Tour Guide Consultant (Japanese Fluency)

Role: Tour Guide Consultant (Japanese Fluency Required)

Location:  Shangri La, 4055 Pāpū Circle, Honolulu, HI

Job Type: Consultant

Shangri La is seeking a Tour Guide Consultant who is fluent in Japanese to welcome and engage Japanese-speaking visitors. This consultant will support self-guided experiences and provide guided tours in both Japanese and English while sharing accurate, accessible and culturally respectful information about Shangri La’s collection, architecture, exhibitions, programs and institutional mission.

BACKGROUND

Shangri La is a vibrant compound situated on a spectacular, 5-acre, oceanside property in Honolulu. It integrates a 14,000-square-foot house with multiple outbuildings, comprising a series of interlocking spaces, both indoors and out: rooms, courtyards, lanais, terraces, gardens and numerous water features. The property includes spaces for reflection and for gatherings. 

Historically operated exclusively as a museum to showcase some of its collection of 4,500 objects from diverse Muslim cultures, Shangri La is in the midst of a strategic transformation that envisions the institution as a global center for personal and societal transformation. 

Shangri La is owned and operated by the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF), whose mission is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future. We work across three areas: arts & culture, nature, and health & well-being. In addition to Shangri La, DDF operates five national programs as well as Duke Farms, a New Jersey-based center for applied conservation and sustainability. Headquartered in New York City, DDF’s activities are guided by the will of Doris Duke, who endowed the foundation with financial assets that currently total over $2 billion. To learn more, visit www.dorisduke.org.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

 The Tour Guide Consultant will be an independent contractor who supports Shangri La’s public engagement initiatives, with a particular focus on supporting our Japanese-speaking visitors. The consultant will facilitate self-guided experiences and provide guided tours in Japanese and English for visitors and organized groups. The consultant will participate in all applicable foundation training sessions and develop the knowledge necessary to interpret Shangri La’s collection, architecture, history, exhibitions, and programs accurately and respectfully. This is a contract position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Welcome, orient, and assist Japanese-speaking visitors in Japanese while providing a warm and professional visitor experience.
• Provide guided tours and interpretive experiences for individuals and groups, including guests from hotel and tourism partners.
• Communicate essential visitor policies, safety information, accessibility guidance and emergency instructions in Japanese and English.
• Respond to visitor questions throughout the tour experience, referring questions to Shangri La staff when additional expertise is needed.
• Review and provide feedback on Japanese-language visitor resources, tour materials and translations when requested.
• Help Shangri La identify opportunities to improve the experience of Japanese-speaking visitors.
• Provide expertise in the facilitation of self-guided tours at Shangri La, offering assistance to the Public Engagement team. 
• Provide tours on-site at Shangri La during public tour hours, specifically Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Provide guided tours in Japanese and English for small groups, including visitors arriving in their own vehicles, guests from the Halekulani Hotel, school groups, community groups and other organized visitors, as requested by Shangri La staff.
• Provide recommendations, support materials and accurate information to visitors regarding the collection, exhibitions, property, public programs and mission of DDF. 
• Share relevant tour policies and procedures with visitors. 
• Maintain organization and cleanliness of public areas.
• Develop and maintain a broad and accurate knowledge of Islamic art, design and culture as represented at Shangri La, as well as a general understanding of how the collection, museum and programs relate to the living cultures and communities represented throughout the center. 
• Provide knowledgeable responses to visitor inquiries, encouraging the exchange of insights as they relate to the center.
• Assist with events and programming at Shangri La, as requested by the staff.
• Collaborate with Shangri La’s staff to ensure safe experiences for visitors. 
• Emphasize cultural awareness, humility and respect for diversity in all interactions, acknowledging the wide range of cultures, backgrounds, generations and points of view. 
• Perform other consultancy projects and responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional working proficiency in spoken Japanese and English is required.
• Japanese reading and writing proficiency is preferred.
• Education programming, teaching and/or customer service experience.
• Keen passion for making art, culture and design more accessible to the public through innovative programming and interactive education.
• Knowledge of Islamic art, cultures and design and/or Hawaiian culture a plus.
• Excellent people skills, diplomacy and public speaking skills in an informal environment. 
• Ability to comprehend college-level lectures and reading assignments and to synthesize and present this material for a general audience. 
• Ability to move across uneven terrain, navigate stairs, escort visitors through non-climate-controlled areas, speak clearly and audibly, and hear questions/comments from individuals in a group of people. While performing the essential duties of this job, the Tour Guide Consultant is regularly and frequently required to stand and walk. The consultant is sometimes required to reach with hands and arms and move or lift up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to act quickly, solve problems and take initiative.
• Team-player mentality to work cooperatively and positively with Shangri La staff and a diverse public.
• Flexibility to work occasional weeknights and weekends as requested.
• Experience working in a museum or other cultural institution a plus.
• Ability to interact with visitors and Shangri La staff clearly and confidently in Japanese and English.
• Ability to communicate complex cultural, historical and artistic information in Japanese in a manner appropriate for a general audience.

COMPENSATION 

• Anticipated hourly rate is $23–$25. The final rate will depend on relevant visitor-engagement experience, interpretive experience and demonstrated Japanese-language proficiency. This engagement is not eligible for employee benefits.
• The Doris Duke Foundation’s work is guided by the values of integrity, excellence, collaboration, openness, imagination and diversity, equity, and inclusion.