Director of Visitor Experience

About The Children’s Museum of Manhattan

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is a vibrant cultural institution focused on fostering creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning among children and families. Located in New York City, CMOM engages diverse communities through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and community partnerships. The museum is currently embarking on a significant transformation to increase public awareness and strengthen community ties, while preparing for the launch of a new landmark facility on 96th Street.

Position Overview

The Director of Visitor Experience holds a vital leadership role, reporting directly to the COO/CFO, based at 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY. This is a full-time onsite position requiring a five-day work week including alternating weekends and holidays. The director will lead the entire visitor engagement journey, manage staff, and oversee revenue-generating departments including Admissions and Retail. Collaboration with departments such as Buildings, Education, Development, and Capital Projects is essential, particularly in operational planning and event coordination. This role calls for a leader passionate about customer service who can manage change and contribute to organizational growth and excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction and establish service standards for the Visitor Experience to align with CMOM's mission and goals.
• Develop and implement long-term operational plans aimed at elevating visitor satisfaction and service quality.
• Coordinate with multiple departments to keep visitor-facing teams well-informed about exhibitions, programs, and broader museum initiatives.
• Create and maintain customer service protocols that reflect CMOM’s commitment to children, families, playful learning, and inclusivity.
• Design and deliver ongoing training programs and mentorship for front-line staff to ensure consistent high-quality hospitality.
• Identify operational challenges and devise solutions to optimize visitor flow, accessibility, and overall museum efficiency.
• Lead operational execution for museum events, special programs, and initiatives with cross-departmental collaboration.
• Ensure visitor areas are safe, welcoming, well-presented, and fully functional through coordination with Facilities and Maintenance teams.
• Manage, develop, and mentor the Manager of Visitor Experience & Guest Services to achieve operational excellence and excellent customer service.
• Foster a positive workplace culture promoting teamwork, growth, and staff engagement.
• Oversee the Visitor Experience budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and resource stewardship.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to set annual revenue targets and strategize to maximize admissions, memberships, and other sources of visitor income.
• Supervise ticketing, reservations, retail, point-of-sale, and related technology platforms, continuously seeking improvements to enhance the visitor experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred with 7 to 10 years of progressive experience in visitor experience, hospitality, customer service, or operations management, including leadership of managers and cross-functional teams.
• Prior experience in museums, cultural or nonprofit visitor organizations is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, lead, and develop large frontline teams with motivational coaching and staff development skills.
• Proficiency in admissions, ticketing, retail, membership, and CRM software platforms such as ACME Ticketing, Lightspeed Retail, or Chexology Paperless Coat Check is highly desirable.
• Experience managing change initiatives, including new facility openings or major exhibitions.
• Strong capability in strategic planning, project management, and organizational change leadership.
• Financial management experience including budgeting, resource allocation, performance analysis, and revenue enhancement.
• Data-driven decision-making skills to improve operations and visitor satisfaction.
• Outstanding leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills for engaging with staff, visitors, vendors, and external partners.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities, adept at juggling multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to think strategically while maintaining focus on operational details.

Additional Information

The salary range for this role is $110,000 to $125,000 annually. CMOM provides a comprehensive benefits package including free medical coverage for employees (with premium options for dependents), dental, vision, 403(b) retirement plan, life insurance, employee assistance programs, paid holidays, and generous paid time off. Staff members also receive complimentary admission to select cultural institutions in New York City.

The museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to diversity and inclusivity across all demographics. Reasonable accommodations are available during the interview process upon request.

Note: This job description is not exhaustive and duties may evolve or change as required.