Visitor Services Supervisor, RISD Museum

The RISD Museum is actively seeking a part-time Visitor Services Desk Shift Supervisor to join its Visitor Services team. This is a unique opportunity for an equity-minded individual with a passion for community and the arts to bring their leadership, customer service, and strong communication skills to this exciting new role.

The Visitor Services Desk Shift Supervisor ensures the effective daily operations of the museum’s front desk activities and staff, including leading in essential functions such as ensuring and promoting a positive visitor experience by welcoming and greeting a wide variety of clientele, including but not limited to students, general visitors, tour groups, parents, RISD Staff, and/or alumni. They direct, train, and give timely and appropriate feedback to employees, and set the example for customer service orientation. Additional duties include contributing to staff performance evaluations by providing formal feedback of employees’ performance to the Manager; processing transactions such as issuing memberships, admissions tickets, event registrations, and group sales; collecting payments and distributing the appropriate change, information, and collateral material; acting as a resource and as a point of escalation in the absence of the Manager for Visitor Services for the Visitor Services Desk Attendants in responding to routine questions about the Museum, the RISD community and greater Providence, promoting Museum programs, classes and events; and actively soliciting museum membership sales. This position is also responsible for maintaining a safe, welcoming and informative visitor environment that upholds RISD’s values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in accordance with the RISD Museum’s SEI action plan and college-wide initiatives, and serves as liaison to a variety of internal departments and external agencies, including Museum Security Staff, Museum Education, Conferences and Events Services, RISD faculty, students, and staff, and museum visitors.

The RISD Museum was founded on the belief that art, artists, and the institutions that support them play pivotal roles in promoting broad civic engagement and creating more open societies. Established in 1877 as part of a vibrant creative community, the RISD Museum stewards works of art representing diverse cultures from ancient times to the present and interprets our collection with a focus on the maker and deeply engages with art and artists.

Essential Functions/Duties:

• Oversees the day to day general operations of the RISD Museum front desk during museum operating hours on weekdays and weekends under the direction of the Manager, Visitor Services.  

• Provide direction, supervision and leadership to Visitor Services staff.  Responsible for directing and delegating to staff during shifts.  Provide timely and appropriate feedback to employees during shifts.  Partners with the manager to facilitate necessary follow-up conversations regarding employee performance or opportunities for improvement.  Contribute to staff performance evaluations by providing formal feedback of employees’ performance to the Manager.  Create weekly staffing schedules and manage vacation requests to be submitted to the Manager for review and final approval.  Ensures staff are following department and museum policies and procedures. Supports daily Visitor Services Desk Attendants by providing break coverage and leadership support at the desk.

• Responds to visitor concerns and feedback as appropriate, and makes decisions based on museum policy, professional judgement, and previous experience.  Sets the example of appropriate customer service orientation and expectations for other staff.

• Receives and greets incoming guests, visitors, tour groups, parents, alumni, and corporate members.

• Orients self-guided groups to the space, welcoming them to the museum, and setting them up for their visit on behalf of the Education department.

• Processes financial transactions for visitors including but not limited to admissions, membership sales, special events and Museum courses.  Accepts payments using the museum database system and issues appropriate receipts and/or change. Facilitates and completes payment for group visits, as required.  Uses museum systems to complete the group check-in and payment process.

• Cross-trains on and develops a comprehensive understanding of Visitor Services accounts payable functions to serve as back-up in the absences of department accounts payable staff. This includes but is not limited to completing opening and closing cash drawer procedures including counting and balancing drawer daily, overseeing final cash handling tasks at the end of the day, and approving end of week cash handling reports.

• Utilizes knowledge of RISD Museum, RISD community and Providence ar