Gallery Assistant
Your Safety
At the Whitney, the safety and security of our staff and visitors is our top priority. Our reopening plans are in line with CDC and state guidance on reducing transmission of Covid-19, and have been reviewed by an outside medical expert. Public-facing staff will be issued PPE daily.
The Position
We’re eager to welcome visitors back to the Whitney and want you to play a part as a Gallery Assistant.
Gallery Assistants are the Museum’s in-gallery customer-service team. They are responsible for answering visitor questions, promoting the Museum’s offerings, and ensuring that visitors understand and abide by the Museum’s visitor policies – all in a warm, welcoming and professional manner.
Upon the Whitney’s reopening, Gallery Assistants will play an integral role in keeping our Museum community safe by ensuring visitors understand new policies like one-way systems, social distancing guidelines and face-covering requirements.
We’re looking for enthusiastic “people” people, eager to find moments of connection with our visitors. We seek talented people of all backgrounds: the Whitney values diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, gender expressions, and abilities.
Why you should apply
- Competitive starting salary of $17/hr
- Paid professional development opportunities designed specifically for our public-facing staff
- Mentor-focused managers, eager to see you succeed
- Wellness program offering discounted Citibike memberships, virtual meditation and yoga sessions and more
- With a Whitney staff I.D., you can enjoy
- Complimentary admission to most NYC museums and cultural attractions
- Complimentary guest tickets to the Whitney for your friends and family
- Discounts at onsite and local restaurants and shops
Please apply online at: https://whitney.org/about/job-postings
Responsibilities
- Welcome visitors warmly to the galleries with a smile, a wave and a “hello!”
- Initiate conversations with visitors, anticipate visitor needs, and respond to visitor questions – all from a safe distance of 6 feet away
- Maintain the integrity of the Whitney’s galleries by ensuring that visitors understand appropriate onsite conduct and the Museum’s visitor policies. Deliver that message in a way that ensures visitors feel welcome, not chastised
- Maintain the health and safety of the entire Museum community by ensuring visitors understand and abide by social distancing guideline, face-covering requirements and one-way systems
- Act as an Ambassador for the Museum. Promote offerings like the Shop, membership program, and the overall exhibition program. You don’t need to be an art expert, but you do need to be a “Whitney Museum” expert
- Uphold high standards of customer service and professionalism at all times. Go the extra mile to ensure visitors have an exemplary onsite experience
- Keep an open line of communication with colleagues in Security, Facilities, Engineers, AV, Visitor Services, Member Services and Retail
- Other duties as required
Requirements
- Friendly, outgoing, and professional attitude
- Genuine interest in customer service and public-facing roles
- A minimum of 1-2 years customer service experience
- Excellent communication and empathetic listening skills
- Ability to stand for extended periods of time
- Must be available to work at least two days/week
- Interest in arts and culture a plus
- Bi-lingual a plus
Schedules & Start Date
Part-time Gallery Assistants can be scheduled up to 25 hours/week. You must be available to work a minimum of two 8-hour shifts/week, including holidays, weekends, and early and evening hours.
A mandatory orientation and all team training will take place in late July. Work schedules go into effect once city and state government reopens New York City’s museum sector – date TBA.
Post-Covid operations are uncertain. Employment will be temporary for a period of up to 6 months, and then reviewed.
About the Visitor Experience Department at the Whitney
The Whitney’s Visitor Experience Department is comprised of the Museum’s public facing teams: Visitor Services, Gallery Assistants, Retail, Security, and Facilities. Members of the Visitor Experience Department together strive to create a positive and welcoming environment for our visitors by acting as ambassadors for the Whitney and surrounding area, and taking a genuine interest in visitors’ needs. We aspire to provide exceptional and seamless customer service at every point along the visitor journey, and to create an internal culture of pride in ourselves, one another, and the institution.
About the Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.
EEO Statement
The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.