Visitor Services Associate (General Interest)

BOF The Barack Obama Foundation; United States; On-site; USD 24,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The Obama Foundation is seeking an on-site Visitor Services Associate at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. You will be the primary point of contact for guests, delivering an inclusive, welcoming experience across information desks, coat check, ticketing, and related services.

Ideal candidates have customer service or hospitality experience, flexibility with hours including weekends and holidays, and the ability to handle cash accurately. Foreign language skills are a plus.

Qualifications

• Customer service, hospitality and interpersonal communication skills preferred.
• Flexible hours including early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to work on-site at the Obama Presidential Center, Jackson Park.
• Cash handling experience is a plus.
• Fluency in one or more foreign languages is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide exceptional customer service to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors.
• Connect visitors with accessibility needs with appropriate resources.
• Work closely with onsite security to maintain a safe guest experience, assisting in crowd management and with emergency procedures as needed.
• Collaborate with Visitor Engagement and Education, Volunteers, Custodial, Events, Group Tours and other public-facing teams to ensure consistent standards of service across the entire visitor experience.
• Navigate a fast-paced environment, rotating between ticketing, information desks, coat check, group logistics, ushering and special events duties.
• Maintain knowledge of Obama Presidential Center Campus, programming, and local attractions.

Skills

Customer service

Hospitality

Interpersonal communication

Job description

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action. Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role

We're continuously accepting applications for our active openings over the next few months! We can't wait to see how your unique skills and perspective can help our mission thrive as we grow. As a part of the Visitor Services team, this role serves as the primary point of contact for guests and external stakeholders visiting the Obama Presidential Center. The Associate will deliver an inclusive, welcoming, and memorable experience across various points of contact, including information desks, greeting, coat check, access control, and ticketing services. During each shift, the Associate will wear a uniform provided by the Center. In this role, you'll report to the Manager, Visitor Services, while also receiving day‑to‑day support from all Visitor Services Supervisors and other Visitor Experience Leads.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Provide exceptional customer service to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors.
• Connect visitors with accessibility needs with appropriate resources.
• Work closely with onsite security to maintain a safe guest experience, assisting in crowd management and with emergency procedures as needed.
• Collaborate closely with Visitor Engagement and Education, Volunteers, Custodial, Events, Group Tours and other public‑facing teams to ensure consistent standards of service and helpfulness across the entire visitor experience.
• Navigate a fast‑paced environment, with the ability to rotate between various positions such as ticketing and information desks, coat check, group logistics, as well as ushering and special events duties.
• Build and maintain a working knowledge of Obama Presidential Center Campus, programming, and exhibitions as well as local attractions, restaurants and areas of interest.
• Perform other duties under the Visitor Services area as assigned.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Respond to guest questions and provide assistance, emphasizing an inclusive and welcoming environment in accordance with Obama Presidential Center policies and procedures.
• Provide guidance to visitors across campus grounds and buildings, answering general questions as needed while providing exceptional customer service.
• Maintain a working knowledge of proprietary software, performing sales, financial transactions and accurate cash handling, including nightly balancing of cash drawers, on site per Obama Presidential Center processes.
• Accurately scan admissions tickets to ensure correct capacity count and data integrity.
• Participate in regularly scheduled training for evolving exhibit displays and Museum programming as well as other meetings as required.
• Demonstrates proficiency in core professional duties and uses discretion and independent judgment to resolve complex problems.

Required Qualifications

• Previous customer service, hospitality and/or interpersonal or communication skills preferred.
• Flexibility of hours including but not limited to early morning, late night, weekends, and holidays across campus in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• Ability to work on‑site at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.
• Ability to stand, remain seated, or be positioned outside; reasonable accommodations will be made.
• Cash handling experience, a plus.
• Fluency in one or more foreign languages, a plus.

The pay rate for this role is $21.50/hour.

For an overview of our benefits package, including insurance, paid time off, retirement & more, please visit https://www.obama.org/careers/.

This is an in-person role based at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

The Obama Foundation will never ask for payment or personal financial information during the hiring process or training.

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone. We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world‑class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity. As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. For more information, please visit www.obama.org.