Employment/Volunteer Opportunities

Would you like the opportunity to work in a unique and fun environment? The MMBC is currently looking for volunteers for various positions:

Gift Shop Attendant
Requirements are:

  • Able to work four hour shifts from either 10am to 1:30 or  1:30 to 5pm
  • Must be able to volunteer weekends
  • Retail experience an asset
  • Customer Service skills an asset
  • Operate a cash register and point of sale experience
  • Museum knowledge /or Maritime history an asset

Exhibit Maintenance is a very important function for museums. We have a regular and ongoing maintenance program for maintaining and cleaning the museum exhibits. Special knowledge of materials and cleaning methods is necessary for safe cleaning for preservation of artefacts and display cases. Those who volunteer will work in a team and have training provided by a staff member.

Gallery Interpretation Guide The museum has an ongoing program for interpretive gallery guides, museum floor and security people. A friendly informative face in our exhibits area makes all the difference in making our guests feel welcome and engaged with the museum. You can volunteer for two hours in the morning or two hours in the afternoon, 10 – 12 pm, and 1 – 3 pm, we are flexible. It is not required that you do interpretive work; floor and security presence alone is welcome also.

 Media Readers The museum would like to ask volunteers to help the museum with documenting and archiving the museum’s media activities. In your daily reading, we are looking for any newspaper or magazine article written about the Maritime Museum, anything in association with the museum, and including other interests of the museum such as the Tsunami.  Please clip or copy and indicate the date, publication and page number of each article. Drop off at any time to the museum c/o Jillan.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Museum for these or other exciting positions, please contact Jillan Valpy, our Volunteer Coordinator at 250-385-4222, ext. 101 or email jvalpy@mmbc.bc.ca.

Employment Opportunities – May 2012 – Summer Student Positions

All positions are pending funding.  Certain application requirements may apply.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  No phone calls please. Email applications only.  
Email resumes & cover letter to glassner@mmbc.bc.ca

VISITOR EXPERIENCE ASSISTANT

 Tasks and responsibilities:
This position has been designed to provide the students with a challenging work experience providing services directly to the museum visitor.  Working in the front end admissions area, the student will be dealing directly with each visitor, providing customer service and museum information.  The student will learn branding, public relations, and marketing skills – drawing these elements together to ensure that the experience of each visitor to the Maritime Museum of British Columbia is excellent.

The Maritime Museum of British Columbia is committed to a new priority – building relationships within the visual and performing arts community in Victoria.  Our Museum is proud to provide an excellent venue for dance and theatrical performances, which could be utilized through partnerships with local groups.  The successful candidate will be asked to assist with building relationships with local visual and performing arts groups, produce new public programs that reflect their input and to contribute to the development of new programming themes in partnership with their priorities.

 The students will additionally work with trained museum volunteers to learn about museum guided tours and to ultimately deliver these tours.  They will increase their historical knowledge and assist in creating the stories from our collection that need to be shared with our visitors.

Other duties for this position include:

  • All front desk functions including cash handling.
  • Retail sales from the gift shop
  • Responding to enquiries from the public about museum programs or services
  • Greet and welcome visitors to the museum
  • Assist with gift shop stocking and display functions.
  • Develop new program themes for the museum
  • Expand at least one program theme into a new museum program
  • Produce marketing material to promote gift shop sales, admissions and or public programs, as needed
  • Assist with marketing strategies, including arranging advertising, promotions, and special sales events. 

COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBIT ASSISTANT

 Tasks and responsibilities.
          This position will assist the collections staff with the maintenance and conservation activities of collections department as well as providing some much needed staff resources to assist with the task of creating an inventory update of our collection.  Students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand some of the techniques of collection management and exhibit design.

The specific duties of this position will include:

  • Learn details about the permanent museum collections and exhibits
  • Assist with maintenance of permanent exhibits
  • Assist with maintenance and conservation of museum artifacts and archival material
  • Assist with the creation of new exhibit material as required
  • Enter artifact and archival data into museum collection database
  • Conduct an inventory of the collection and update collection database records.

 FIRST NATIONS EXHIBIT ASSISTANT

Tasks and responsibilities
         The Maritime Museum of British Columbia is committed to a new priority – building relationships within the First Nations community in order to create exhibits that appropriately reflect the past and present of their maritime experience.  The successful candidate will be asked to assist with building relationships with local First Nations groups, produce new public programs that reflect the input of the First Nations groups, and to contribute to the development of new programming themes based on their priorities.

This position will also assist the collections staff with the maintenance and conservation activities of collections department, particularly First Nations artefacts not currently on display.  Students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand some of the techniques of collection management and exhibit design.

The specific duties of this position will include:

  • Creating outreach programs that build relationships with local First Nations groups
  • Engaging First Nations groups in discussion about their Maritime heritage and what representation they would like to see at the Maritime Musuem
  • Learn details about the First Nations museum collections and exhibits, and identify gaps
  • Assist with the creation of new exhibit material as required and suggested via partnerships with local First Nations groups
  • Enter artifact and archival data into museum collection database
  • Conduct an inventory of the collection and update collection database records.