Organization: Contemporary Arts Center

About the position: Café Associate

Reports To: Front Desk & Shop Manager

Status: part-time temporary, non-exempt

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Compensation: Starting at $13 per hour

ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER:

MISSION STATEMENT: The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) brings art and the creative process to all people through exhibitions, performances, and experiences that open minds.

CAC BACKGROUND: The CAC was founded in 1939 by three women with their eyes on the future. Today, our purpose is to champion open minds and foster an inclusive culture by using contemporary art and mutual learning as vehicles for connecting people, cultivating creativity, and catalyzing curiosity.

The CAC now operates on a $4.2M annual operating budget and offers 4 - 5 significant exhibitions per year, including group and solo exhibitions originated by CAC curator(s), guest curators, and touring exhibition partners. It is the oldest non-collecting contemporary art center in the country and one of the largest, occupying an 80,000 sq. ft. building, with approximately 22,000 sq. ft. devoted to exhibition and performance space. With new executive leadership in place and a completed $5M+ renovation of its educational facility, the CAC is poised to continue its 85-year legacy of presenting new commissions by emerging and established artists, as well as thematic group exhibitions that foster local, national, and international resonances.

A strong emphasis on curatorial research and institutional partnerships has led to CAC generating a number of major touring exhibitions and co-commissions with entities such as Kunstraum Kreuzberg (Berlin), MIT List Visual Arts Center (Cambridge), the New Museum (New York), and FotoFocus Biennial (Cincinnati). Recent solo projects have featured the work of Tania Candiani, Ugo Rondinone, Steffani Jemison, Vhils, and Do Ho Suh, through which each artist developed significant interventions that attended to a range of timely concepts.

LOCATION: The CAC is located in an architectural gem in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art was heralded by The New York Times as “the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war” and was lauded for its community-centric approach to the design process.

SCOPE OF POSITION: The Café Associate is a part-time temporary role responsible for operating a vibrant café space in the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) Lobby, 24 hours per week. There is a possibility for the role to become permanent in the future.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Welcoming customers, receiving people to determine beverage preferences, making recommendations, and taking drink orders.

Crafting delicious espresso drinks and other quality beverages to customers.

Demonstrates an exemplary ability to engage the public & handle customer service / visitor challenges for positive outcomes.

Maintaining a clean workspace, both behind the counter and in the seating area.

Keeping up to date on general CAC information & current exhibitions.

Adhering to food safety regulations & quality control.

Full menu knowledge.

Keeping track of inventory and communicating to the Front Desk & Shop Manager when we are running low on something.

Operating a cash drawer for the Snack Bar, including opening and closing the drawers, and processing cash and credit transactions through the POS.

There is a possibility for the role to expand to also serve wine and beer in the future.

ALL OF THESE DUTIES ARE TO BE DONE WITH OVERALL CAC BUSINESS IN MIND. THE PERSON IN THIS POSITION WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF OTHER CAC PROGRAMS, EXHIBITION NEEDS, AND CAC POLICY AND PROCEDURES.

REQUIREMENTS:

Availability to work weekends.

Customer service experience.

Self-motivated, energetic, & proactive.

Ability to multi-task and remain calm in a high pace environment.

Experience working with a POS system.

Basic math and computer skills.

21+ (legal age to serve wine and beer in the State of Ohio).

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The person in this position needs to frequently move about inside the café space to access café machinery and supplies.

Must be able to move and transport items weighing up to 25 pounds for various needs.

Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.

Operate a computer and cash register drawers.

Able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

Able to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

PAY, BENEFITS, LONG-TERM GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES: This part-time position takes place on-site at the CAC, 24 hours per week, including Saturdays and Sundays. The hourly pay rate starts at $13 per hour, with the possibility of an increase if the role expands to a permanent position and to serve wine and beer. Benefits for part-time employees include paid sick and personal days, holiday pay, access to professional development opportunities, employee assistance program, CAC membership, and CAC Museum Shop and Café employee discount.

TO APPLY: Applications, a resume & cover letter in PDF format, should be sent to hiring manager Aly Laughlin, Human Resources Director, via email at alaughlin@cincycac.org by June 30, 2023.

After applications are reviewed, selected applicants will be contacted for interviews. References may be requested and contacted only during the final interview stage and the identities of applicants will be held in the strictest of confidence.

RECRUITMENT & HIRING:

The CAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) where all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, Veteran, or disability status.

More information can be found here.