Riverboat Discovery Summer 2026

Join the Family! The Riverboat Discovery offers a multitude of jobs in every department of the operation.

All our positions at the Riverboat Discovery have an element of customer service, some more so than others. They can be categorized into two groups, On Stage and Back Stage. On Stage positions have more interaction with our guests, while Back Stage positions have less interaction. We offer multiple levels of employment, opportunities to lead and manage a team.

Wages starting at $18/hour (this includes our $2/hour bonus paid in a lump sum at the end of our season). 

On Stage

Retail Sales Associate

• Serve as a customer service representative for visitors to the Riverboat Discovery
• Assist visitors with purchases
• Prepare and stock merchandise for sale
• Perform inventory control duties
• Organize and distribute merchandise
• Perform other duties related to the successful operation of a retail store including cleaning and moderate lifting

Dining Hall Associate

• Provide dining service to guests and meet their needs to ensure a pleasurable dining experience
• Set up/remove food service items
• Greet and seat guests in a prompt and courteous manner
• Reset tables according to service standards
• Operating commercial dishwashers
• Ensure cleanliness of dishes including some polishing of glass for water spot removal
• Maintain sanitation and safety standards

Reservationist

• Serve as customer service representatives for visitors to the Riverboat Discovery & Gold Dredge 8
• Answer phones
• Respond to emails
• Give directions
• Other administrative related tasks as directed

Tour Guide

• Greet passengers and serve as ambassadors for Alaskan Native culture
• Conduct the tour of the Chena Village
• Serve coffee and donuts and assist Deckhands in the snack bar during busy times

Deckhand

• Cast off at departure and secure the Riverboat Discovery on landing
• Maintain the safety and cleanliness of the boat
• Staff the snack bars when passengers are on board
• Provide general passenger assistance and if necessary
• Provide emergency first aid until trained EMTs arrive
• Mandatory drug testing per the US Coast Guard

Village Hand

• ‍Village Hands maintain the Chena Village
• Set up and take down props, cabins, and displays used during the tour
• Feed and monitor wellbeing of the reindeer living on site
• Receive and cast lines during boat landing and departure, push and receive gang planks, greet passengers
• Clean restrooms and porta potties
• Monitor inventory of supplies

Back Stage

Accounting Clerk‍

• ‍Count cash
• Entering accounts receivable into an accounting program
• Prepare daily receipts ledgers and deposits
• Prepare invoices and journal entries
• Reservation support duties

Kitchen Assistant‍

• Work in the kitchen area with some duties performed in our dining hall
• Duties include operating kitchen cooking equipment to prepare fixed menu food
• Preparing all food for our gift shop café
• Serve food in the dining hall
• Maintaining the cleanliness standards required in the kitchen

Donut Maker‍

• Operate and maintain the donut-making machine
• Ensure that donuts are properly produced, boxed, and refrigerated

Grounds Crew (Full-time & Part-time)

• ‍Full-time (11am - 7:30pm) and part-time (5pm - 7:30 pm)
• Clean the Riverboat Discovery and premises twice a day (after the boat returns to the dock at 12:30pm and again at 5:30pm)
• Dust, vacuum, empty trash, wash windows, clean restrooms
• Grounds maintenance duties and off-site maintenance tasks to be performed as directed

The job descriptions and hours vary from position to position, but we do not require employees to join a department with a specific set of skills. As long as our employees bring excitement and energy, we can teach them everything they need to know to do the job.

Whether On Stage or Back Stage, it is essential that every employee provides the highest level of customer service. As a company, we are committed to creating a memorable, first-class experience for our guests.