Job Overview
The Ambassador plays an integral role in helping to make 46 Clarke Street (The Vernon House) a welcoming, accessible, and engaging experience for members of the public with a variety of interests, backgrounds, and needs. This position is responsible for ensuring the daily operations of Vernon House during the span of the special exhibition, including opening and closing the building, Point of Sale operations and troubleshooting, sharing interpretive and wayfinding information with visitors, special research projects, and providing excellent customer service. This is a part time position, up to 24 hours per week including Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays, June 26th-September 27, 2026 and Saturdays and Sundays October 3-November 22, 2026.
Vernon House: 46 Clarke Street (otherwise known as “The Vernon House”) is not a house museum: it is a place for expansive storytelling, contemporary dialogue, and preservation trades skill-building. While NRF has become the process of investigating the architectural, material, and historical aspects of the house, there is much more to discover. NRF looks forward to continuing discoveries, collaborating with community partners and scholars, and sharing more stories.
What's on at Vernon House in 2026:
- June 26-September 27, 2026: Revolutionary Vernon House: Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary. This exhibit will tell the stories of the people connected to Vernon House who played a significant role in the American Revolution—including Cato Vernon (ca.1759-unrecorded), a ship carpenter and revolutionary war hero who joined the 1st Rhode Island Regiment in 1778 and Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), the leader of the French allied forces—as well as the people who helped preserve Vernon House so that this significant building and its stories can be shared today. Revolutionary Vernon House will expand on current interpretation onsite at Vernon House to include facsimiles of manuscripts, records, and other commemorative items sharing the history of the house and the people who lived and worked there.
- October and November: Special project with Center Aquidneck; Installation Honoring Rhode Island Veterans
Responsibilities
- Open and close the building during the span of the exhibition (including arming and disarming the alarm system)
- Troubleshoot technical issues involving the POS/Visitor Management system
- Provide excellent customer service to address visitor questions and feedback
- Assist on the floor— greet visitors and help manage the number of guests in the building at one time
- Initial point of contact for facilities issues and onsite emergencies
- Help monitor and report building-related issues to the Director of Preservation; act as liaison with the Visitor Services Manager to communicate information related to customer service, operations, and the exhibition objects
- Ambassadors may become a walking tour guide for NRF’s planned Neighborhood walks
- Assist with program setup and staffing as needed
- Other duties as assigned
Experience
- 2+ years customer service experience
- Experience leading guided tours
- Experience in museums, performing arts venues, or other nonprofit organizations a plus
- Experience in operating point of sales systems and/or handling retail sales (Veevart and Shopify a plus)
- A problem-solver; calm under pressure and challenging circumstances
- Excellent communications skills; can communicate effectively with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences (museum visitors as well as colleagues)
- Fluency in English, other languages a plus
- A team player who is capable of collaborating across NRF departments
- Available to work weekends
Pay: $20.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
