Museum Experience Associate – Retail & Visual Merchandising

About the Museum

The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is one of Florida's premier art museums, presenting an encyclopedic collection spanning more than 5,000 years of human creativity. Located on the downtown waterfront, the museum welcomes more than 120,000 visitors annually through exhibitions, educational programs, community events, and an expanding calendar of public experiences.

Position Summary

The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is seeking an engaging, organized, and visually minded Museum Experience Associate with experience in retail and visual merchandising. Museum Experience Associates are an essential part of the visitor experience at the MFA, welcoming guests and providing knowledgeable, friendly service throughout their visit—from the moment someone enters the museum to their experience in the galleries, at programs, and in the museum store. This position will work across museum experience operations, including visitor services, admissions, membership support, and the museum store. The ideal candidate combines excellent customer service skills with a strong visual eye and an understanding of how thoughtful merchandising, product placement, and storytelling can create a distinctive museum retail experience—one that connects objects, exhibitions, art, design, and the MFA's identity.

Museum Experience & Visitor Services

• Welcome museum visitors and provide friendly, knowledgeable assistance throughout their visit.
• Process admission, membership, program, and event transactions using the museum's ticketing and point-of-sale systems.
• Answer visitor questions about exhibitions, programs, events, membership, museum policies, and amenities.
• Assist with museum programs, special events, and other visitor-facing activities as needed.
• Help maintain an organized, welcoming, and professional environment throughout public-facing museum spaces.
• Work collaboratively with museum experience colleagues and other departments to provide excellent visitor service.

Museum Store & Visual Merchandising

• Provide excellent customer service and sales support in the museum store.
• Maintain and refresh merchandise displays throughout the store.
• Create attractive and cohesive displays across store zones, tables, shelving, walls, and fixtures.
• Merchandise a diverse assortment including books, jewelry, design objects, stationery, home goods, textiles, children's products, exhibition merchandise, and MFA-branded products.
• Help create visual connections between merchandise and the museum's exhibitions, permanent collection, programs, and seasonal initiatives.
• Work with the Director of Museum Experience on product placement, merchandising priorities, new product introductions, and store presentation.
• Refresh displays based on new arrivals, sales performance, inventory levels, and exhibition changes.
• Assist with receiving, pricing, stocking, replenishment, and organization of merchandise.
• Maintain high visual standards throughout the store, including product organization, signage, pricing, fixture presentation, and overall appearance.
• Assist with exhibition merchandise installations, seasonal resets, and other major store changes.
• Identify opportunities for cross-merchandising, improved product visibility, and stronger customer engagement.

Qualifications

• Previous retail experience required; visual merchandising experience strongly preferred.
• Previous customer service or other public-facing experience.
• Strong visual sense and an understanding of product presentation, color, composition, scale, and space.
• Friendly, confident, and comfortable interacting with a wide range of museum visitors.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently while also functioning as part of a collaborative team.
• Comfortable learning ticketing, point-of-sale, and membership systems.
• Able to move merchandise, arrange fixtures, unpack shipments, and perform the physical work associated with retail operations.
• Experience in museum retail, specialty retail, design, fashion, home, books, or other visually driven retail environments is a plus.
• An interest in art, museums, design, and contemporary retail is strongly preferred.

Schedule

This is a part-time position working approximately three days per week. The position requires flexibility based on museum operations and may include weekends, evenings, exhibition openings, special events, and other museum programs.

Physical Requirements

Ability to stand for extended periods, operate a computer and point-of-sale system, occasionally lift up to 25 pounds, and work indoors and outdoors during museum events. Reasonable accommodations will be made in accordance with applicable law.

Why Work Here?

Join a collaborative team dedicated to connecting people with art. The Museum Experience Associate will receive ongoing training on exhibitions, collections, visitor engagement, and museum operations while working at one of Florida's leading cultural institutions.

We Welcome Diverse Applicants

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. We value curiosity, kindness, professionalism, and a willingness to learn.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief letter explaining your interest in joining the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg.

Email: [email protected]
Subject: Museum Experience Associate – Retail & Visual Merchandising

No phone calls, please.

This job description indicates in general terms the type and level of work performed, as well as the typical responsibilities of this position. Management reserves the right to modify, change, add or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodation so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job. Nothing in this position description changes the at-will employment relationship between Museum of Fine Arts and its employees.

The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

Work Location: In person