Seasonal Park Experience Ambassadors

SEASONAL PARK EXPERIENCE AMBASSADOR

Position Summary

The Seasonal Park Experience Assistant is an hourly non-exempt, seasonal contract position with a projected average of 35-40 hours per week; starting early to mid-May through September 30, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.

Reporting to the Event Production and Site Manager and Facilities Onsite Manager, the ParkExperience Assistant supports the organizational and onsite operational functions of the Park Experience team, ensuring efficiency and consistency in implementing department processes, onsite tasks, and communication. This role also provides logistical support for all internal and external events with a variety of complexities. The Seasonal Park Experience Assistant requires continual demonstration of commitment to maintaining an institutional standard for guest experience and level of service; this includes collaboration and coordination with staff, partners, vendors, and other constituencies to ensure successful execution of all events and facility support. Waterfront Park is a high-volume environment where work productivity, efficiency, and effective communication skills are a must.

We are looking for individuals to staff the following shifts, with reasonable flexibility to adapt schedules according to staffing needs:

• Sun – Wed, 7 am – 5 pm (four 10-hour shifts)
• Sun - Wed, Noon – 10 pm (four 10-hour shifts)
• Mon – Fri, 11 am – 7 pm (five eight-hour shifts)
• Wed – Sat, 7 am – 5 pm (four 10-hour shifts)
• Wed – Sat, Noon – 10 pm (four 10-hour shifts)
• Sat-Sun, 11 am – 7 pm (two 10-hour shifts)

Land Acknowledgement

Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish peoples, who have resided here since time immemorial and continue to thrive. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the history of the waterfront, the dispossession of land from the Coast Salish people, and, most importantly, the strength and resilience of Native people and their culture through this history and to the present.

About Friends of Waterfront Park

Friends of Waterfront Park (Friends) is a 501c3 non-profit. Through a public-private partnership with the City of Seattle, Friends is leading fundraising and programming, deepening public safety investments, and ensuring long-term stewardship of Waterfront Park now and for generations to come. The organization works closely with the City of Seattle, through Seattle Center, who provides park maintenance and public safety services. This model of a nonprofit managing and ensuring the success of a park is common across major U.S. cities, including Friends of the Highline and Brooklyn Bridge Parks Conservancy in New York, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, and Friends of the Underline in Miami.

Nearly 15 years in the making, Waterfront Park project represents a grand community vision for reimagining Seattle’s waterfront in the footprint of the old viaduct, a 1950’s infrastructure; creating a new kind of civic and cultural space. Seattle is a city known for innovation and Waterfront Park represents that spirit – it is so much more than simply a park. Waterfront Park is creating 20-acres of green space, inviting locals and visitors to reconnect with the water, the mountains, and each other. It will run from Belltown to Pioneer Square, and has a large urban footprint for programming, activation, and other park uses. Opening in 2025, Waterfront Park will serve as a fresh cultural anchor for downtown, offering free public programming co-curated with communities from across the region.

Friends’ vision goes far beyond the park’s 20 acres. Alongside the City of Seattle, we envision a common space that is truly safe and welcoming to everyone; a space that is centered in equity. Friends has an opportunity and an inherent responsibility to disrupt patterns of exclusion and serve as a model for public spaces in Seattle and around the country. We have already made progress by working to establish strong community ties and trust and delivering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community led programs at Pier 62, the first piece of the park to open to the public.

Equity Commitment

Friends recognizes and acknowledges historic and existing systemic racism embedded in our city. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity within the organization and in the public spaces we operate.

Responsibilities

Event & Facility Operations General Responsibilities

• Assist in daily facilities management tasks as assigned, including restroom monitoring, maintaining pier deck, and other maintenance tasks throughout waterfront park and in the Pier 56 office.
• Ensure the safety of all guests, performers, and personnel within this position’s areas of responsibility while upholding Friends' standard operating procedures, safety protocols, and performance standards.
• Support Production and Operations Managers in the execution of events through general support and/or ownership of specific tasks as assigned.
• Inspect various park locations that require traveling a minimum of 1 mile of waterfront property.
• Establish high quality of service and execution standards when working with the public, clients, and staff.
• Manage successful event coordination through the execution of all responsibilities relevant to event production and onsite operations for both internal and external clients within their area of responsibility.

