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Job Description
Description
Join the Palo Alto Art Center as Our Next Adult Studio Assistant!
Are you passionate about art, community, and creative engagement?
The Art Center’s studios are a hub for creativity, featuring a fully equipped ceramics studio, and dedicated spaces for jewelry-making, printmaking, painting, drawing, and fiber arts. The Studio Assistant plays a key role in ensuring safe, smooth operations while creating a welcoming, organized, and inspiring environment for instructors and participants alike.
The Palo Alto Art Center is looking for an experienced Adult Studio Assistant to support our adult classes, workshops, and drop-in programs—serving more than 2,000 diverse community members each year.
Ideal Candidate Profile:
• Experience working in community art studios, especially ceramics
• Friendly, responsible, and customer-service oriented
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a team
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs and handle active, hands-on studio work
• Familiarity with studio safety and tools is a plus
Schedule:
This position requires evening and weekend availability, with regularly scheduled shifts:
• Tuesdays: 5:00-10:00 p.m.
• One additional evening (Mon, Wed, or Thurs): 5:00-10:00 p.m.
• One weekend day (Sat or Sun): 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
This is an SEIU Hourly (limited-benefits) position that is budgeted to not exceed 999 hours per fiscal year.
Essential Duties
• Oversee studios during shifts; serve as main point of contact for instructors, students, and volunteers
• Ensure participant safety and proper use of equipment in all studio areas
• Assist with studio setup, cleanup, locking the building after evening shift, and equipment handling
• Load, fire, and unload electric and gas kilns; mix glazes and maintain ceramic materials
• Maintain clean, well-stocked, and organized workspaces
• Provide strong customer service and support registration, rosters, and studio supply sales via Civic Rec
• Help enforce studio rules while fostering a respectful, inclusive environment
• Track inventory and coordinate with Studio Program Director and Technician
• Support public programs, events, and broader Art Center initiatives
Why Join Us?
The Palo Alto Art Center is your place to see and make art, activate your creativity and expand your community. We invite you to learn more about who we are and what we do click here: Palo Alto Art Center.
Minimum Qualifications
• Two years of related experience
Ideal Qualifications
Under limited supervision, candidates should demonstrate sufficient education, training, and/or work experience equivalent to:
• Bachelor of Fine Arts or related degree
• Specialized training in ceramics studio operations, including kiln firing and maintenance
• Customer service and admin experience in a studio or art setting
• Experience with cone 10 firing in electric and gas kilns
• Glaze mixing and materials handling
• Background as a practicing artist or experience working with professional artists
• Familiarity with the local arts ecosystem
Physical Requirements:
This is a hands-on role with active engagement in the studios. Candidates must be able to:
• Lift and move 50 lb. bags of clay and glaze materials
• Transport up to 2 tons of clay in batches using a hand truck
• Maneuver 100 lb. potter’s wheels
• Set up and break down studio equipment (tables, chairs, easels)
• Load and unload kilns for extended periods (up to 3 hours), handling 10-20 lb. kiln shelves
Supplemental Information
This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
The Selection Process :- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
City of Palo Alto offers the following benefits to those in a SEIU Hourly position:
Medical Stipend
$3.80 effective the pay period including July 1, 2024.
Sick Leave
Earn .03 hour of sick leave for each hour worked.
Retirement
City of Palo Alto PST (Part-time, Seasonal & Temporary Employees) Retirement Plan
Please note: The City does not participate in CA State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Social Security.
Closing Date/Time: 9/8/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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