Guest Experience Service Associate

California Academy of Sciences; United States; On-site; USD 34,000 - 41,000; Part time

Job summary

The California Academy of Sciences is seeking a part-time Guest Experience team member based in San Francisco, CA. The role involves engaging visitors, facilitating entry and show experiences, and supporting events on the public floor.

You will join a dynamic team responsible for guest services across the planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, and exhibits, with a focus on delivering outstanding customer experiences to families and the public.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in a fast paced customer‑facing environment.
• Experience with a ticketing system, electronic scanners and tablets preferred.
• Experience with children and families preferred.

Responsibilities

• Work in Guest Experience, including hosting, group entry facilitation, and way-finding.
• Assist in special events after-hours operations under the guest experience event lead.
• Provide information on daily programs, exhibits, and San Francisco attractions to visitors.
• Facilitate traffic flow in and out of the museum, exhibits and theaters.
• Interact with guests to ensure an excellent experience that exceeds expectations.
• Support Assistant Managers with light office work and visitor registration.
• Collaborate with Custodial Team for cleaning and sanitation of public spaces.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer-facing experience

Excellent communication

Independent work

Initiative

Reliability

Public interaction

Tools

Ticketing system

Electronic scanners

Tablets

Job description

About the California Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non‑profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Fran­isco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world‑class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth’s vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi, spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you’re conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

This positionrequires evening, full weekend, and holiday availability. The California Academy of Sciences is open to the public 365 days a year.

Organizational Culture

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission‑driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization’s financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster smart growth to secure the Academy’s future.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are motivated to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.

About the Guest Experience Team

The Guest Experience team provides the highest level of service to all of our visitors, members and beyond. Our team is responsible for overseeing public floor operations including the entryway, theaters, exhibits and various special events. We are often responding to constantly changing operational needs and work closely as a team to solve problems. Our team is essential to creating a positive guest experience.

Key Responsibilities

• This position is responsible for working in and has duties in the following areas of the Academy: Guest Experience (hosting, group entry facilitation, way‑finding), show control (Planetarium and Forum), and exhibit facilitation (Rainforest and Earthquake).
• Assist in special event after‑hours operation in the aforementioned areas, as assigned. During special events staff will be under the direct supervision of the Guest Experience event lead.
• Proactively engage with visitors by providing information on daily programs, exhibits, suggested museum itineraries, and San Francisco attractions
• Facilitate traffic flow in and out of the museum, exhibits, and theaters
• Continuously interact with our guests to ensure an excellent experience which exceeds their expectations
• Provide necessary support to the Assistant Managers as needed to ensure smooth operation of the department, including light office work and visitor registration
• Work with the Custodial Team to assist with general cleaning and sanitation of workspaces and high touch areas of the public floor
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

A successful candidate will have the following:

Experience

• Prior experience in a fast paced customer‑facing environment
• Experience with a ticketing system, electronic scanners and tablets preferred
• Experience with children and families preferred

Skills, and Abilities

• Honesty and reliability required
• Commitment to excellent customer service
• Ability to work independently and show initiative
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work in a busy, fast paced environment
• Ability to be courteous with the public, including children, for extended periods of time
• Familiarity with Google Suite preferred
• Ability to transport 25lbs.

Physical Environment

The physical expectations described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of this position. At the Academy, we get to work in pretty unique spaces! We have active positions on the public floor that require repetitive motion, moving through and rotating to different positions throughout the day. In the Rainforest exhibit, we work in humid temperatures around various wildlife ie. birds, snakes, spiders, and insects. In the Planetarium exhibit, staff work in a sometimes darkened theatre environment with steps on a 30‑degree slope. This position requires performing repetitive motions 75% of the time.

Compensation and Benefits

The hourly rate for this position is $25.00. Actual compensation will be commensurate with experience, skills/knowledge set, and internal equity. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule

Part-time, on-call, up to 19 hours per week, onsite.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

This position will close on October 7th, 2026

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).

We are committed to ensuring that all employees and applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, terminations, training, and social and recreational programs, will be on the basis of qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled. The Academy does not discriminate against qualified applicants or employees with respect to any terms or conditions of employment on account of any characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. Read our full Equal Opportunity Statement here.