Position: Director of Visitor Experience
Reports to: Deputy Director and Sr. VP of Strategic Initiatives
Team: Guest Services & Hospitality (Operations)
Status: Exempt, Full-time- 37.5 hours per week and events as needed.
Compensation: Commensurate with experience & education, $75,000 - $105,000.
Benefits: Health care plan, dental, 401k plan with employer contribution, free parking, generous Discretionary Time Off on day one, Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Museum membership, AFLAC, and other special discounts.
Conditions of Employment: Full Vaccination against COVID 19.
The Taft Museum of Art (TMA), located in downtown Cincinnati, is searching for an experienced Director of Visitor Experience to join our team. This position is unique and requires a positive, highly organized team player who loves working with the public and internal team members. Enjoy this rare opportunity to join one of the finest small art museums in the United States.
Please ensure to submit a cover letter, resume, and three references. Our team will review your information, and we will get back to you with the next steps. Please submit your application for consideration through our website portal at
taftmuseum.org/careers. If you have any questions, please email us at
HRAdm@taftmuseum.org for assistance. Sending resumes and cover notes via email are not considered applications.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Visitor Experience is a new position that impacts the Taft Museum of Art (TMA) in delivering meaningful experiences by connecting people with great art in a historic setting and in the community by ensuring audiences have exceptional experiences. This new role is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with staff across the institution in order to ensure the visitor experience is engaging, respectful, inspiring, friendly and enjoyable. The Director of Visitor Experience serves as part of the Museum’s core leadership team and contributes to the strategic direction of the Museum. This role directly manages and coaches four full-time staff members and oversees a Guest Service team of 10 or more part-time employees, contract vendors, and event staff. In addition, they are the museum expert on visitor experience “best practices”, and handle implementing and training the museum staff on these practices to ensure excellence in visitor experience. This position is responsible for the overall management of earned revenue departments at the museum including the Lindner Family Café, Gift Shop, and Facility Rentals & Group Sales.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Management & Coaching
- Recruits, supervises, and mentors team members and determines best practices to foster individual growth and implements metrics to measure success.
- Creates opportunities for feedback from members and guests to provide strategic direction to continuously improve overall rating with outstanding service, communications, and teamwork. (i.e., weekly 1:1 meetings, operations team meetings, etc.)
- Oversees all day-to-day operations and programming by directing appropriate staff members and developing strategies, procedures, and goals that will grow program areas.
- Builds a collaborative, positive-thinking team that understands accountabilities and achieves established goals.
Financial and Data Management
- Financially manages the operations of earned revenue sources and creates opportunities to expand revenue to help bolster the mission of the Taft Museum of Art.
- Evaluates, adjusts, and checks operation costs and strategy to fit the needs of Museum capacity and the needs of guests.
- Assembles and analyzes relevant admissions data and prepare and deliver revenue and attendance reports as requested.
Museum Leadership & Communication
- Serves as a member of the Museum’s core Leadership Team.
- Collaborates with leadership colleagues, to create and follow Museum policies to fit the needs of the Museum, visitor safety, and interests of guests.
- Integrates leadership services, programs, and activities into a seamless operating model that enhances the reputation and brand of the Taft Museum of Art in the community.
- Acts as an ambassador for the institution and its role in service to the public, both internally and externally.
- Participates in local, regional, and national industry meetings and conferences to share and implement current best practices and industry standards with staff.
- Contributes to and support the Taft’s institutional planning, operational priorities, and core initiatives such as diversity, equity, access, and inclusion advancement.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES & SKILLS
- Alignment with Organizational Mission, Goals and Core Values: Understands and embraces the museum mission and goals. Models, reflects, and reinforces core values of respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, and collaboration.
- Communication and Relationship Building: Builds relationships easily through collaborative processes that establish trust across all museum teams and with vendors. Ability to work with individuals from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Effective and persuasive communications skills; able to write and speak clearly and present information to a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Leadership: Lead, coach, and train staff on delivering museum visitor experience important goals. Ability to motivate staff and foster a positive work environment. This position requires a self-motivated and can take the lead, build consensus quickly and effectively, work cross-functionally and effect change; imparts credibility, trust, integrity and enthusiasm; and understands the subtleties of motivating staff and promoting a collaborative environment and culture of inclusion.
- Financial and Operational Metrics: Understanding of financials for retail, facilities, and restaurant management, budgeting. Skilled at using evaluation and analysis to improve guest experience.
- Organizational Skills: Strong capability to deal with multiple business models and competing priorities simultaneously.
- Problem Solving: Ability to identify and positively resolve visitor/guest issues.
- Technology: Knowledge of CRM systems. Broad knowledge of information technology and business software applications; must be highly proficient using Microsoft Office Suite.
REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor's degree preferred. 5-7 years’ experience in guest experience, sales or marketing including 5+ years in a Senior Manager / Leadership role or an equivalent combination of education and experience, preferably in another museum.
- Ability to work weekends, holidays, and special events as necessary.
- Must be able to stand and move about the museum for extended periods of time and work at a computer/desk for extended periods of time.
- Valid driver’s license and reliable means of transportation.
- Speaks English fluently.
MUSEUM CORE VALUES
All employees of the museum must strive to:
- Embrace the museum's core values of respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, and collaboration and demonstrate this understanding through words, behaviors, and interactions with our guests, staff members, volunteers, and the public.
- Learn and teach every day. Share knowledge freely with colleagues and pursue opportunities to gain new skills to enhance our success as a team.
- Appreciate, understand, and value each staff member’s expertise, background, experience, strengths, and unique perspective. Share time, energy, and knowledge with others to ensure everyone has the highest potential to succeed.
- Achieve excellence in all tasks and goals.
- Demonstrate professionalism on and off the job and always represent the Taft Museum of Art positively and professionally. Speak truthfully and fulfill promises and obligations in all museum dealings.
- Be comfortable and communicate with people of diverse backgrounds.
- Adhere to all current museum policies, procedures, protocols, and processes.
- Create a pleasant work environment by being a positive influence and respectful to every person.
The success of the Taft Museum of Art is driven by our core values of respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, and collaboration, as exemplified by our team members.
Our VIEW:
- Value diversity, equity, access, and inclusion are drivers for attracting and retaining a diverse team of board members, staff, and volunteers who feel empowered to deliver excellence. It also is the key to reaching a diverse community and audience.
- Include multiple perspectives and believe that differing views strengthen our museum by stretching us to learn, experience, and expand our thinking each day.
- Embrace our mission and vision to explore the hidden gems connected to our historic house, the people that lived in it for the first 100 years, and the extensive art collection, bringing all of this to life and making it relevant and unique to each guest.
- Work together as a board and staff to ensure that our members, partners, and key stakeholders reflect and embrace these core values.