Visitor Services Assistant

The Opportunity

The Visitor Services Associate supports daily gallery and reception desk operations in accordance with Museum and University policies.

Responsibilities include greeting visitors, answering questions and phone calls, and managing keys, access cards, and activity logs. The role also involves maintaining parking, maintenance, and vehicle records, along with providing general administrative support, including sorting and distributing mail.

About The Johnson Museum of Art

The Johnson Museum of Art houses a diverse collection of 40,000 works spanning 6,000 years, representing cultures from around the world. The Museum hosts exhibitions and programs that showcase new research and perspectives through collaborations with Cornell faculty, students, scholars, and cultural communities. It supports Cornell’s academic mission by hosting approximately 350 class sessions annually and promotes community engagement through educational programs serving more than 6,000 schoolchildren and regional teachers.

Key Responsibilities

• Greet visitors, school groups, tour groups, clients, and presenters; provide information about the Museum, Cornell, Ithaca, artwork, and local events.

• Register participants for educational programs, track visitor and staff attendance, maintain parking logs, and ensure compliance with parking policies.

• Answer multi-line telephone calls, respond to inquiries, redirect calls, and take messages.

• Monitor the lobby and galleries, maintain a welcoming environment, assist visitors, and ensure adherence to Museum policies.

• Log daily activities, distribute and track keys and access cards, maintain authorized access to secure spaces, and follow established security protocols.

• Inspect incoming and outgoing artwork, mail, packages, and personal belongings; coordinate safe building access for maintenance, construction, and other outside workers.

• Report incidents and pertinent information to the building coordinator, manager, and appropriate staff.

• Sort and distribute incoming U.S. and campus mail, maintain lobby signage, package and mail catalogs, and provide general administrative support to Museum staff.

• Create and maintain 25Live facility reservations, update event schedules and calendars, and coordinate logistics with Cornell and external clients while following Museum security requirements.

• Develop and maintain digital tools and documents to support reception operations and provide data for leadership, including grant requests.

What We Need

For further consideration, please submit a resume and cover letter.

• High school diploma and some related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Self-motivated, resourceful, reliable, encouraging, and team-oriented.

• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

• Detail-oriented, with the ability to multitask effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.  

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it’s ok if you don’t.

• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

• Experience using 25Live or a similar web-based scheduling and calendar system.

• Experience operating audiovisual (AV) equipment.

• Strong initiative and the ability to work independently.

• Background in security, event planning, and mentoring preferred.

This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position based fully on-site in Ithaca, NY. Core hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 11:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

This position follows a flexible work schedule that includes weekdays, evenings, and weekends, and may involve split days off. Applicants should be comfortable with schedule adjustments to support museum events and coverage needs. The final schedule will be established in collaboration with the supervisor.

This is a one-year term appointment contingent upon available work, funding, and performance.

Rewards and Benefits 

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell. 

• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell

• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell

• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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