Historic Site Assistant (NY HELPS)

Minimum Qualifications

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).*

To be considered for appointment through NY HELPS, or 55 b/c, candidates must meet the open-competitive minimum qualifications for this position. The qualifications are:

Three years of qualifying experience** in a historic house museum, in a historical society, within the history section of a museum, in the department of a governmental agency having responsibility for historic museums or historic sites, in an art gallery, or in a cultural center,

OR

an Associate's degree*** or higher AND one year of qualifying experience** in a historic house museum, in a historical society, within the history section of a museum, in the department of a governmental agency having responsibility for historic museums or historic sites, in an art gallery, or in a cultural center.

You must clearly list this information on your application.

**Qualifying experience is defined as experience presenting and/or guiding interpretive tours or programs; conducting historical and/or curatorial research on persons, places, events or museum objects; and performing collections management duties (accessioning, cataloging and conducting inventories).

***Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee.

Duties Description

The selected candidate will be assigned interchangeably to one or more of the following areas which duties include but are not limited to the following:

Program:
• Under the direction of the Historic Site Manager, coordinate site events in the developing and presentation of on-site and off-site school programs. This will also include managing event setup and takedown and coordinating with vendors.
• Conduct research, guide tours, and develop and present new programs as delegated by the Historic Site Manager.
• Attends regular meetings and develop an annual calendar of events, programs, and special events.

Office / Maintenance:
• Work with the Historic Site Manager in supervising and training of seasonal staff members, as well as interns and volunteers.
• Serve as a liaison for information technology projects and digital history initiatives with partner organizations, NYS ITS, and other entities as required.
• May assist with service requests, and onsite troubleshooting of information technology equipment.
• Regularly maintain internal controls and completing required daily, weekly, monthly checks and audits. Assisting in various aspects of site operations.
• May enter payroll, make bank deposits, payment of invoices through state accounting & tracking systems.

Collections Management / Historic Preservation:
• Monitor and care for objects in the exhibit and in on-site storage, keeping site collections records, monitoring environmental conditions.
• Handle all collection’s inquiries, accessions, and acquisitions.
• Communicate with Peebles Island collections management staff for the purposes of research, acquisitions, and collections monitoring and uploads environmental monitoring data monthly.
• Under direction of site manager, will be responsible for digitization of site archives and records.
• Attend collections trainings and be responsible for the site’s research library, assigning call numbers, spine labels and keeping new acquisitions entered in a timely fashion.
• Maintain archive of ongoing historic preservation and restoration efforts on the masonry structures Crown Point State Historic Site.

Museum:
• Oversee and participate in many critical aspects of museum operations.
• Assist in interviewing and hiring seasonal museum and interpretive staff, training museum and interpretive staff in customer service and interpretation, and providing front-line customer service, tours, and interpretive programs to historic site visitors.
• Collect and keep track of attendance, revenue, and donations.
• Manage the museum gift shop.
• Assist to maintain organized and clean offices and public spaces and keeps the office /Museum /Visitor Center areas safe and welcoming for staff, researchers & visitors.
• Obtain training in museum standards, state operations, state policy and procedures, site operations and historical interpretation.

Community Outreach / Digital History:
• Responsible for public relations including writing press releases, updating the site’s social media pages with appropriate and timely entries, updating community calendars, blogs, and websites; and ensuring accuracy of event information.
• Assist the regional public affairs coordinator in leading efforts to increase the digital reach and presence of the historic site in collaboration with partners, NYS ITS, and the Friends of Crown Point State Historic Site.
• Conduct social media outreach, supplying content, and ensuring a robust site presence across various digital platforms.

Additional Comments

Please note work schedule will be Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM while in season (May - October) and Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM while off season (November - April).

OPERATIONAL NEEDS:

Under the supervision of the Historic Site Manager, the Historic Site Assistant will:
• contribute to the development and delivery of interpretive programs including tours, educational programs, and outreach initiatives.
• serve as the primary point of contact for general inquiries, research, and collections assistance.
• contribute to social media campaigns and public relations and assist with information technology needs, virtual programming, and digital history initiatives at the historic site.
• handle some financial administration and office management responsibilities.

BENEFITS:
Generous benefits package, worth approximately 65% of salary, including:

• Paid Time Off:
o PEF and CSEA: 44 days - 13 Vacation days, 13 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
o M/C: 39 days - 13 Vacation days, 8 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
o PEF: Three (3) days of professional leave annually to participate in professional development
o M/C: Eligible for unlimited days of professional leave annually to participate in professional development, but at supervisor’s discretion.
• Health Care Benefits:
o Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs
o Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost
• Additional Benefits:
o New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Membership
o NYS Deferred Compensation
o Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds
o Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
o Paid Parental / Family Leave

To learn more about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx

*For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title maybe filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At this time, agencies may recruit and hire employees by making temporary appointments. In May 2024, if a temporary NY HELPS employee is satisfactorily performing in the position, the appointment will be changed from temporary pending Civil Service Commission Action to permanent non-competitive and the official probationary period will begin.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Closing Date/Time: 05/08/24

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Crown Point, New York United States View Map