Visitor Center Coordinator - Lab of Ornithology

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University's second largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: We believe that achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world's complex, interlocking systems. We believe that access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. We believe that ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world's leading resource for conservation, research, education, and participatory science focused on birds. The Lab is a vibrant unit within Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), where full-time faculty and other renowned professionals direct six world-class, mission-driven centers. Staff at the Lab teach undergraduate courses, advise graduate students, collect and disseminate world-famous digital resources on biodiversity, and engage with partner organizations and individuals around the world to conduct scientific research and conservation actions. Our management and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in all areas of our work, and our Board leadership includes faculty from Cornell and other universities, successful entrepreneurs and managers from the business and non-profit sectors, and conservation-minded people from around the world. The Cornell Lab is committed to fostering a healthy workplace that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds as well as supporting growth and advancement opportunities. The Lab welcomes staff who are still learning in their careers and who are motivated to take on new challenges.

The Center for Engagement in Science and Nature (CESN) activates and supports people worldwide to connect with birds and nature, participate in science, and promote the wellbeing of humans and natural systems. Recognizing that one of our significant strengths is the collective power of the people we engage, the Lab formed a multidisciplinary unit aimed at being a world leader in inspiring people to contribute to science and become advocates for life on earth. Our model for change is to bring curiosity to scale through education and citizen science so that together we can gain insight into how natural systems work and address global conservation challenges. To achieve these outcomes, the CESN seeks to expand our capacity to study the process of participation in science and offer best practices for promoting and supporting conservation action to a worldwide community. We seek to combine the Lab's unprecedented data resources on bird populations with a growing expertise in social science to affect change.

What you will do

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Based in the Lab's Center for Engagement in Science and Nature, the Visitor Center Coordinator plays a key role in furthering the mission of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and serves a critical role to ensure customer satisfaction to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds so that they can learn more about birds, connect with biodiversity, and join in participatory science science projects.

The Lab of Ornithology seeks an enthusiastic, self-starter to manage the daily operations of the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center Coordinator will ensure that visitors have a positive experience, especially an engaging and pleasant interaction with staff and volunteers and will walk away with a greater understanding of the Lab and its programs. Serve as the first point of contact (and at times, the only contact) and orient visitors to the opportunities the Lab has to offer, such as walking the trails, bird watching and taking in the exhibits. Share information about the Lab's natural and cultural resources; answer visitor and phone inquiries; and open and/or close the Visitor Center. Accept potential specimens for study skins by following safety protocols and collect valuable location information.

Assist Visitor Center team in providing guidance to other Visitor Center employees, students, and volunteers, including patriciate in hiring and training. Assist Public Programs Coordinator with creating, maintaining, and conducting a robust visitor experience-training program. Demonstrate teamwork by working closely with Visitor Center team to cover all public-facing duties and identifying creative solutions for new needs that arise. Keep front desk staff informed of upcoming events, visiting groups, changes in Lab staff, and policy updates. Prepare daily reports and overall management of promoting and selling Memberships, attendance, and program tracking dashboards. Assist Public Information Specialist with customer service needs over the phone and via email. Serving as the face of the Lab, the Visitor Center Coordinator must be able to maintain a positive professional attitude, deal with unplanned situations with a calming presence, and be willing to continually seek out new ideas and solutions to improve the visitor experience.

This is a full time (39 hours a week) Monday through Friday in-person position. May require weekend and evening work. Current Visitor Center Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Relocation assistance will not be provided for this position.

What We Need

We are looking for an individual who enjoys working with the public of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Someone who has good customer service and communication skills. They are flexible, show initiative, manage priorities, and can maintain positivity with visitors, and when unplanned situations arise. Additionally, we need someone who has:

• Formal training beyond a HS Diploma of 6 months to 1 year; more than 1 year experience.
• At least two years of experience in customer service, in a museum or similar setting.
• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Must be flexible, show initiative, and maintain positivity when unplanned events or circumstances arise.
• Customer focused, diplomatic, and courteous.
• Must be well organized, a self-starter, and someone who thinks creatively, collaborates easily, and likes problem solving.
• Ability to multi-task and manage priorities in a dynamic public environment.
• Must enjoy working with the public from a variety of backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate effectively and courteously with all visitors, on site and on the telephone.
• Have knowledge of, or willingness to learn about the Lab's background and the resources available for visitors.
• Ability to remain calm and courteous during occasional hectic and emergency situations.
• Obtain and maintain PCI compliance training.
• Must be able to work weekends and evenings when required.
• Prior experience working with software such as Google docs, Word, Excel.
• Experience working directly with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities.
• Experience working with inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing programs.
• Experience modeling values that support inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing.
• Ability to advocate for individuals from a broad range of backgrounds.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

If you possess these experiences and skills, this may be the role for you!

There are a few other qualifications that we would view as incredibly helpful in this role, including:

• Bachelors Degree.
• Knowledge of North American birds and experience in environmental outreach and education.
• Ability to learn new technology used by exhibits.
• Prior experience in a supervisory capacity preferred.

What We Offer

We hope you appreciate great benefits!

• This position is based in Ithaca, New York. Employees who work remotely may receive
• multiple W-2 Forms depending on their work location. The New York Convenience of employer guidelines require New York State individual tax reporting and withholding for this position. Additional individual state income tax filings may also be required if working temporarily outside of New York State.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
• 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: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• 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 and two floating holidays. Learn more about holiday and accrued time off, visit: https://hr.cornell.edu/about/employment-policy-practice/employment-policies/time-and-leaves/holiday-and-accrued-time
• 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.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs/your-total-rewards.

University Job Title:

Job Family:

Level:

Pay Rate Type:

Pay Range:

Remote Option Availability:

Company:

Contact Name:

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

Current Employees:

If you currently work at Cornell University, please exit this website and log in to Workday using your Net ID and password. Select the Career icon on your Home dashboard to view jobs at Cornell.

Online Submission Guidelines:

Most positions at Cornell will require you to apply online and submit both a resume/CV and cover letter. You can upload documents either by "dragging and dropping" them into the dropbox or by using the "upload" icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu.

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell University's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at accommodations@cornell.edu.

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing mycareer@cornell.edu.

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Cornellwelcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of "... any person ... any study." No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeksjob candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. Wehire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRRA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.