Museum Associate

Job Details

Level: Entry

Job Location:

Fort Pitt Museum - Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Education Level: High School

Job Shift: Day

The Fort Pitt Museum, located in historic Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, is a two-floor, 12,000-square-foot museum that tells the story of Western Pennsylvania’s pivotal role during the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and as the birthplace of Pittsburgh. The strategic location of the fort – at the Forks of the Ohio River – helped to shape the course of American and world history.

First opened in 1969 in a reconstructed bastion, the Fort Pitt Museum provides visitors with a rich understanding of the world-changing events that occurred right here in Western Pennsylvania. Through interactive exhibitions, life‑like historical figures, and recently added artifacts, visitors will learn the significant role our region played in shaping the United States. The Fort Pitt Museum is an important part of the Senator John Heinz History Center’s family of museums.

The Senator John Heinz History Center, the largest history museum in Pennsylvania and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is seeking two full-time Museum Associates for the Fort Pitt Museum. The Museum Associate position is a unique entry-level position with duties that overlap multiple museum departments. The position has been designed to provide operational and visitor services support for the museum, while also allowing time for the individual to gain valuable experience with other departments within the museum.

The responsibilities of the Museum Associate fall primarily into four categories:
Visitor Services;
Housekeeping;
Overall Museum Support; and Program/Exhibit support.

• The majority of the Museum Associate’s time will be spent in a Visitor Services role at the museum’s front desk.
• Responsibilities include opening and closing the register each day; processing cash and credit card transactions for admissions, tour groups, and museum shop sales; demonstrating exceptional customer service by greeting and welcoming visitors to the museum in a friendly and engaging manner; maintaining the Museum Shop by keeping it tidy and restocking items as necessary; and receiving and storing Museum Shop orders.

• As a clean environment is essential to a positive visitor experience, a portion of each day, typically prior to opening, will be allocated to cleaning and restocking restrooms, cleaning floors, vacuuming carpets, cleaning surfaces, and properly disposing of trash and recycling.
• These basic housekeeping duties help to ensure a clean facility for staff and visitors, prevent the spread of pests and communicable diseases, and contribute to the long-term care and stewardship of the facility and collections in our care.

• Overall museum support duties include daily monitoring of the museum’s security system; preparing gallery spaces for visitors each day; fielding incoming phone calls and emails; demonstrating a working knowledge of upcoming museum exhibitions and programming to address visitor queries; and serving as an ambassador of the organization, city, and region as part of the museum’s Visit Pittsburgh Welcome Center.

• In addition to the above duties, the Museum Associate will also have occasional opportunities to assist other departments in the museum, allowing for growth and experience in a professional museum setting. These duties may include assistance with school tours and public programming; basic historical interpretation; helping to edit written content; assisting with basic exhibit fabrication, helping with research projects, and set up and tear down for special events.

This is a Full-time, hourly, position reporting to the Visitor Services Coordinator & Museum Specialist.

An outgoing, friendly, and engaging personality is essential in providing extraordinary customer service to Fort Pitt Museum visitors and guests, including History Center members. Exceptional organizational, communication, and time-management skills are key to this position, as is a strong attention to detail. Museum Associates must also function well as team players while demonstrating an ability to work independently with a high degree of self-motivation.

Some retail/customer service experience is preferred, as are a basic knowledge of regional history and museum practice. A sense of pride in caring for the building and strong attention to detail in cleaning procedures are critical. This position is occasionally physically demanding, requiring extensive lifting, bending, walking, and standing. Must be available to work weekends and holidays with some evening shifts required.

High school education or equivalent required with related college coursework in history or museum studies preferred.