Visitor Experience Manager – Operations

Lightroom; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Lightroom in London is seeking a Visitor Experience Manager to oversee day-to-day operations across Access, Bar & Events, Floor, Retail, Ticketing and Stagedoor. You will lead a team of hosts, coach staff, and collaborate with multiple departments to deliver a seamless and memorable visitor journey.

You will champion Lightroom’s values, ensure exceptional guest service, and manage staffing, scheduling, and incident response while promoting a collaborative and supportive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• Experience leading Visitor Experience or hospitality teams in a venue setting.
• Proven ability to manage multi-department operations and guest journeys.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills within fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day Operations across Access, Bar & Events, Floor, Retail, Ticketing and Stagedoor.
• Lead and coach a team of Visitor Experience staff, ensuring service excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver seamless guest journeys and drive commercial opportunities.
• Maintain high standards of presentation, safety, and operational compliance.
• Be an ambassador for Lightroom and foster a collaborative, positive culture.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Customer service

Communication

Team coaching

Job description

Hours: 40 hours average working week over 5 days Monday – Sunday. There is no overtime agreement as part of this contract, but TOIL will be given for hours worked beyond this. Regular weekend and evening work is required.

Reports to: Head of Visitor Experience

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 7th August

ABOUT LIGHTROOM

Lightroom is a new storytelling medium for the world’s greatest creative minds. Our approach allows creative work of all disciplines to be seen in a new light: offering artists and performers a new way to tell their stories; and audiences a new way to engage with creative work, whether they are a lifelong fan or discovering something for the very first time. Through groundbreaking collaborations with leading artistic talents across art, music, film, fashion, science, and more, Lightroom is establishing itself as a new home for London’s cultural audiences.

Lightroom’s critically acclaimed shows released to date include: David Hockney: Bigger & Closer; The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks; Vogue: Inventing the Runway; and Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs. Our latest show, David Bowie: You’re Not Alone, transports visitors inside the many worlds of David Bowie. Through combining iconic performances, rarely‑seen interviews and never‑before‑exhibited material, the show celebrates Bowie’s creative mind, spirit and soul – resulting in both a multimedia spectacle and an intimate and revealing self‑portrait.

Lightroom’s flagship venue is based in London King’s Cross, situated next to Coal Drop’s Yard. Our shows have also played in 11 cities worldwide. Outside of London, Lightroom’s shows have played in France, Germany, Amsterdam, South Korea, China, Singapore and the United States.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

At Lightroom, we want to ensure that every visitor enjoys a seamless, engaging, and memorable journey through our venue. Our visitor experience strategy, “Illuminating Every Moment,” sets out how our team delivers an exceptional visitor experience. Every touchpoint in the visitor journey plays a crucial role in shaping their visit, and our team of three Visitor Experience Managers is at the heart of making this happen.

As a Visitor Experience Manager, you will oversee all areas of day‑to‑day Operations, including Access, Bar & Events, Floor, Retail, Ticketing and Stagedoor. While each department may have specific responsibilities, we work fluidly across teams, supporting each other to deliver an outstanding visitor experience. Whether you are leading the team of hosts, assisting with accessibility needs, ensuring smooth service at the bar, or maintaining a welcoming atmosphere, your focus will always be on teamwork, adaptability, and enhancing the visitor journey. You will coach and demonstrate our Visitor Experience values which are:

• Be an Ambassador for Lightroom
• Be Approachable – Foster a welcoming atmosphere with warmth and enthusiasm.
• Be Informative – Know the shows, artists, and venue inside‑out.
• Be Proactive – Anticipate visitor needs and assist them to resolve issues promptly

When on duty you will play a key role in fostering a collaborative and supportive culture among your team. We believe that a positive working environment leads to a great visitor experience, and you will be responsible for leading by example—ensuring that every visitor feels valued, and every team member feels supported.

Lightroom is open seven days a week, with a mix of daytime and evening shifts. Flexibility is key, and you should expect to work evenings and weekends.

This role is ideal for someone ready to step up within Operations, with the ability to lead, motivate, and support a team while maintaining a hands‑on, visitor‑focused approach.

