This position is located in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), the gateway to the U.S. Capitol and Congress. Our staff welcome visitors from around the world for tours of the historic rooms of the Capitol, educational programs and congressional events. Our goal is to inform, involve and inspire every visitor. This goal is supported by 200 employees across five divisions: Visitor Services, Exhibits and Education, Retail, Communications and Marketing, and Planning, Operations and Evaluation.
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Candidates for the GS-06 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as having experience: Providing assistance to customers in a retail, hospitality, or museum environment; Answering basic questions that arise from customers' inquiries; and Ensuring the safety of customers, when necessary.
The operational needs of the Capitol Visitor Center require that as a Visitor Assistant, you will need to work on Saturdays and holidays, and may be expected to work Sundays and/or evenings in support of special events. As a Visitor Assistant you will be required to walk, talk and stand for hours, up to an entire shift, as well as walk up and down steps. In addition, you will be required to lift items which may weigh up to 20 pounds, such as stanchions and boxes. While your work would be primarily indoors, you will need to work outdoors, in a variety of weather conditions, to facilitate visitors entering the buildings or to provide support for special events. As a Visitor Assistant you will: Provide visitor services assistance in support of tour operations in the CVC and the Capitol. You will gather the group to explain the procedures to be followed and any safety and conduct measures required; assist and provide order with managing extremely large groups with unfamiliar surroundings where there may be safety concerns. Collaborate with co-workers, specifically, visitor assistants and guides, on daily and routine tasks and adjusts, as necessary, to ensure visitor flow is maintained and tours and programs operate as scheduled. Use hand-held radios to talk with co-workers and/or supervisor regarding new information or assignments or if in need of additional personnel within the CVC. Work with visitors in a variety of ways, in support of tours and programs (e.g., greeting visitors at tour and program staging areas, assisting with reservations, providing information on times and content, loading and unloading theaters, operating audio-visual equipment, collecting data, distributing listening devices, dividing larger groups into smaller groups per tour limitations, arranging for accessibility services). You will also have to consider safety and security factors when coordinating tour operations. And you will use the advance reservation automated system to verify reservations for visitors or tour groups. Confirm or set up a new reservation with in-coming visitors in the automated reservation system and issues tickets. Work with visitors to resolve late or early arrivals or adjustments to the reserved time. You may be required to lift twenty pound boxes of tickets restock printers for the automated reservation system. Occasionally be required to provide brief, informal talks on the history presented in the Exhibition Hall and the CVC and inform visitors about the historical significance of exhibits and artifacts. Receive guidance from the U.S. Capitol Police with regard to safety and security issues such as addressing prohibited items, directing crowds and assisting visitors in the event of an emergency in the CVC or Capitol, and maintaining personal safety. If any safety and security concerns should arise, you will report them to supervisors and US Capitol Police. Be expected to work Saturdays and holidays, and may be expected to work Sundays and/or evenings in support of special events, due to the operational needs of the Visitor Center.