Public Programs Coordinator, Lefferts Historic House

The Lefferts House Coordinator greets and engages visitors in educational activities at the museum and is responsible for maintaining the museum grounds and farm plots.   This position will also be involved in the implementation of ReImagine Lefferts, a new initiative centered around the transformation of the Lefferts Historic House Museum and its interpretive approach.  The goal of Reimagine Lefferts is to completely re-focus the museum on the lives of the enslaved Africans owned by the Lefferts family and the Indigenous people of the Lenapehoking whose unceded ancestral lands the house rest on.  As we reimagine what Lefferts can be, we want the museum to provide more dialogue about the legacy of slavery and the exploitation of marginalized American communities

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS / KEY JOB OUTCOMES

• Greet and introduce visitors to museum offerings
• Answer visitor inquiries
• Lead workshops, activities, and tours of 2nd-floor exhibits
• Provide general assistance for special events
• Coordinate day-of activities for events, including birthday parties, by facilitating set-ups and breakdowns and supervising event staff
• Open and close the museum
• Manage museum grounds and take care of the farm plot
• Make minor repairs as needed
• Transport materials for exhibits and grounds maintenance as needed

Performs other job-related duties and functions as assigned

Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, history/archiving, material culture studies, or other relevant discipline
• A minimum of one (1) year experience working with museum collections
• A valid NYS Driver’s License

COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes)

• Passion for the Alliance Mission & Core Values: A passion for public parks and environmental conservation combined with a commitment to treating others with respect, appreciating individual differences and embracing the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Ethics & Integrity: Earns the trust and respect of others through a consistent commitment to integrity, honesty and professionalism in all interactions.
• Historic Preservation: Knowledge of preservation techniques to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance.
• General Facility Maintenance: Knowledge of or ability to perform simple building/grounds maintenance and repair duties utilizing power and hand tools commonly used in the industry including but not limited to power tools such as, drills, and hand tools such as hammer, pliers and screw drivers, lawn mowers, blowers and snow blowers.
• Self-Management & Teamwork: Ability to work independently or as a member of the team, ability to be detailed-oriented, and ability to manage stress effectively in a fast-pace environment.
• Public Speaking: Must have excellent verbal communication skills and ability to impart key information to your audience. Should be able to engage with an audience and interact with members of the public.
• Communication Skills: Ability to convey concepts and make presentations in a clear, culturally competent and understandable manner. Demonstrates effective listening skills and openness to other people’s ideas and suggestions.
• Organization & Accountability: Meticulously well-organized with diligent attention to detail, ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and takes pride in consistently producing accurate, timely and quality work products with minimal supervision.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: Committed to working in collaboration with others, promoting cooperation and commitment to others and being a positive team contributor.
• Customer Service: Exhibits a strong commitment to delivering excellent and responsive service to internal and external customers.
• Technology: Proficient with automated technologies that support area of responsibility including G-Suite and Microsoft Office Suite.

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work is performed both in an office setting which does not subject the employee to any hazardous or unusual elements and in the field, which subjects the employee to various external elements including potentially adverse weather conditions and some exposure to moderate risk of accident/injury requiring following basic safety precautions
• Requires operating a motor vehicle; operating equipment where carelessness could result in injury; standing for extended periods of time; stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching, lifting, pushing, pulling, and/or crawling; use of manual dexterity and fine motor skill and use of a desktop, laptop, or video display terminal
• Requires moderate physical exertion (consistent need to lift, push, pull, carry, etc. up to 50 lbs.). May require special safety precautions, such as working around moving parts, machines or with irritant chemicals and use of protective clothing or gear
• Requires communicating information with co-workers, stakeholders and/or the public; reading correspondence, instructions and/or technical documents; writing correspondence and/or reports and filling in forms

Diversity Makes Us Stronger Together: Prospect Park Alliance serves park users of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and strives to reflect this diversity throughout our operations and in our leadership, staff, stakeholders and supporters. We know that by creating an equitable and inclusive workplace built on mutual respect and the appreciation of difference, our employees will feel safe to express themselves, voice their opinions and work together to find common ground and solutions. Integral to this vision is our longstanding commitment to provide equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.