Housekeeping Assistant (Seasonal, Full-Time)

Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency (Ox-Bow) is an artist-built community dedicated to preserving time and space for arts education, research, practice, and connection for artists at every stage of their journey.

The Housekeeping Assistant supports the upkeep of excellent standards of hygiene and sanitation throughout Ox-Bow’s diverse range of interior campus spaces. The primary task of this position will be to turn over, organize, and clean indoor campus facilities per set standards, and other duties as assigned, under the guidance of the Housekeeping Manager. The Housekeeping Assistant will have a careful eye for detail and aesthetic considerations, ensuring that Ox-Bow’s spaces are clean, functional, and cheerful. The Assistant will have the opportunity to offer their ideas on best practices and systems, and to devise and implement creative touches to enhance the participant experience on campus. The Assistant will interact with Ox-Bow students and participant artists, demonstrating a high level of hospitality and enthusiasm for Ox-Bow’s programs and mission. The Assistant will at times work quite independently and at other times work closely with a team to accomplish tasks.

This position is ideal for candidates within a 40-mile commuting radius. Limited on-site, rustic housing may be available for candidates beyond that range. This is a seasonal position beginning in late-April, exact timeframe and schedule to be determined by the Deputy Director and Housekeeping Manager.

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Clean common areas, including stairwells, hallways, and bathrooms per standards set and communicated by the Housekeeping Manager


• Sweep, mop, wipe down surfaces


• Turnover lodging spaces in between guests’ occupancy, including cabins and dorm rooms, in a timely manner


• Laundry


• Trash disposal


• Clean windows and other cleaning detail work as assigned


• Maintain an excellent level of cleanliness, aesthetic care and special touches for all student and guest spaces


• Support and develop welcoming hospitality touches in campus spaces


• Support other housekeeping and general maintenance duties as assigned


• Communicate Housekeeping standards and processes to fellows and work study students working in that area as assigned; work alongside those fellows and students


• Other project- and event-based support as determined by the Deputy Director; including but not limited to office, maintenance, events, and hospitality support

EDUCATION/JOB EXPERIENCE/CERTIFICATION

• Experience in housekeeping or related professional area preferred


• Experience in a hospitality, arts, and/or creative field preferred

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong communication and organizational skills


• Express enthusiasm for Ox-Bow’s mission


• Keen sense of professionalism and hospitality


• Highly organized and reliable


• A savvy multi-tasker


• Finds inspiration in the distinctive or idiosyncratic


• Comfortable taking creative risks


• Thrives in dynamic environments


• An eye for detail


• Must be a team player, able to work independently as well as in a group


• Must be innovative, reliable, patient, tenacious


• Must be able to travel to and from Ox-Bow Saugatuck campus and/or various vendor locations in the West Michigan region


• A passion for the arts and familiarity with artists communities preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time and be able to move about in indoor and outdoor environments.


• Operate computer, tools, and vehicles and must have the ability to use hands to move, set up, adjust, assemble, control, operate, or feel objects, tools or controls and reach with hands and arms.


• Must be able to traverse uneven terrain and stairs


• Constantly communicate and exchange information with team members and must be able to effectively communicate correct information


• Read/comprehend, write, communicate orally, reasoning, and analytical abilities, and mental flexibility


• Frequently move objects up to 50 pounds


• The employee will routinely climb, bend, squat, kneel, crouch, and reach above shoulder


• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus to compare and distinguish administrative data.


• Hearing ability to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking level with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and to make discriminations in sound.

Work Environment:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly working in an indoor and outdoor work environment, at times in high heat and humidity.


• Working environments will sometimes involve hazardous materials and loud noise


• Requires wearing common protective and safety equipment


• Position may involve extended work hours, weekends and holidays

Working At Ox-Bow

Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency, founded in 1910, offers a wide range of opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers. Our campus is nestled on a peninsular interdunal wetland in Saugatuck, MI. With programs that target degree-seeking students, professional artists and those new to the field, Ox-Bow builds a supportive frame in which artists can push their practices in new directions. Ox-Bow’s community is expansive and ever-evolving. Working at Ox-Bow is a unique experience. Our staff consists of both year-round and seasonal positions. Some staff live on campus during their working months, while others commute or work remotely both within the state of Michigan and beyond. 

Working at Ox-Bow is working at the intersection of education, hospitality and culture. Together we seek to create a welcoming environment that nurtures the creative process while building community across generations, career stages, disciplines and identities. With over 100 years of arts education behind us, we have a vast community of alumni, including staff, students, resident artists, faculty, and community supporters, who love and care for Ox-Bow. Working at Ox-Bow is to become part of that community, and help sustain a historic non-profit arts organization for current and future generations of artists and art lovers. 

At Ox-Bow we have a vision to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, lend their creativity, and work in support of an evolving, yet historic, art school. We pride ourselves on thinking and acting creatively, and recognize that part of what makes us a unique place for both our staff and students, is the talent and dedication of our employees. 

Ox-Bow is committed to diversity and inclusion, we believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity and national origin and work to reflect that in our classrooms, programming, faculty, staff and board.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for its students, visitors, faculty, and staff, and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on an individual’s abilities and qualifications. Ox-Bow does not tolerate unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or former military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law, in its programs and activities, public accommodations or employment practices.