Tour Guide

How You’ll Contribute

Who We Are
The National Geographic Society headquarters, based in Washington, D.C., is undergoing a significant renovation project on its campus (called Base Camp), which will be completed in 2026. Components of the new guest experience will include a state-of-the-art pavilion entrance, auditorium, iconic photo gallery, exhibition space, immersive walk-through attraction, retail, food and beverage, education center, archives, tours, and exciting new event space. A fully sustainable, on-brand hotel may also be built and operated by a third party on the campus. The capstone of the renovation is a one-of-a-kind nighttime experience in the courtyard.

How You’ll Contribute
Job Description Summary
The Museum of Exploration (MOE) Tour Guide is a dynamic individual that presents engaging guided tours to VIP’s, donors, and the public. The Tour Guide is the face of the National Geographic Society and must embody the brand. Applicants must be extremely comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people and present accurate information about National Geographic and its history. This is a full time position; hours or shifts will vary. Availability to work evening, weekend and holiday hours will be required.

Your Impact

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as an interpretive guide for VIP’s, donors, and the public as well as other groups ranging from 2- 40 people.

• Relates all current guided tour programs in engaging and informative ways, anticipating visitors' needs creating a comfortable and inclusive experience for all visitors.

• Answers questions about National Geographic, its work, mission, and history with enthusiasm and accuracy.

• Works as a member of the Visitor Experience Tours team, reporting to the Guided Tour Manager.

• Research and develop additional tour content to enrich the visitor experience.

• Assists in ensuring all tour content stays relevant and up to date.

• Welcomes continual learning and development, following current best practices in Museum interpretation.

• Performs other visitor experience related duties as needed to ensure all guests feel welcome.

What You’ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

2 years of experience working with visitors and/or customers and at least 6 months of experience as a tour guide, museum educator, teacher, actor, or similar position. Experience as a tour guide for a museum or cultural institution strongly preferred. Spanish or ASL fluency is a plus.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills

• Excellent public presentation skills and ability to engage groups and facilitate tours

• Ability to learn and retain extensive amounts of information quickly

• Team-oriented with a strong customer service mindset

• Flexibility and positivity in dealing with new experiences and people

• Enjoyment working with the public

• Ability to react to change quickly and positively

• This is a full time position; hours or shifts will vary. Availability to work evening, weekend and holiday hours will be required.

Supervision

No Direct Reports

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The rate for this position is $23.50 per hour.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Resident - Our Resident category recognizes that certain staff need to be physically present at Base Camp to do their work. Some Resident staff must be at Base Camp every day to do their jobs, while others may only need to be physically present onsite some of the time to meet looming deadlines or to get work done and may require a unique schedule. As such, this category has been revised to provide maximum flexibility depending on what’s required for each individual role. The days Resident staff come into the office will be determined by their teams and workflow, and they should work with their supervisors to determine their specific schedule. And throughout the year, their schedule may be adjusted based on cyclical work cycles, deadlines, and/or ebbs and flows of work.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.