Assistant Director of Visitor Experience

Tucson Museum of Art; Tucson (AZ); Hybrid; USD 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tucson Museum of Art is seeking an Assistant Director of Visitor Experience to lead day-to-day visitor services, admissions, and earned revenue activities including the Museum Store and Artisan markets. Working under the Senior Director of Visitor Experience and Safety, this role translates service standards into consistent daily practice and ensures a welcoming, inclusive visitor experience.

The position supervises Visitor Experience Associates, collaborates with curatorial, education,

Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree in hospitality, business, arts administration, museum studies, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 3–5 years in visitor services, retail operations, hospitality, or customer service, preferably in a museum or nonprofit.
• Demonstrated training and supervisory experience with front-line or customer-facing staff.
• Strong customer service orientation with inclusive and welcoming practices.
• Working knowledge of retail operations, inventory management, cash handling, and POS systems.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and special events.

Responsibilities

• Lead visitor experience operations and set service standards for admissions, retail, and spaces.
• Provide visible frontline leadership and model professionalism, hospitality and accountability.
• Ensure high-quality customer service and address inquiries and issues promptly.
• Oversee staffing coverage for daily operations, evenings, weekends, and events.
• Supervise and train Visitor Experience Associates; coach and develop staff.
• Coordinate with departments to support exhibitions, programs, and events.

Skills

Hospitality experience

Supervisory experience

Customer service

Retail operations

POS systems

Communication skills

Flexibility

Education

Associate or Bachelor's degree in hospitality, business, arts administration, museum studies, or related field

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Assistant Director of Visitor Experience

Full Time Tucson, AZ, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 1009

Salary Range: $40,000.00 To $50,000.00 Annually

TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORIC BLOCK

JOB DESCRIPTION | EOE

POSITION:Assistant Director of Visitor Experience
STATUS:Regular Full-Time, Exempt
SCHEDULE:Wednesday – Sunday weekly

REPORTS TO:Senior Director of Visitor Experience and Safety

DIRECT REPORTS:Visitor Experience Associates

POSITION SUMMARY

The Assistant Director of Visitor Experience is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Museum’s visitor experience and retail operations, with a primary focus on front-line service delivery, admissions, and earned-revenue activities including the Museum Store and vendor opportunities such as Artisans Markets, pop-ups, or trunk shows. Working under the direction of the Senior Director of Visitor Experience and Safety, this role translates institutional service standards, policies, and performance goals into consistent daily practice, ensuring a welcoming, inclusive, and mission-aligned experience for all visitors.

This position plays a key supervisory role for visitor-facing staff and serves as an operational leader on the Museum floor, supporting customer service excellence, retail performance, and cross-departmental coordination for programs, exhibitions, and special events.

Key Responsibilities

Visitor Experience Operations and Customer Service

• Implement visitor experience policies, service standards, and procedures established by the Senior Director of Visitor Experience and Safety.
• Provide visible, hands-on leadership for front-line visitor experience staff, modeling professionalism, hospitality, inclusivity, and accountability.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality customer service across admissions, retail, and public-facing spaces.
• Address visitor questions, concerns, and service recovery issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Support staffing coverage for daily operations, evenings, weekends, and special events as needed.

Retail Operations and Earned Revenue

• Oversee daily operations of the Museum Store and vendor opportunities in support of earned revenue goals.
• Manage merchandising, inventory control, purchasing, and vendor coordination in alignment with approved strategies.
• Operate and oversee point-of-sale (POS) systems, including cash handling procedures and reconciliation.
• Track sales performance, admissions activity, and retail trends; prepare daily and periodic reports for review by the Senior Director.
• Coordinate retail offerings and activations with exhibitions, programs, and special events to enhance the visitor experience.
• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of the semi-annual TMA Artisans Market—managing vendor selection, permitting, vendor/staff logistics, inter-departmental operations (F&B, performances), on-site execution, and post-event analysis.

Staff Supervision, Training, and Development

• Recruit, onboard, schedule, train, and supervise Visitor Experience Associates.
• Deliver initial and ongoing training in customer service standards, admissions procedures, retail operations, and POS systems.
• Provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance support to front-line staff.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team culture aligned with Museum values.

Coordination, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with colleagues in Curatorial, Education, Marketing, Advancement, Facilities, and Security to support exhibitions, programs, and events.
• Generate and submit accurate daily admissions and sales reports; assist with data collection for visitor feedback and performance assessment.
• Identify operational challenges and opportunities for improvement and communicate recommendations to the Senior Director.
• Support the implementation of assessment practices and data-informed decision-making at the front-line level.
• Contribute to a convergent organizational culture grounded in professionalism, mutual respect, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS/COMPTENCIES

• Associate or bachelor's degree in hospitality, business, arts administration, museum studies, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in visitor services, retail operations, hospitality, or customer service, preferably in a museum or nonprofit environment.
• Demonstrated training and supervisory experience with front-line or customer-facing staff.
• Strong customer service orientation with a commitment to inclusive and welcoming practices.
• Working knowledge of retail operations, inventory management, cash handling, and POS systems.
• Basic financial literacy, including the ability to track sales performance and meet operational targets.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and special events.
• Interest in mission-driven retail, arts engagement, and public-facing cultural work preferred.