Museum Support Specialist

Location: Louisiana

ROLE

We are seeking a Museum Support Specialist to support day-to-day operations at the National Hansen’s Disease Museum in Carville, Louisiana. Your responsibilities will center on providing on-site visitor support, guided tours, administrative support, and collections assistance to help maintain exhibits, track museum activities, and support daily museum operations.

This is a full-time opportunity in which we'll provide competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and job stability and security.

Apply today!

RESPONSIBILITIES I. Tours & Visitor Support

• Greet visitors and provide an overview of exhibits and self-guided tours in the museum/Carville Historic District grounds
• Schedule guided tours in the museum and on the grounds of the Carville Historical District
• Conduct guided tours in a professional, courteous, and safe manner
• Coordinate military base entry with the National Guard for scheduled and planned group tours
• Enforce tour compliance with site-specific rules (e.g., safety protocols, visitor limits, and access restrictions)
• Maintain a record of all tours conducted (e.g., date, time, and number of attendees)
• Track visitor statistics for daily operations

II. Collections & Exhibits Support

• Assist the museum curator with special collections projects (e.g., exhibit setup and breakdown)
• Monitor artifacts and archives (e.g., temperature, humidity, theft, storage conditions, and exhibit status)
• Perform internet research to support artifact descriptions (e.g., origin and related information)
• Conduct inventories of museum artifacts and archives for accountability and preservation planning
• Complete basic preservation projects in the museum archives
• Execute housekeeping in collections, storage, and exhibit areas (e.g., dusting, glass cleaning, sweeping, and vacuuming)
• Replenish museum information and brochure racks in visitor areas

III. Administrative Support

• Perform administrative projects (e.g., word processing and data entry)
• Respond to museum email inquiries in a timely, professional manner
• Answer the museum telephone and route calls appropriately
• Relay general information to callers
• Record accurate messages for staff follow-up
• Create and maintain an Excel inventory of supplies, museum bookstore items, and museum equipment
• Provide quarterly inventory reports in Excel within seven days after quarter end
• Send monthly project and work reports (e.g., assigned projects, housekeeping, PR tasks, visitor statistics, surveys, etc.)
• Complete quarterly public relations mailings
• Safeguard federal records and PII and do not retain or share protected deliverables
• Report suspected security and privacy incidents immediately (within 1 hour) following incident reporting rules

IV. Front Desk Reception

• Welcome visitors and direct them as appropriate
• Maintain the reception security and telecommunications system
• Inform visitors by answering or referring inquiries
• Update employee and department directories to support visitor routing
• Issue visitor badges and monitor the logbook in accordance with security procedures
• Operate the house phone and console telecommunications system
• Keep the reception area safe and clean in compliance with procedures, rules, and regulations
• Document actions, irregularities, and continuing needs to support continuity among work teams
• Be available for occasional “ad hoc” receptionist coverage

V. Gift Shop Support

• Sell books located in the museum gift shop in accordance with museum sales policies and procedures
• Maintain a detailed account of daily sales (e.g., receipts and payment methods)
• Provide book sale records upon request
• Remit funds collected from book sales within seven calendar days after month end

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Explorer
• Proficient in programs for maintaining databases, organizing, and inventorying (e.g., Past Perfect)
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Strong organizational skills

REQUIRED BACKGROUND

Applicant must be at least 22 years old and provide, before placement in this role, acceptable results of a current physical examination which includes written documentation of the ability to:

• Lift, push, and pull 30 pounds
• Type/input data for 3 to 4 consecutive hours
• Climb an 8-foot ladder to hang displays

Physical examinations must also confirm applicant is free of infectious or contagious diseases.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience in museums, archives, or libraries
• Experience in the management of large quantities of written materials, both hard copy and digital
• Experience with projects that required effective written and oral communication

EDUCATION

• Master’s degree in library science
• Bachelor’s degree in humanities, anthropology or archeology
• Comparable university degrees in history or museum studies

LOCATION

Carville, LA 70721

TELEWORK

N/A

CLEARANCE

U.S. citizenship is required as it supports the U.S. federal government

CLIENT

Department of Health & Human Services

TRAVEL

Travel is not required

WORK HOURS

Tuesday-Saturday

9:00 AM-4:00 PM CST

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION

Employment Classification…