and exhibitions in an elegant, state-of-the-art building and workplace setting.

The Visitor Services and Venue Coordinator will be responsible for multi-faceted visitor services activities and experiences from pre-visit (i.e., social media, marketing, promotions, web content) to in-person visit (e.g., tour scheduling, development and staffing of facility rental opportunities, creating and supporting friendly and approachable visitor programming) to post-visit (e.g., exhibition evaluation, tracking visitor traffic numbers, social media, etc.). On the venue coordination side, direct responsibilities will involve assisting with the development and implementation of a facility rental policy, serving as the on-site venue coordinator during rental occasions, ongoing coordination of periodic on-site print and digital visitor information, and serving as the Avenir Museum on-site staff member on Saturdays (augmented by student staffing as required).

The regular work schedule for this position is 40 hours/week, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00AM – 6:00PM; this work schedule corresponds to the public hours of the Avenir Museum. Flexible work hours will occasionally include later weekend and evening hours to support the expansion of public programs and the development of select facility rental opportunities (all Museum employees contribute to a flexible team presence at events, as a particular program may require; the Visitor Services and Venue Coordinator will be the lead Avenir Museum employee presence after 5PM).

Required Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Museum Studies, Anthropology, History, Art, Art History, Communications, Graphic Design, Hospitality Management, Recreation/Park Interpretation, or other related field.
• Minimum two years’ full-time employment in an office, business, gallery, academic museum, facility management, or very similar setting working in operations-related, customer-facing responsibilities.
• Literacy with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Experience with digital engagement content and strategies (including social media) for a museum or other business.
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license or access to a licensed driver by the employment start date.

Preferred Job Qualifications:

• Prior employment experience in an academic museum setting.
• Excellent customer service skills and ability to work with museum staff and various CSU departments and administrative staff, as well as colleagues at other institutions, tour groups, civic leaders, educators, and students.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing inclusive and accessible experiences for diverse museum visitors.
• Ability to supervise and train volunteers and student workers, and to work as part of a team with the Museum Director, Curator, and Collections Manager.
• Ability to work independently, sometimes as the only staff member in the building, often with frequent interruptions by visitor service engagement opportunities.
• Ability to exercise discretion, confidentiality, and independent judgment.
• Knowledge of digital Audio Visual presentation equipment/smart classroom technology
• Graphic design experience.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Additional software familiarity: Four Winds Interactive; Traf-Sys VisiCount.
• Experience in an academic setting working with students and community volunteers.
• Prior experience organizing and running engagement events (lecture series, occasional weekend workshops, author talks, “hands-on” textile-related crafts, etc.) is a major plus.

Diversity Statement:

Personal or professional commitment to diversity as demonstrated by persistent effort, active planning, allocation of resources and/or accountability for diversity outcomes.

Essential Duties #1:  Visitor Services Coordination (percentage of time = 45%)

• Emphasis on exceptional customer service, organization and efficiency.
• Maintaining clean and professional appearance of the Avenir Museum lobby, reception desk, and other public areas.
• Providing welcoming, hospitable greeting and orientation to all visitors.
• Maintaining presence in the museum’s public spaces, directly observing the quality of the guest experience, and developing insights on services and amenities on behalf of both student and community visitor constituents.
• Coordination of periodic visitor information updates in print and digital communication formats.
• Assist Director of Operations and Engagement with generating and disseminating Avenir Museum quarterly digital newsletter, and campus/regional advertising endeavors.
• Staying abreast of Colorado State University and community/regional activities and interests, to share knowledgeably with guests.
• Supervision of university student hourly workers, as required for events or programs.
• Currency with visitor services trends and best practices in the academic museum field.
• Collaborate with Avenir Museum staff to ensure emergency readiness on behalf of visitors, the artifact collection, and the building.
• Work effectively and personably with volunteers, board members, major donors, university partners, press and media.

Essential Duties #2:  Venue Management (percentage of time = 25%)

• Oversee set-up and take-down activities for internal and external events on the Avenir Museum premises.
• Secure, lock, and alarm all Avenir Museum spaces, zones, and the building after all guests, renter’s representatives/caterers/contractors have departed.
• Collaborate with the Avenir staff and university partner offices to develop a Facility Rental Policy and procedures related to event rentals, to include: contract preparation, booking procedures and fee structures for both internal and external customers, rental hours and availability, approved/preferred vendors, room configuration options, and space capacity/restrictions.
• Maintain presence at events (including after-business or evening hours) to coordinate customer/visitor and event needs while ensuring policy adherence, safety, and facility security.
• Assist the Director of Operations and Engagement with promotion of appropriate facility rentals, following formal adoption of the Facility Rental Policy.
• Work with Director of Operations and Engagement to coordinate CSU Facilities/Custodial Services/Access Services/CSU Police on preparation for events, as needed.
• Assist other Avenir Museum staff members when “all hands on deck” tasks are necessary (e.g., with exhibits installation/strike) as required.

Essential Duties #3:  Print/Digital Content Coordination (percentage of time = 20%)

• Working within CSU design standards, collaborate with Avenir Museum staff and university communications teams to design text/graphics for exhibition panels, building and facility wayfinding, advertising copy, branded Avenir Museum merchandise, etc.
• Integrate the above across both print and digital applications.
• Augment and maintain best practices for Avenir Museum social media presence, in concert with the Department of Design and Merchandising, the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS), and under the umbrella of CSU’s Social and Digital Media team housed in the CSU Division of External Relations.
• Working with Avenir staff, develop collaborative plan to amplify strategic, current presence on Facebook; establish and maintain strategic, current presence on Twitter and Instagram.
• Design, assemble, and maintain the currency of exhibit script print notebooks for each Avenir Museum exhibition (5-6 annually), as an accessibility/inclusion service for visitors.
• Serve as the Avenir Museum’s community-of-practice liaison to the CHHS Social Media Administrators team.

Essential Duties #4: Volunteer Coordination (percentage of time = 10%)

• Work with the Director of Operations and Engagement to support the volunteer program.
• Assist with researching, implementing, and managing volunteer hours tracking database.
• Maintain personable and appreciative relationship with museum volunteers, maximizing individual strengths and skills to opportunities.

For full consideration, please apply by 11/12/2018, 11:59 pm (MT) with a cover letter addressing the required and preferred qualifications, resume, unofficial transcripts, and the contact information for 4 professional references. Please find full description and application portal at: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/61771

References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.

Conditions of Employment:    Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s License

Search Contact  Doreen Beard, doreen.beard@colostate.edu, (970) 491-7122

EEO Statement

Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy and will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.

 The Title IX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Support and Safety Assessment, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523 -2026, (970) 491-7407.

 The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Associate Vice President for Human Capital, Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836.

Background Check Policy Statement:

Colorado State University (CSU) strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal (felony and misdemeanor) history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the university, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.