Purchasing & Business Coordinator

Status: Part-Time 25-30 hours weekly

Wages: $20.00 - $24.00 Hourly, DOQ

Schedule: Flexible schedule depending on your availability and museum needs!

About Hands On: 

The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative. The Museum is recognized as a national Museum for All and won a Noyce Foundation Bright Lights Award for bringing art and science education to underserved populations.

Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach and family support programs.

Position Overview:

Love a good checklist? Thrilled by finding the best deal? Enjoy the satisfaction of a perfectly stocked supply cabinet? We have the perfect part-time role for you! We are seeking a Purchasing & Business Coordinator who can keep things running smoothly behind the scenes, so the magic can happen out front! About 80% of your time will be focused on purchasing and inventory, with the rest supporting the Business department.

What You Will Be Doing:

This is the ultimate “get stuff done” role, with equal parts savvy shopper and organized coordinator, you can be the behind-the-scenes hero!

• Keep supplies properly stocked (everything from office basics to exhibit props)
• Hunt down the best prices online and in local stores
• Track deliveries, solve vendor hiccups, and make sure everything arrives as expected
• Organize receipts and help keep finances tidy
• Work with our café team on weekly orders
• Support fun museum events and staff activities
• Run occasional errands and some admin tasks

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Possess and maintain a good driving record
• At least 21 years old
• Ability to pass a background check 
• Have relevant work experience; BA is a bonus!
• Highly organized and loves a good system!
• An experienced shopper who enjoys comparing prices and finding deals
• Comfortable juggling multiple tasks and priorities 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, and math competency
• Tech savvy! Proficient with Microsoft office – especially MS Excel

Physical Demands:

• Must be able to lift up to 40lbs
• Must be able to stand on feet for long periods and have good stamina

Visit https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:0450bea3-17bc-47f2-83bd-9ebd22e96ef for a detailed description of responsibilities.

Workplace Values: 

Achieving our mission requires great people who actively demonstrate our core values.

 To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 professional references.

Compensation & Benefits: $20.00 - $24.00 hourly DOQ, medical, dental, and vision, paid holidays and time off, a 401(k) retirement plan, and lots of adorable children. Benefits vary by number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status. See the benefit details for this position here . 

For more information, please visit our website at www.hocm.org 

The Hands On Children’s Museum exhibits, education programs, and employment are available to all without discrimination.