Visitor Experience Specialist, IS-1001-07 at Smithsonian Institution

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care). 

The position is located in the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Visitor Services. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting currently of 19 museums, galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. The Office of Visitor Services (OVS) is the principal office at the Smithsonian responsible for understanding, designing and improving all stages of a visitor's journey, from planning, to visit and post-visit experiences. The Office enables the Smithsonian's mission through its activities as the primary point of contact for Smithsonian visitors. In addition, OVS provides internal services to Smithsonian staff that serve visitors, including over 63,000 volunteers. This position supports the goal of enhancing the Smithsonian experience by creating engaging and impactful interactions. This includes understanding, designing, and improving all stages of a visitor’s journey, from planning, to visit and post visit experiences. 

The incumbent is responsible for day-to-day coordination of the visitor experience at the Smithsonian, including customer service, volunteer management and scheduling, coordinating support services, dissemination of information, and related administrative tasks. These tasks take place onsite at Smithsonian museums and units as well as via telephone, email, postal mail, and through various systems. The incumbent must utilize, update, and maintain various systems used by Smithsonian volunteers and visitors

Scheduling
Daily Operations Planning

Follows established plans and procedures to support smooth visitor service operations.
Offers input on standard operating procedures and training needs with supervisory guidance.
Maintains volunteer records in the Volunteer Management Database, ensuring updates for scheduling,
attendance, and assignments are tracked accurately.
Engages with visitors across public spaces, supporting queue management, coordinating entry flow, and
welcome desk needs.
Distributes signage, brochures, and supplies to visitor areas, checking inventory levels and notifying
when reordering is needed.
Assists in implementing accessibility services by following procedural guidelines and supporting staff with
materials and tools.
Prepares data entries for program metrics collection as instructed.
Supports coordination of volunteer onboarding/offboarding by reviewing requirements and reporting
status to relevant staff.
Contributes to appreciation and recognition efforts through suggestions and support of activities.
Shares ideas to improve visitor services based on observed best practices and customer service trends.
Assists in scheduling tasks and internal communications to promote workflow alignment across teams.

Volunteer Readiness Support
Collaborates with other departments to support integration of visitor services with programs and events.
Assists in reviewing visitor flow and volunteer availability to support operational planning.
Provides support for volunteer recruitment initiatives in coordination with Human Resources by assisting
with attracting potential candidates, tracking applicant actions, and ensuring efficient communication to
facilitate timely onboarding and engagement.
Participates in maintaining a qualified volunteer pool by reviewing the records and databases.
Helps facilitate volunteer training sessions using approved materials on customer service, accessibility,
and institutional content.
Reviews training tools for consistency and supports updates to ensure instructional accuracy.
Tracks volunteer training progress and shares updates with supervisors to promote accountability.

Communication & Volunteer Engagement
Interacts courteously with visitors, staff, and volunteers to respond to service inquiries and direct more 
complex issues to appropriate personnel.
Delivers updates to volunteers through email, phone, or briefings aligned with daily operational needs.
Assists in coordinating shift meetings and pre-program briefings to ensure consistent messaging across 
volunteer teams.
Gathers informal input from volunteers to inform service enhancements and communicate observations 
to program leads.
Supports volunteer development through engagement efforts such as feedback loops, refresher training, 
and mentorship initiatives.
Assists with preparing summaries based on visitor feedback and volunteer input to inform program 
improvements.
Performs other duties as assigned.

To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university and/or 3-5 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

 Experience required for this position is as follows:

 Comprehensive knowledge of visitor services planning methodologies, departmental structures, and operational procedures to provide recommendations for revision of standard operating plans and training to align with institutional guidelines and enhance visitor satisfaction.

Knowledge of volunteer scheduling and timekeeping protocols to maintain accurate records within the Volunteer Management Database to ensure seamless coordination of assignments, attendance tracking, and onboarding/offboarding processes..

Understanding of guest services experiences, accessibility programming, traffic flow management, and exhibit-based programming to ensure visitors receive timely assistance and equitable service across both indoor and outdoor public areas.

Familiarity with inventory systems and distribution practices for signage, brochures, and desk supplies, facilitating the readiness and maintenance of visitor information points and optimizing resource availability.

Practical knowledge of data collection practices and performance metric analysis to help with surveys and contribute to the visitors’ program evaluation and development.

Knowledge of customer service procedures to assess and enhance positive experience related to visitors’ service, accessibility, and museum/unit specific offerings.

Ability to evaluate visitor flow patterns, volunteer retention rates, and personnel readiness to ensure ongoing coverage of institutional needs and inform improvements in volunteer scheduling and engagement.

Basic knowledge of museum exhibit planning cycles, and departmental collaborations to serve as a liaison for aligning visitor service efforts with exhibitions, educational programming, and institutional events.
Practical knowledge of surveying methodologies to assist with volunteers’ satisfaction assessments to evaluate overall satisfaction with working experience and levels of engagement and motivation to gather actionable insights and contribute to programmatic improvements.

Ability to prepare accurate and concise summary reports, drawing from visitor experience data and volunteer feedback, to present recommendations for program enhancements.
Skill in oral and written communication techniques to deliver timely, courteous, and informative responses across multiple channels including in-person exchanges, briefings, emails, and phone calls, supporting seamless coordination and ongoing volunteer engagement.

 

Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

 

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

  

Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

 
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.  

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

 

Relocation expenses are not paid.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact [email protected]. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.  To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

 

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeesd.