Guest Services Representative

JOB POSTING

Guest Services Representatives

Posted: Open to internal and external applicants

Reports to: Guest Services Coordinator

Status: Part-time, seasonal position

Hours of work: Variable working hours, including holidays and weekends. Schedule will consist of shifts mostly within the hours of 9am and 6pm. Regular weekend availability is required. Occasional need for after-hours work as related to events and other projects.

Date needed: We regularly hire for this role. Applications are accepted year-round for future openings, even if the position is not currently available. Starting dates to be determined based on operational needs.

Posting expires: Evergreen posting-applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Position description:

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for Guest Services Representatives to join the Guest Services team. Water is life. Water connects us all. Join Seattle Aquarium in leading marine conservation and environmental stewardship. We are seeking Guest Services Representatives to join our Guest Experience Team. This position requires a passion for fast-paced connections with diverse people, as we see guests from across the community and around the world. GSRs are responsible for selling admission, providing information, assisting with wayfinding, and serving as a first point of contact for the aquarium in person, online, and via telephone. Your role also educates about admission prices, memberships, education programs, exhibits, and events. As we work with people of all ages and backgrounds, the ideal candidate will exhibit experience handling difficult situations with grace, empathy, and a sense of humor.

Strong preference will be given for proficiency in a second language: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Lushootseed, or Japanese preferred.

Key functions:

• Greet ticket holders and aquarium members each day creating a welcoming environment while providing an easy and smooth payment admissions experience.
• Provide operational support through crowd and line management, both inside aquarium entrances and outside on the pedestrian pavilion.
• Receive payments from the public for admissions, events, programs, and online points of sale. Sell and renew Aquarium memberships. Educate guests on donation opportunities and encourage individual contributions to support the aquarium's conservation work.
• Operate Virtual Reality experience for Aquarium guests including selling tickets, assisting guests with headsets and pods, and cleaning between use.
• Occasionally assist evening event rentals by greeting guests, providing navigation assistance for vendors, and answering guest questions.
• Ability to process payments responsibly, accurately, and consistently. Make daily deposits and handle cash.
• Wear Aquarium uniform, adhere to aquarium dress code, and keep work area clean at all times.
• Participate in regularly scheduled cashier team meetings and general all-staff Aquarium meetings.
• Educate and orient school age youth, families, and other visiting groups about visit expectations, guidelines, and payment process.
• Perform other related duties of a comparable level/type as assigned. Examples: assist with data reconciliation projects, VR pod support, and ticket inventory.

Required skills and experience:
We will consider various combinations of relevant experience and education to meet minimum requirements. Candidates will be evaluated on the full range of their lived and learned experience and core competencies. The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

• Experience in a similar ticket/admissions-based organization.
• Six months customer service and point of sale experience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Service-oriented - Actively looking for ways to help and engage people so that they feel welcome and interested in our services and mission.
• Communication - Communicating and providing resources to others to convey information effectively and ensure they have a safe and positive experience at the aquarium.
• Multi-tasking - Ability to balance customer service and engagement while multitasking sales such as prices, joint tickets, and memberships, and be able to advise guests on making the best choices.
• Sales and Promotion - Drive to provide quick and accurate selling and promoting of products or services. Calculating total purchases, receive and process cash or credit payment while maintaining accurate financial records.
• Technological use - Experience with mobile technology, especially iPod/iPhone and iPad.
• Ability and passion to work well with a diverse team environment.

Working conditions:

• Sitting and standing for long periods; moving/lifting (25 pounds); consistent keyboarding/manual dexterity required 80% of time.
• Clear diction and acute hearing are necessary for effective communication with guests and coworkers. Comfort with high-volume communication with a diverse public including children, elders, multilingual people and the general public via telephone, email, and in person.
• Must be able to use excellent judgement and deal with customers who may be at times verbally or physically inappropriate, disoriented, or frustrated.
• Must be flexible to work variable hours, including holidays and weekends. Occasional evening events as needed by team.

Salary and benefits: $20.14 hourly Dependent on experience. Temporary staff are not eligible for benefits but accrue paid sick time and are paid an additional $0.75/hour to assist with transportation costs.

How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don't feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Interested candidates should upload a resume to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.

SeattleAquarium.org/careers

Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at jobs@seattleaquarium.org.

Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.

About the Seattle Aquarium:

The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world's one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.

Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.

Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we're among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission ofInspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, we're working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at SeattleAquarium.org.

Timeline:

The timeline for interviews and hiring will vary depending on when openings become available. We will reach out to candidates selected for consideration as positions arise and work with them to set interview dates accordingly.