Job Description

Museum Assistant at the Fifth Maine Museum on Peaks Island

Date Posted : March 24, 2025

Date Needed : June 1, 2025

Location : Peaks Island, ME

Salary : $25-$30/hour depending on experience

Type of Position : Part-time, hybrid 

Experience Requirement:

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of one to two years experience in organizational or corporate communications, managing volunteer staffing schedules and training, and coordinating events and a rental venue.

Description & Details:

This is a part-time, hybrid position for a small, seasonal history museum which is open to the public from mid-May through mid-October.

The position is year-round and requires approximately 30-35 hours/week from May-September, and approximately 10-15 hours/week from October-April. The position can be fully remote from November-March, partially remote otherwise. Candidates must be able to support the museum in-person as needed during the open season. Some evening and weekend hours will be required to support events and to attend meetings.

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Museum Assistant will report directly to the museum’s President of the Board of Directors, and will work closely with the museum curator and Guest Services Associates (GSAs). 

Duties fall into three main areas: Docent management & visitor engagement; event and private rental coordination; internal and external communications. 

Docent Management & Visitor Engagement

• Establish protocols for docent recruiting and training.
• Manage docent calendar – set calendar up on SignUp Genius and solicit volunteers for empty slots. 
• From June - October issue weekly email updates to docents, staff, and board members. Prepare an end of the year summary of docent interactions with the public with an eye toward improved visitor engagement.
• Work with curator and board members to develop new visitor interpretive tour materials, including a new self-guided tour option.

Museum Event & Private Rental Coordination

• Coordinate rental of the museum facility for private events and corporate off-site meetings.
• Coordinate and staff museum programs, including opening and closing the building, and setting up for, and cleaning up after, public events. 
• Promote the facility as a private event venue.

Communication Tasks

• Maintain and update the museum’s website  
• Promote Fifth Maine events 
• Monitor the general email and voicemail inboxes and reply or forward as necessary. Keep outgoing voicemail messages updated.
• Write and solicit articles for newsletter - print and distribute. Research email newsletter options.
• Maintain on-island banners, sandwich boards, and bulletin boards.
• Submit ads to Casco Bay Lines and Peaks Island News.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills and a degree in museum studies, history, nonprofit management, or a related field.

Preference given to tech-savvy candidates already familiar with:

Square Space

Google Drive

Word / Excel

Past Perfect

Signup Genius

Zoom

Work Conditions:

The Fifth Maine Museum is an oceanside, Queen Anne/Shingle-style historic site located on Peaks Island in Maine (accessible only by ferry from Portland), built in 1888. It is a rare survivor from the Civil War reunion era, and a unique piece of American history. Today, the building houses the Fifth Maine Museum, a museum that tells two intriguing and related stories through objects, artifacts and exhibits: the story of the Fifth Maine Civil War regiment and the history of Peaks Island--from its early settlement, to its days as the "Coney Island of Maine,” to its role during World War II and beyond. The Fifth Maine Museum is also an active community center, hosting dozens of community events each year for local nonprofits and organizations.

The museum is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday from Memorial Day through the end of June, and again from Labor Day through Indigenous People’s Day. It is open every day of the week during July and August. Open hours are 10am-3pm.

Physical Requirements:

The museum was built in 1888 and is not fully accessible to those who are mobility impaired – the office on the second floor is only accessible by stairs. However, the lower level can also be used as an office. The museum is located about 0.5 miles from the ferry landing and can be reached on foot or using the island taxi service that is available at the ferry landing.

Candidates must be able to lift and move tables, chairs, etc.

How to Submit an Application:

Please send your resume and two references to [email protected] before April 24, 2025. Please include an example of both internal and external communications that you have written, such as a substantive business email and a type of organizational announcement. 

Candidates will be contacted via email to arrange virtual interviews conducted in late April - early May. Finalists will be interviewed on-site and in person. Candidates will be notified of the Board’s hiring decision by May 19, 2025. 

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