Administrative Coordination & Team Building

• Demonstrate flexibility, creative thinking, problem solving, and fiscal responsibility in decision making.
• Contribute to a consistent customer service and communication standard across all departments.
• Work to ensure customer service is embedded at the core of the team and reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
• Own and manage individual calendar meetings/invites, report daily hours at the beginning and end of each day, be responsive to email communication, and ensure continuity of administrative systems.
• Complete daily reporting of departmental check lists.
• Communicate and represent Friends effectively while interacting with park visitors and external partners.
• Coordinate with peers, other departments, and clients to respond to questions, concerns and resolve operations issues.
• Complete annual training and certification deemed necessary for the onsite roles and responsibilities.

Collaboration, Values, and Culture

• Collaboration
  • Collaborate as a member of the Friends team, providing thought partnership and support as needed.
  • Work collaboratively with and learn from the entire organization, and with external partners, stakeholders, and community.
• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI)
  • Contribute to an inclusive workplace culture and adhere to Friends’ Community Agreements.
  • Engage in regular conversations about race and equity through all-staff meetings, trainings.
  • Incorporate values of DEAI in all facets of this job and when collaborating across teams.
• Community
  • Incorporate the org-wide value/ethos of centering community throughout work (e.g., attend community events, seek out and listen to diverse communities and perspectives).
• Culture
  • Contribute to organizational culture by participating in team building activities to help build a fun, welcoming, and productive workplace.

Minimum Qualifications

• A minimum of 1 year of experience working in the events, arts, entertainment, and/or hospitality industry
• A valid driver's license issued by a state or outlying possession of the United States.
• Familiarity with using virtual meeting and collaboration platforms such as Teams and Zoom
• Experience or interest using project management software (Asana, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel
• Strong verbal and written communication capabilities – ability to interact with customers through phone, in-person and email communications.
• Able to work productively with minimal supervision, as well as collaboratively in team settings.
• Adaptability to changing priorities, ability to handle multiple tasks and willingness to adjust to new situations, including reasonable schedule changes.
• An interest in propelling Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and anti-racism to the forefront of your work.
• Must pass Friends of Waterfront Seattle background check requirements.

Desired Qualifications

• Additional experience in event and venue operations and technical production, preferably in the arts, or entertainment fields
• Internal venue events team experience a plus
• Certifications, 2+ years of college education, and/or additional work experience a plus but not required.
• Lived experience and cultural competency with underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ communities, and the ability to bring this lens to conversations about anti-racism, anti-oppression and embedding equity in all aspects of work.

Working Conditions

This role is located in Seattle, WA. 100% of work will be required to be in-person at Waterfront Park.

• Ability to individually lift 50lbs, stand for an extended period of time, climb ladders, work with hand tools, ability to communicate and monitor SPL levels, inspect various park locations that require climbing stairs and traveling a minimum of 1 mile of waterfront property.
• Working in outdoor environmental conditions for an extended period consisting of wind, rain, snow, and heat.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule as determined by business volume, including evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work in an open office format with a fluctuating noise level – Friends' office is an open floor plan and teams often meet in person to collaborate. Noise levels can be low to moderate.
• The office on Pier 56 is accessible via stairs or elevator. The office is on the second/top floor.
• The office building contains a parent’s room, wellness room, kitchen, and several meeting rooms. Restrooms have braille labels.
• Friends follows King County Public Health guidelines regarding COVID-19.
• This job is contingent on passing a background check.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a seasonal, hourly non-exempt position with hourly pay between $25-$30 per hour.

Benefits include paid time off, an optional 3% retirement account match, and ORCA regional transit pass (does not include Washington State Ferries).

How to Apply

Click the Apply link to submit your application. You will be asked to upload a resume and, in lieu of a cover letter, answer the application questions which include indicating shift availability.

Friends is committed to improving hiring practices to be more inclusive and anti-ableist. We have reviewed the job requirements and only include physical abilities when completely necessary. During the interview process, we email the panel questions ahead of time. We are also able to provide captioning and/or interpretation (e.g., ASL) if requested. If you need specific assistance and/or accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please let us know by emailing our People & Culture team at hiring@waterfrontparkseattle.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but priority will be given to applications received by April 14, 2025.