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Role: Tour Guide Consultant

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

Job Type:Consultant

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 with knowledge and experience to enhance the public engagement initiatives at Shangri La. The Tour Guide Consultant supports the center’s public tours, events and programs. The Tour Guide Consultant will participate in all applicable foundation training sessions for consultants. This is a contract position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide expertise in the facilitation ofself-guided tours at Shangri La, offering assistance to the Public Engagement team.
• Beon-site at Shangri La during public tour hours,specificallyThursdaythroughSaturday from9a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Provide guided tours at Shangri La for small groupsincluding thosearriving in their own vehicles, groups from the Halekulani Hotel, school groups and other community groups, when requested byShangri La’sstaff.
• Welcome, direct and assist visitors in a cheerful, helpful and professional manner.
• 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 withShangri La’sstaff 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

• 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 designand/or Hawaiian culture a plus.
• Excellent people skills, diplomacy, and public speaking skills in an informal environment.
• Ability tocomprehendcollege-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 to solve problems, 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 is a plus.

• Multilingual candidates are encouraged to apply, with a preference for Japanese fluency.

COMPENSATION

• Anticipated hourly rate is $21-$25,and the final rate will depend on experience and language fluency. This engagement is not eligible for employee benefits.

The Doris Duke Foundation’s work is guided be the values of integrity, excellence, collaboration, openness, imagination and diversity, equity, and inclusion.