Guest Experience Associate (Tour Guide)

Description

Come join the team at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West - a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most frequently visited travel destinations in Arizona! 

Position Summary:

The Guest Experience Associate (GEA) is responsible for delivering high quality interpretive guided tours through the iconic historical core of Taliesin West and the Apprentice Shelters in the Desert. As a member of the Public Engagement Team our GEA’s play a crucial role in ensuring each guest's visit is exceptional and inspiring. Candidates chosen for this role will embark on a 6-week training program where they will learn tour content, interpretive skills, relevancy, and tour delivery methods. Successful training completion is required to be scheduled to deliver public tours. 

While this seasonal position's primary duties include leading engaging and relevant walking tours from November through April, the GEA also greets and assists guests during the self-guided audio tour and provides interpretive content at “Ask Me Stations” during special events, public events, and private events. 

Ongoing content training and skill development happens throughout the year, as GEA’s spend dedicated time learning new relevant content, honing their public speaking and delivery skills, and improving their overall delivery throughout the tour season. GEA’s report to the Tours Manager and work closely with the Tours Management team as they conduct regular evaluations and self-reflections to improve the quality of the tour delivery.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is a nonprofit organization in the arts and culture field that is made up of talented and caring individuals, guided by our shared mission to inspire people to discover and embrace architecture for better living through meaningful connections to nature, the arts, and each other. Our team does vital and valued work that fosters creativity and collaboration and furthers the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright for generations to come. We offer competitive compensation, an inclusive environment, and are situated in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. 

The ideal candidate is engaging with excellent communication skills and a passion for providing exceptional guest experiences. After successfully completing training, candidates will be storytellers and skilled interpreters of historical facts. They are passionate about the guest experience and enjoy being mentored to exceed guest satisfaction and impact professional growth. 

This is a seasonal, part-time position with shifts ranging from 4 to 8 hours, totaling approximately 20-25 hours per week from October through May. Flexibility in scheduling is required, including availability for evenings, weekdays, and weekends. The rate of pay is $18.00/hour.

Essential Functions:

• Lead inspiring walking tours in groups of 14-24 for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation at Taliesin West.
• Deliver relevant, accurate, engaging, and poignant information to guests, while bringing the guests into the discussion through questions and prompts.
• Adapt communication to suit visitors' diverse levels of understanding and engagement. 
• Demonstrate excellent oral communication and presentation skills.
• Focus on guest satisfaction by effectively conveying information and addressing questions.
• Provide informative and accurate answers to visitor inquiries.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of walking tours, relevant facts, object information, and stories related to the history of Taliesin, Taliesin West, Organic Architecture, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
• Deliver outstanding customer service, ensure visitor safety, and communicate clear safety measures and practices to maintain group control and minimize potential damage to our historic property.
• Interact with guests, employees, and volunteers in a friendly and professional manner.
• Participate in “Ask Me Stations” hosting positions for special events, public events, and private events as scheduled. 
• Adhere to departmental policies and procedures, familiarize oneself with the Employee Handbook, and follow safety procedures.
• Facilitate the individual set up of the audio tour experience for each guest.
• Serve as an information resource for guests and members during the audio tour experience.
• Effectively communicate information to all visitors.
• Interact with guests, employees, and volunteers in a friendly and professional manner.
• Consistently perform job duties to a high standard with accuracy.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications and Requirements:

To successfully perform this role, individuals must meet the following criteria:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum 6 months’ related experience in guiding tours or leading groups.
• Demonstrate confident public speaking skills.
• Demonstrate effective time management skills.
• Warm, friendly, and eager, with excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
• Proven problem-solving and interpersonal skills, including working, and communicating with diverse teams and audiences (adults, children, staff, the public, and volunteers).
• Ability to work well under pressure, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing environments.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and navigate uneven desert terrain.
• Ability to receive constructive feedback from a supervisor, and apply it to future tours.
• Commitment to working up to 25 hours per week, including high visitation periods, flexibility in scheduling and daily duties, and regular weekend and holiday shifts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Academic and/or professional background in one or more of the following: Communications (including Public Speaking), Theatre, Improv Museum Studies, Art History, Art Education, History, and/or experience in teaching, training, or working with groups of 20+ people
• 1+ years' experience managing groups, tours, or similar. 1+ years' experience with historic interpretation.
• 1+ years' experience in customer service.
• 1+ years' experience in public speaking.
• Basic knowledge of technology, such as iPads/handheld devices, and computer applications/programs like Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural principles.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment described here are inclusive and considerate of the diverse needs of all employees, including individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to ensure that individuals can successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands: To perform the essential functions of this job, employees may be required to engage in various physical activities. These activities include standing, walking, sitting, using hands to handle objects, tools, or controls, reaching with hands and arms, climbing stairs, maintaining balance, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling. Additionally, effective communication through talking and hearing is consistently required. Employees may occasionally need to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. This job requires specific vision abilities, including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work environment: This job's duties may expose employees to weather and environmental conditions prevalent at the time, considering the diverse needs of individuals. The work environment aims to be inclusive and accommodating. The noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

We strongly encourage individuals who may not meet all the listed requirements to still apply for this position. We value diversity and believe in providing equal opportunities to all candidates. If you possess a strong

passion for the role and are motivated to learn and grow, we are committed to considering your application and providing reasonable accommodations to help you succeed in this job. Your unique perspectives and experiences can contribute to our team and enhance our overall success.

This job description does not constitute a contract for employment with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation or any affiliate, either expressed or implied, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation reserves the right at any time to change, delete, or add to any of the provisions at its sole discretion.

Furthermore, the provisions of this job description are designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to serve as guidelines rather than absolute rules, and exceptions.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.