Job Listing: Museum Interpreter

Historic St. Lukes Church and Museum, Smithfield, VA 

Title: Museum Interpreter

Employer/Location: Historic St. Luke’s Restoration (HSLR), doing business as St. Luke’s Historic Church & Museum, in Smithfield, is the oldest surviving church building in Virginia. HSLR interprets the early American pursuits of Religious Freedom and the separation of church and state as imbued in the 1 st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. HSLR stewards the church building, its artifacts, and its stories to explain and stress the importance of the site’s place in U.S. History.

HSLR is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit education and cultural history institution that does not receive any federal, state, or municipal funding.

Start Date: TBD

Training: Immediate Public Tours: 1 month from start date

Purpose: To provide world-class experiences for international and domestic audiences at our 17 th -century historic site.

Responsibilities:
a. National Association of Interpreters (NAI) Certificate of Interpretation is
preferred, but not required. A desire to seek and secure certification is
appreciated.

b. Conduct historical research to enhance site-wide understanding of
historical events and context for the purpose of providing educational and
focused guided tours. This includes studying required and recommended primary
and secondary sources.

c. Learn and apply need-satisfaction, consultative selling techniques as
applied throughout the customer service experience, from point of contact
through exiting the site, including converting casual visitors into paid guided tour
guests and gift shop patrons.

d. Secure guest contact information including name, address, and email
address to recruit visitors as new stakeholders for future engagement.

e. Process cash, credit, and check payments through POS, cash register
transactions.

f. Assist the Gift Shop Manager with gift shop maintenance and
merchandising.

g. Secure 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, and Facebook.

h. Provide assistance to the Education Coordinator in event planning,
outreach off-site group programming, and on-site group tour bookings.

i. Assist the Education Coordinator with soliciting and securing Group Tour
bookings from special interest and motor coach companies.

j. Open and close site when on-duty.

k. Provide minor housekeeping on an as-needed basis.

l. Other tasks as determined necessary for operations.

Qualifications:
1. Proficiency with computers, cash registers and Point-Of-Sale (POS)
systems.

2. Competency in customer conflict resolution as demonstrated through
prior work or volunteer experience.

3. Effective public speaking skills as acquired through prior work or
volunteer experience.

4. Passionate about lifelong learning and educating others.

5. Willing and eager to provide world-class customer service experiences to visitors from all over the world.

6. Willingness and ability to wear business casual attire when on-duty.

7. Must either be working toward, or have obtained, at least an Associate’s Degree from an accredited institution. A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in History, Historic Preservation, Public History, Architectural History, Art History, Religious History, Constitutional Studies, American Studies, Religious Studies, or Archaeology is preferred.

8. Must provide your own housing and reliable transportation.

9. Willingness and ability to work Fridays, Saturdays, and some Wednesdays, 16 to 24 hours per week, February through December. Other days and hours may be required infrequently for Special Events or other staffing needs.

Pay Rate:
$11.00 per hour, part-time, a non-benefits eligible position

Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays with some Wednesday hours if available. Limited to a maximum of 24 hours per week. Training will begin upon hire and be completed within a month. First public tour will be required one month after hire.

How to Apply:
Please submit your letter of interest, a resume or CV, and three professional or
educational references (no personal character references, please) via email only
(mailed applications will not be accepted) to Rachel Popp, Education
Coordinator, rpopp@historicstlukes.org . Please, no phone calls.
14477 Benn’s Church Blvd., Smithfield, VA 23430, 757- 357-3367, www.historicstlukes.org