Key areas of responsibility

• Drive Commercial Success – Maximise revenue opportunities through ticketing, retail, and bar while optimising operational efficiency.
• Enhance Visitor Experience – Ensure every guest is “illuminated at every moment” by delivering seamless, high‑quality service.
• Cross‑Department Collaboration – Work closely with all operational departments to align on business goals and visitor engagement.
• Operational Excellence – Oversee daily operations, ensuring smooth logistics, compliance, and high standards of presentation.
• Team Leadership & Development – Lead, inspire, and coach a high‑performing team to deliver exceptional experiences.

Administration

• Roster the Visitor Experience teams to ensure appropriate levels of staffing across the 7 day operation
• Audit RotaCloud regularly ensuring that information is kept up to date
• Track and address unauthorised absences, sickness and poor performance.
• Manage all areas of Rotacloud including timesheets, shift swaps and holiday approvals
• Review and refine operational procedures
• Work closely with the Head of Visitor Experience on continuous improvement to develop the Visitor Experience

Duty Management

• Duty Manage the venue regularly
• Lead and motivate the team to deliver an exceptional visitor experience for all
• Ensure all staff are welcoming, knowledgeable, professional, responsible and commercially focussed
• Act as the lead during any building critical incidents; Accidents, Incidents, Evacuation, Invacuation – ensuring best practice is followed at all times
• Ensure the venue is clean, tidy and maintained at all times, ensuring a welcoming environment for our visitors
• Ensure equipment across all operational areas is working and report any issues

Access

• Give tailored support to access customers determined by their needs and how they want to journey through the experience
• Ensure all areas of the access operation are fit for purpose and compliant with Lightroom policies and expectations

Bar & Events

• Ensure all food and beverage areas are prepared for set up in advance of each shift and in accordance with relevant standards of procedure
• Drive sales through providing exceptional customer service, identifying upsell opportunities, and lead the operational change over from day to night
• Work with the Bar & Events Manager to deliver exceptional private hires and events

Door

• Ensuring the safety and security of the public within the building, including bag checks with a 100% penetration rate
• Staying vigilant and being aware of suspicious activity and reporting such activity to managers immediately.
• Immediate response to any and all emergency situations as the Duty Manager to restore order, safety and security to the venue

Retail

• Work with the Retail Manager in managing day‑to‑day sales and understand all areas of the Retail offering and operation.
• Drive sales through providing exceptional customer service, identifying upsell opportunities, and motivating the sales team
• Monitoring adherence to processes and procedures to reduce stock loss

Ticketing

• Ensure that the customer journey from booking in to the show space and beyond is as smooth as possible
• Have exceptional knowledge of Spektrix in order to assist the team and customers, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise on shift

Person Specification

• Leading by Example – Ability to set a positive tone for the team and ensuring an exceptional visitor experience.
• Strive for Operational Excellence – A proactive person in upholding operational standards, from health & safety checks to Visitor interactions, regardless of contracted area. Take ownership of your area and ensure everything runs smoothly.
• Nurturing & Coaching – Confident to provide guidance, offer constructive feedback, and ensure a positive and motivating work environment every day with a proven track record of key performance management skills
• Professionalism – Ability to retain composure and leadership. Regardless of how busy or pressured a shift becomes, professionalism must be maintained, both with visitors and within the team.
• Confidentiality & Discretion – The proven ability to uphold complete discretion in handling any operational or staffing matters.
• Communication & Accountability – A clear communicator across various departments, whilst keeping in line with our company ethos and aims.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit your CV and Cover Letter via this link HERE, or under the advert for this role on the Lightroom website. Your covering letter should detail how you meet the criteria within the person specification and why you would like to be considered for the role.

Should you wish to reach out for an informal conversation about the nature of the role, please contact our Stage Door team via 0330 500 2148 who will direct your call accordingly.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications for this opportunity will close at 12pm on 7th August 2026 with interviews taking place on Tuesday 11th August and Wednesday 12th August. Second stage interviews will take place on Wednesday 19th August.

Should you require any special assistance with your application, please reach out via email to [e-mail] or call 0330 500 2148.

We look forward to receiving your application.

We are an equal opportunities employer and value diversity. We encourage applicants from different backgrounds and different experiences.