Visitor Assistant

DAWSON; New London (CT); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation and sick leave

Life and AD&D insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible work environment

Job summary

LAUKOA in New London, CT, is seeking a Visitor Assistant to provide a welcoming gallery presence, assist visitors with questions, and share approved exhibit highlights and Coast Guard history. Two full-time, on-site openings are available.

Minimum requirements include a high school diploma and 1+ year in customer-facing roles; assists with programs and safety procedures. Prior museum or cultural-institution experience is a plus.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• 1+ years in tourism, hospitality, retail, museums, visitor services or another customer-facing environment.
• Ability to stand and walk for a four- to eight-hour gallery shift.
• Ability to learn and communicate approved historical narratives and exhibit highlights.

Responsibilities

• Maintain professional gallery presence to protect artifacts.
• Report exhibit malfunctions, spills, damage, and safety concerns.
• Manage visitor flow and gallery capacity to prevent overcrowding.
• Provide wayfinding, answer questions, and discuss exhibits and Coast Guard history.
• Assist volunteers and education teams with gallery programs and activities.
• Perform opening/closing sweeps and assist during emergencies.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate or Bachelor degree preferred

Job description

Mahalo for your interest in this role! Please see the full position description below. For more information about LAUKOA, please visit https://www.laukoa.com.

Visitor Assistant

Openings: 2 full-time positions | Location: New London, Connecticut (on-site)

Position Summary

Visitor Assistants provide a visible gallery presence that supports artifact protection, visitor safety, informal education, and excellent customer service. They observe, report, assist, and direct visitors through established procedures; they do not perform law-enforcement or independent security functions.

Essential Responsibilities

• Maintain a professional physical presence in assigned galleries to help protect artifacts from accidental or intentional harm.
• Report exhibit malfunctions, spills, damage, environmental concerns, visitor complaints, security concerns, and safety hazards through established procedures.
• Manage visitor flow and gallery capacity to help prevent overcrowding in sensitive spaces.
• Provide wayfinding, answer visitor questions, and lead brief informal discussions about approved exhibit highlights, Coast Guard history, and museum missions.
• Assist volunteer and education teams with gallery-based programs, scavenger hunts, and visitor activities.
• Perform opening and closing sweeps and support the public during emergencies or building evacuations in accordance with approved procedures.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; Associate or Bachelor degree preferred.
• One or more years in tourism, hospitality, retail, museums, visitor services, or another customer-facing environment.
• Ability to stand and walk for a four- to eight-hour gallery shift.
• Ability to learn and communicate approved historical narratives, exhibit highlights, Coast Guard missions, gallery rules, and accessibility information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Museum, cultural-institution, visitor-center, or public-attraction experience.
• Knowledge of Coast Guard history or maritime operations.
• Experience with de-escalation, accessibility support, crowd management, incident reporting, or emergency-evacuation procedures.

Equal Opportunity

LAUKOA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/VEVRAA federal contractor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• a 401(k) program with employer match
• paid vacation and sick leave
• employer-paid basic life and AD&D insurance
• an Employee Assistance Program
• and a flexible work environment
• critical illness coverage
• accident insurance
• identity theft coverage
• pet insurance
• and more.

Internal Preference

LAUKOA gives preference to internal candidates. If no internal candidate meets our qualifications, external candidates will be given consideration.