Pottery Northwest – seeks Studio Coordinator

Studio Coordinator

Full Time • Seattle, WA • Starting immediately

About Pottery Northwest

Pottery Northwest is a nationally renowned ceramic facility, providing longtime and vibrant programs in the Seattle arts community. Artists from around the world come to Pottery Northwest to engage in artistic dialogue and as a formative step in their careers. Artist residencies, exhibitions that feature traditional and contemporary work, community classes and an engaging lecture series spanning many years are all features of this organization, located in Pioneer Square.

Position Summary

Pottery Northwest is looking for a full-time Studio Coordinator to provide administrative and receptionist/customer service support to our full-scale, community ceramics studio in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle. Our Studio Coordinator will be the onsite point of contact for our community of students, artists, and other guests during open studio hours. The Studio Coordinator hours will be 100% onsite from 10am to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Interested applicants should be passionate about maintaining an adaptive, people-centered studio grounded in fostering an inclusive community around clay.

HOURS & CONDITIONS

Reports to: Operations Director
Type: Full-time, 40 hours per week; salaried, exempt
Remote/Onsite: 100% onsite
Pay: $47,000-$50,000 DOE
Shift Times: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm (availability to work 1-2 nights and weekends per month required)

Benefits:

Open (unlimited) PTO to be used for vacation and sick leave
13 paid federal holidays with studio facility closure
100% employer premium paid medical, vision and dental insurance
401(k) retirement plan
Monthly commuter stipend of $140
Annual professional development stipend of $500
Complimentary classes, workshops, and studio usage

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

As a team, we are focused on cultivating a culture of communication, kindness, and inclusion; playful and professional; committed to learning and growing together as we take on difficult conversations and unique challenges in our organization and community. Pottery Northwest prioritizes a collaborative, team-oriented culture where everyone has a high level of ownership and performance in their roles and where we care for ourselves, each other, and our community. We are a flexible workplace and place high priority on the health and well being of our staff.

Administrative Assistance (70%)

Front Desk Reception & Customer Service

Staff the studio’s front desk, serving as the face of the studio by greeting and providing first-line support to students and visitors.
Answer phone calls, manage public email correspondence, and sort ingoing/outgoing mail.
Schedule and lead tours of the studio and studio orientations.
Maintain the public-facing events calendar and various internal shared staff calendars.
Schedule and coordinate meetings.
Manage the organization of electronic and hard copy files.
Perform data entry tasks and admin support with special projects and events as assigned.

Office Assistance

Provide support for all office-related needs.
Oversee the organization and overall appearance of the staff offices, escalating facilities issues to the Operations Director.
Maintain supplies inventory: order office, kitchen, and bathroom supplies quarterly as needed, maintain kitchen and bathroom items, coordinate submitting work orders, furniture ordering, and update signage, etc.

Programming Support

Provide admin registration support for all of our programmatic offerings (classes, events, and workshops, etc.): register students, post programming schedules, and update our registration system, etc.
Assist the Operations Director with the scholarship applications process.
Keep the website’s public programming calendar up to date.
Ensure students are compliant with their COVID vaccination, studio orientation, and tuition/fees payment and update information in our registration system accordingly.
Manage volunteers.
Sign students in for class and retrieve their clay and supplies.
Send and respond to student communication.
Support the planning and execution of classes, events, workshops, pottery markets, and studio orientations etc.

Studio Event Support (15%)

Assist with the planning and execution of studio events.
Order food and supplies.
Register and sign-in event attendees.
Help set-up and clean-up the event.

Gallery Attendant (10%)

Provide friendly and informative customer service in greeting and servicing Pottery Northwest gallery visitors.

Lead guided tours of the gallery and share information and educate visitors on the current exhibition.
Help maintain a clean and organized gallery space.
Ring in gallery sales.

Shared Leadership (5%)

Participate in team check-ins, weekly staff meetings, and planning and support for Pottery NW events.
Identify and participate in professional development opportunities that advance skills for the role.
Produce an annual work plan with metrics tied to overall organizational goals.
Participate in our strategic planning and budgeting efforts.
Help maintain shared calendars.

Physical Activities & Requirements of this Position:

Ability to lift, carry & move heavy objects ~60lbs
Bending and reaching above shoulders
Standing and walking for long periods of time
Working with and around power tools and other machinery with moving parts
Exposure to chemicals: gas and other hazardous materials that are used in the ceramics process
Working closely with others

This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of this position. All Pottery NW employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed, to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

Pottery Northwest needs people who value a growth mentality—people who are willing to do things differently, test things out, fail and get back up again. We hope to find someone who is curious and can lead people with their heart, being vulnerable and authentic. Pottery Northwest is most interested in attracting a teammate who will be successful and fulfilled in this role, not just someone who can check off every box.

Values alignment

Deep and demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity and understanding the role inequities play in our society.
Passionate about maintaining an adaptive, people-centered studio grounded in fostering an inclusive community around clay, with the highest priority placed on creating and ensuring everyone has access to learning and enjoying ceramics.
Value sharing power, trusting each other, being transparent, celebrating small successes, integrity, and cross-cultural respect and sensitivity.

Specifically, we are looking for:

Minimum 1-2 years of administrative work experience in customer service, office management/coordination, hospitality, operations, or similarly aligned role.
Interest in/connection to the ceramic arts.
Ability to work evenings and weekends 1-2 times per month.
Demonstrated customer service skills, including approachability, understanding, attentiveness, empathy and positivity.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency in planning, organizing, and project management.
Ability to take initiative and prioritize tasks.
Outstanding interpersonal skills and an ability to develop trust and maintain deep relationships with a variety of diverse students, partners, and community members.
A collaborative approach to problem-solving, including the ability to pivot to meet immediate needs, or address unforeseen circumstances.
A persistent commitment to communication in the face of challenge and conflict.
Proof of completed COVID-19 Vaccination or valid exemption is required upon hiring and employment at Pottery Northwest.

The strongest candidates will have:

2+ years of direct experience supporting an arts organization in an administrative, office management/coordination, or operations role.
Proficiency with the Google Suite, Monday.com, and the ability to learn new software.
Prior experience supporting a ceramics studio.
Direct experience working effectively with a diverse population of individuals with different cultural, financial and ethnic backgrounds and abilities.

Application Instructions:

Pottery Northwest is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We strive to be a place where DEIA builds the foundation for people. Women, non-gender-binary/trans individuals, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and people with disabilities are STRONGLY encouraged to apply.

Don’t meet every single qualification? If you’re excited about this role, but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Pottery NW is most interested in attracting a teammate who will be successful and fulfilled in this role, not just someone who can check off every box.

APPLY HERE

To apply, submit a completed application. We do not want a cover letter–please just fill the application out in its entirety. Email questions to Jasmine at Operationsmanager@potterynorthwest.org.

The priority deadline & first review is November 13th, 2022.
Applications will be reviewed the week of November 14th, and applicants can expect to hear back by December 1st. The hiring process for this role will include a phone screen and panel interview. The final offer will be contingent on the completion of a successful background check.