Position Opening:
Visitor Services Associate (Office Support Specialist)

The Spurlock Museum in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is searching for two Office Support Specialists to create and maintain a welcoming, safe, and enjoyable environment at the Museum. They welcome visitors to the Museum and offer exemplary service, providing information about exhibitions, events, programs, and resources. They coordinate events, tours, programs, operational support, exhibit care, and train and supervise student workers.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Visitor Services:
  • Manages front desk and welcomes all visitors and groups to the Museum. Provide wayfinding and answer questions regarding location of programs and events, museum services and contacts, galleries and exhibitions. Answer questions about collections, events, exhibitions, programs, procedures, and policies. Aid visitors with special needs.
  • Check in visitors and notify staff of arrivals.
  • Maintain a neat and orderly environment for exhibits and facilities use, ensuring accessibility for the public. Continually monitors galleries and identifies hazards and custodial needs. Monitors camera feed for safety concerns to people, collections, and exhibits.
  • Monitors building alarms and opens and closes Museum. Along with other staff, serve on the call list, responding to alarms during and after business hours.
  • Ensure that special visitor needs, issues, or incidents are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.
  • rovide first aid, if needed. Contact/liaise with Emergency Responders (police, fire, medical response) as appropriate.
  • Escort visitors, vendors, and facilities staff to secure areas to deliver packages, perform maintenance or repairs, or conduct other business.
  • Train and supervise students employed in the visitor services section.
  • Assist in evacuation and emergency preparedness and is responsible for evacuating the Museum alone if required.
  • Maintain knowledge of current Museum exhibits and programs.
  • Lead general tours of exhibits and spaces.
  • Provides backup support for the Manager of Visitor Services and Events and the Senior Assistant Director of Operations.
• Events:
  • Provide logistical support for the planning, setup, execution, and clean up of events and programs
  • Assist museum staff and collaborators with all needs related to event production and planning.
  • Train and supervise student staff members assisting with events.
  • Coordinate, set up, and trouble shoot the Museum’s event-related technology (projectors, sound, microphones, computers, etc.) and assist with maintenance.
• Organizational Support:
  • Answer phones and respond to email inquiries. Take messages and route inquiries to appropriate staff.
  • Develop and prepare documents, track and retain data.
  • Create reports on museum activities.
  • Collect and organize visitor data through surveys and database reports.
  • Accept and process fees and donations.
  • Support exhibit care and maintenance, including exhibit technology and hands-on interactive elements.
  • Manage deliveries.
  • Other duties as assigned that support the mission of the Spurlock Museum.
• Participation in museum section and museum-wide initiatives and other professional activities that contribute to the missions of the Museum and the University of Illinois:
  • In collaboration with the Assistant Director of Operations and Manager of Visitor Services and Events, actively participate in section goal setting.
  • Under the direction of the Manager of Visitor Services and Events, develop and maintain training manuals, communications, and other materials that outline section operations, expectations, and procedures.
  • Attend staff meetings and participate in planning and evaluation of the Museum.
  • Actively participate in creating and reviewing Museum policies and procedures.
  • Serve on Museum working groups and committees.
  • Actively participate in training activities and assist in training new staff members.
  • Actively participate in training about the Museum’s history, exhibitions, mission, programs, and events.
  • May serve on community or campus committees, working groups, or participate in other advisory groups.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Any one or combination totaling two (2) years (24 months) from the categories below:
  • College coursework in any curriculum, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
    • 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months) Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months)
    • 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
    • Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months) Work experience performing office/clerical activities, including the use of computer systems.
  • One (1) year (12 months) of work experience comparable to the second level of this series.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in art history, history, anthropology, communications, museum studies, business, hospitality management, or related fields.
• 1 year of customer/visitor/guest/client services experience
• Experience can be concurrent:
  • 1 year of event planning or staffing experience
  • 1 year of supervising University student staff
  • 1 year of work experience in an arts and culture or non-profit organization.
  • First Aid/CPR certification or ability to become certified.

Successful candidates will have the following:

• Knowledge of visitor services and museum best practices, policies, and procedures
• Ability to build rapport and establish effective working relationships with co-workers and stakeholders
• Demonstrated effective communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Effective communication skills
• Commitment to creating an inclusive environment
• Ability to assume responsibility and to work independently with minimum guidance
• iplomatic, highly ethical and solid integrity
• bility to work collaboratively
• bility to be self-motivated, prioritize tasks, and exercise good judgment
• Ability to lift and move up to 30 pounds with tools and as a member of a team

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 3243 - Office Support Specialist position, appointed on a 12-month basis. This is a bargained position and as such, the salary is driven by the collective bargaining agreement. The wage for this position is $40,400.10. This position will be expected to work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus on a full-time basis per the University of Illinois workplace flexibility guidelines- https://cam.illinois.edu/policies/hr-87-2/. Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS website (external link)