Public Relations Specialist (Guest Experience Coordinator)

The ideal candidate will be comfortable leading front-line staff and volunteers, solving day-to-day customer service issues, working with retail and admissions systems, and helping create a welcoming, organized, and professional experience for Maine Wildlife Park visitors.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide day-to-day leadership for visitor services operations, including the gatehouse, admissions, retail gift shop, group visits, and visitor information.
• Support, train, schedule, and provide daily directions to seasonal temporary staff in customer service, admissions, and retail roles.
• Coordinate volunteers serving in guest-facing roles, including visitor information, retail support, and special event assistance.
• Operate, monitor, and help troubleshoot point-of-sale systems, online ticketing, admissions processing, retail sales, cash handling procedures, daily reconciliation, and related customer service tools.
• Respond to visitors’ questions and concerns, explain park policies, and help ensure a safe, welcoming, and enjoyable visitor experience.
• Coordinate group visits, field trips, shelter reservations, and other scheduled visitor experiences.
• Work with park leadership to improve visitor flow, customer service procedures, retail presentation, signage, and front-facing operations.
• Collaborate with MDIFW’s marketing and communications team to support special events, seasonal promotions, visitor engagement activities, and on-site activations.
• Track visitation, customer feedback, group visit information, and retail activity to support planning and visitor experience improvements.
• Work collaboratively with park staff, seasonal employees, volunteers, Friends of Maine Wildlife Park, and other partners.

For questions related to the position, please contact Howie Powell at: Howie.Powell@maine.gov

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: This is a full-time, year-round position. Weekend, holiday, and occasional evening work are required during the Maine Wildlife Park’s open season, generally April through November. Regular in-person work at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray is required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: A four (4) year combination of education, training, and/or experience in outdoor education, public relations, or program management. Education in other fields must be supplemented by two (2) years of work experience which provides knowledge of professional outdoor education, public relations, various media, and/or information dissemination techniques.

Preference will be given to candidates who have knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

• Experience supervising, training, scheduling, or supporting front-line staff.
• Experience in visitor services, hospitality, retail, admissions, parks, museums, tourism, recreation, or another public-facing setting.
• Strong customer service skills and the ability to respond professionally to visitor questions or concerns.
• Ability to manage seasonal workflows, daily staffing needs, group visits, reservations, and competing priorities.
• Ability to work effectively with both paid staff and volunteers.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and clear communication skills.
• Interested in wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation, public education, and creating a positive experience for Maine Wildlife Park visitors.

Currently, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
• Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($11,857.68-$13,950.24 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
• Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements.
• Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value).
• Retirement Plan – The State of Maine contributes 14.11% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.
• Gym Membership Reimbursement – Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts – Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness – The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid office.
• Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
• Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive calendar days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Voluntary Deferred Compensation – Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.
• Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.

If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Thinking about applying?
Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.

.

If you are unable to complete the online application, please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.