Do you love meeting new people, sharing great stories, and making every guest feel at home? Join the American Swedish Institute as an Experience Guide and help bring the Turnblad Mansion—and Swedish culture past, present, and future—to life. You’ll welcome visitors, spark curiosity, lead engaging experiences, and be part of a friendly team that believes a memorable visit starts with genuine hospitality. If you’re curious, people-focused, and ready to make history feel anything but ordinary, we’d love to meet you!

Division/Department: Operations

Reports to: Director of Operations

Grade: 2

Compensation: $17.86

Educational Requirement: None

Exempt or Nonexempt: Non-Exempt

Hourly or Salaried: Hourly

Hours Per Week: Part-time/ 6-20 hours per week

Hybrid or On Site: On-Site

Language proficiency: English. Proficiency/familiarity with another language is a plus but not required.

Schedule: Varies.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Experience Guide is responsible for providing superior customer service to ASI visitors in the Turnblad Mansion as well as practice different interpretation techniques to answer visitor questions. The Experience Guide will work as a part of the Operations team to ensure a seamless guest experience and is an integral part of helping make the American Swedish Institute’s mission to inspire curiosity, embrace creativity, and grow community by exploring the past, present, and future of Swedish culture come alive.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Provide friendly, professional, and responsive service to ASI visitors, volunteers, and staff, demonstrating radical hospitality at all times.
• Positively assist guests and vendors to ensure ASI policies are adhered to by guests and vendors-including facility use policies and photography permits.
• Provide support to volunteers.
• Act as a Brand Ambassador to provide welcome message to class participants for assigned classes.
• Assist Operations Team to transition from museum hours to after hour rentals, programs, and classes.
• Provide mansion facilitation for after-hours rental events.

MUSEUM INTERPRETATION

• Provide accurate historical content and information to guests on the historic mansion and Turnblad family as supported by Collections and Interpretation departments.
• Provide assistance and support on the museum floor.
• Activate in-gallery activities to enhance visitor engagement.
• Encourage visitors to explore the Mansion in a method that is safe for themselves, others, and the historic property.
• Handle or use museum collections objects with respect and as appropriate.
• Provide private and public tours as needed using authorized content from Content & Research Specialist and Educational Programs Manager.
• Clean and reset Family Gallery at beginning and end of each shift.
• Assist with light housekeeping mansion chores as able per the facility use policy.
• Attend trainings for exhibits and tours as able.

Other duties as needed or required

• Perform other duties as needed or required which are within the position's scope.

Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion

Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) are core functions of all positions at the American Swedish Institute. While some roles may have more specific responsibilities, the items below are a part of everyone's responsibilities:

• Demonstrate a commitment to DEAI through continuous personal development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing personal bias to help cultivate and promote a culture of inclusivity and belonging for all staff.
• Proactively work on your own and collaboratively with other staff to ensure equitable and representative experiences for all visitors and program participants.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the staff member assigned to this position. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

OUR MISSION:

The American Swedish Institute’s mission is to inspire curiosity, embrace creativity, and grow community by exploring the past, present, and future of Swedish culture.

OUR VISION:

At ASI, we envision a future where communities, connected by stories and ideas from near and far, find inspiration and build a shared future.

OUR VALUES:

Relationships: The relationships we cultivate, both locally and globally, are at the core of our work. We build bridges across cultures and generations as we foster community and sustain lasting relationships over time.

Diversity: We believe that communities that hold and embrace diversity and change are vibrant, joyful, and resilient. We engage with the complexities, creativity, and impacts of the interconnections among cultures and histories.

Curiosity: We believe that being open to reflection, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas can lead to innovation and transformation. We offer unique, varied experiences that pique curiosity, invite participation, encourage new ways of thinking, and deepen learning.

Stewardship: We value our individual and shared histories, honoring what has come before while remaining open to what is to come. We preserve this historic site and cultural center as well as the heritage, practices, and artifacts of Swedish and Swedish American cultures so all generations may explore and be inspired by them.

REQUIRED

• Ability to distill large amounts of information into concise responses to visitor questions
• Ability to stand for extended periods
• Strong verbal and problem-solving skills
• Ability to read verbal and non-verbal cues from guests to determine comfortable guest interactions.
• Comfortable presenting information and leading tours to engage a wide variety of audiences
• Availability on weekends and evenings.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 2+ years customer service experience
• Ability to speak a language other than English, especially Spanish, Somali, or Swedish
• Knowledge of and interest in Nordic cultures

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand; walk; sit; bend, use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; talk and hear. The employee must occasionally lift or move office products, equipment, and furniture up to 20 pounds occasionally.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

The American Swedish Institute provides equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of age, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, familial status, sex, gender identity and/or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.