Docent/Collections Assistant
ABOUT BEAUMONT HERITAGE SOCIETY: Beaumont Heritage Society is a nonprofit organized to educate and engage the community through the preservation of Beaumont’s history and heritage for a better future together.
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
Beaumont Heritage Society is seeking a Docent/Collections Assistant to lead tours of the John Jay French Museum and assist with the collections of both the John Jay French Museum and Chambers House Museum. The Docent/Collections Assistant is accountable to the Site Development Manager and Collections Manager.
ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES:
- Greets visitors as they arrive and guides guests through sign-in procedures.
- Books tours both via phone and email.
- Maintains the cash box inventory and records.
- Maintains the office supply inventory and requests orders.
- Tracks attendance and prepares quarterly reports for the Executive Director.
- Proofreads and edits communications documents as needed.
MUSEUM DUTIES:
- Leads tours as the John Jay French Museum Docent, both individual and group, in an outdoor environment with heat, cold, rain, etc.
- Join group tours at the Chambers House Museum as needed.
- Responsible for performing opening and closing procedures of the John Jay French Museum.
- Monitors museum for humidity, dust, bugs, and other potential preservation threats.
- Maintains interior collection (dust, clean, sweep, examine for damage).
- Maintains Wash House (sweep and empty wash pots).
EVENTS:
- Assists with planning, organizing, and running events.
- Assist with scheduling and overseeing volunteers ranging from 5-50 people.
- Attends community events as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
COLLECTIONS:
- Assists with accessioning and de-accessioning Chambers and French collection pieces by transcribing letters,
- masking photographs, scanning documents, examining books, papers, textiles, data entry, etc.
- Assists in maintaining interior collections for both Chambers and French museums by following Collections Policy protocol in the cleaning, caring, and preservation of collection pieces.
- Assists the exhibits team as needed.
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH:
- Assists with or provides research based on credible sources to supplement events, tours, exhibits and social media posts.
OTHER
- Acts as a liaison for the Museum at events – both community and organizational.
- Performs other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor for the good of the museum.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Ability to use a computer and general office equipment; move from place to place; lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:
- Works well with the public and is comfortable with guiding diverse groups of people
- Is communicative and comfortable with public speaking and presenting new information to groups of people
- Is adaptable and self-starting
- Is well-versed with research practices
- Has Canva, Microsoft Office, and Past Perfect (or other cataloguing software) experience of any level
EDUCATION
- High School Diploma preferred
HOURS & PAY
- Part-Time, 28 Hours a Week
- $12 – $15 an hour
- Tuesday – Friday 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Saturdays 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Evenings as needed for events
- The work location is the John Jay French Museum, with some time at the Chambers House Museum as needed
- Desired start date: August 2024
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to: applyBHS@gmail.com by August 9th for consideration.