Visitor Services and Interpretation

Help tell the story of the Wright Brothers and the achievement of powered flight!

Introduction

This position is based out of the interpretation division at Wright Brothers National Memorial. As team members, volunteers will perform duties to support the interpretive operations and mission goals of the park. Visitor center and information desk duties are primarily centered upon customer service and administrative support.

Major Duties

●    Actively participates in a safe workplace culture.

●    Greet Park visitors.

●    Staff front desk providing park and general information to the public.

●    Answer numerous and repetitive questions about the park in a professional manner.

●    Educate visitors on the regulations of the park and safety concerns.

●    Use the telephone to provide information about the park.

●    Operate a variety of audiovisual and other equipment used in connection with interpretative material (P.A. system.)

●    Distribute maps, brochures, and other printed materials.

●    Monitor and keep informational brochures stocked and available.

●    Handle negative contacts and sensitive topics in a professional manner.

●    Report all negative contacts to the volunteer supervisor.

●    Monitor and report safety concerns to the volunteer supervisor.

●    Receive and report lost and found items following park protocol.

Other Duties

●    May assist with preparations for programs or special events which include repair/maintenance of items used in programs or arrangement/movement of furniture and displays.

●    May perform a variety of administrative tasks (ex. Filing, opening boxes and paper bundles, stuffing envelopes, photocopying, reviewing text, maintain volunteer records.)

●    May rove park grounds and provide informal information, orientation, and/or interpretation to visitors.

●    Occasionally, the volunteer may be tasked to conduct an informal interpretative talk or presentation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

●    Ability to work independently with little to no supervision and as part of a team.

●    Ability to communicate orally.

●    Ability to research and communicate facts about the resources at Wright Brothers National Memorial.

●    Enjoy talking with and meeting people.

●    Ability to effectively deal with stressful situations, repetitive tasks, and large crowds.

Physical Demands

Requires sitting and standing for long periods of time.

Work Environment

Work will be performed indoors and outdoors. The visitor center could get extremely busy with over 8000 visitors a day during the summer. Outer Banks weather is notoriously unpredictable and can change quickly. The area experiences thunderstorms, high winds, rain, high heat, extreme cold, tornados or waterspouts, and hurricanes. It is often hot and humid and sometimes the heat index exceeds 100 °F.

Scope of Contacts

Volunteer will have regular contact with visitors and/or staff members.

Work Schedule

●    Schedules are based on operational needs.

●    The volunteer will agree to a regular schedule of at least one weekend day as agreed upon with the VIP supervisor.

●    Volunteer will notify the volunteer supervisor of planned absences within a reasonable amount of time, usually not less than one week, or as soon as possible when the volunteer cannot be available to perform scheduled duties due to sickness or other reasons.

Uniform

While on duty, the volunteer will wear a NPS volunteer shirt and name tag (provided). The NPS-owned volunteer uniform items will be returned when the Volunteer Service Agreement is terminated, unless a new agreement will be signed within a month.