Director of Visitor Services and Settlement

Gables; Salem (MA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gables in Salem, MA is seeking a Director of Visitor Services and Settlement to lead all public-facing operations and the Settlement program serving immigrant communities on the North Shore. You will implement strategic priorities, develop budgets, and supervise a department of around 25 staff, including 4 management level roles, ensuring excellence in service.

Responsibilities include overseeing admissions, tours, museum education, accessibility, emergency protocols, and cross‑departmental

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree and 4 years experience in public history, museums, education, or a related field.
• Experience in customer service, preferably in a high‑traffic environment.
• Experience managing staff and budgets.
• Experience working with Blackbaud Altru or similar customer relationship management and point of sale software.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent oral and strong written communication skills; Spanish proficiency a plus.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the Visitor Services team and its operations, including admissions, guided tours, and museum education; oversees Settlement operations; sets annual goals aligned with strategic plan.
• Directs site operations with a focus on visitor experience, capacity limits, accessibility, and emergency protocols.
• Manages human resources in assigned areas in coordination with administrative staff and managers.
• Oversees and directs team members; manages performance and conducts coaching and disciplinary actions.
• Works with managers to ensure trained frontline year-round; oversees schedules, vacations, and PTO.
• Communicates organizational updates and priorities clearly through meetings and written/electronic means.
• Develops and implements public programs and classes, projects, and special initiatives; oversees educational and interpretive programs.
• Leads cross-departmental teams and serves as staff liaison for Community Engagement Committee of the Board of Trustees.
• Develops workplans with objectives, staffing, scheduling, audience engagement, marketing, budgeting, and funding.
• Represents the organization at speaking engagements, workshops, receptions, and community meetings.
• Performs related duties, including visitor-facing roles such as manager on duty, admissions, store clerk, or historical interpreter.

Skills

Customer service

Staff management

Budget management

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Oral and written communication

Spanish language proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in public history, museums, education, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Blackbaud Altru

Job description

Position Title: Director of Visitor Services and Settlement

Date: October 2026

Reports To: Executive Director

FLSA: Exempt

Salary: $78,339.00 – $86,172.00

General Summary:

As a key member of the leadership team, the Director of Visitor Services and Settlement is responsible for all public-facing operations and programming. This includes adult education classes offered through The Gables’ Settlement program, which serves immigrant communities on the North Shore. The position implements strategic priorities, develops and tracks departmental budgets, and manages special projects and programs in assigned areas. The Director of Visitor Services and Settlement oversees a department of approximately 25 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees, and directly supervises 4 management-level employees. The position is expected to maintain high standards of excellence across all work and accomplish objectives independently.

Essential Job Functions*:

• Oversees the Visitor Services team and its operations, including admissions, guided tours, and museum education. Oversees the Settlement team and operations of the Immigration & Education Center. Develops annual goals for both teams in line with the strategic plan. Updates relevant policies, plans, procedures, and standards.


• Directs site operations with a focus on maximizing visitor experience, maintaining strict capacity limits, ensuring physical and intellectual accessibility, and leading execution of emergency protocols.


• Manages human resources in assigned areas, in coordination with administrative staff and managers.


• Oversees and directs team members. Manages performance using established tools and procedures. Coaches and trains staff, taking disciplinary action when required.


• Works with managers to ensure an appropriate level of trained frontline throughout the year. Oversees work schedules, including assignments, vacations, and personal time off.


• Communicates organizational updates and priorities in a clear, transparent, and timely manner through department meetings, one‑on‑one meetings, electronic, written, and regular interpersonal communication


• With managers, develops and implements public programs and classes, projects, and special initiatives. Oversees the development and implementation of all educational and interpretive classes and programs.


• Leads and serves as a member on cross‑departmental teams, including serving as staff liaison for the Community Engagement Committee of the Board of Trustees.


• Develops workplans for the department, including the establishment of objectives, scope, staffing, scheduling, audience engagement, marketing, budgeting, funding, etc.


• Represents the organization at speaking engagements, workshops, receptions, community meetings.


• Performs additional related duties as required, including working in visitor‑facing roles such as manager on duty, admissions or store clerk, and historical interpreter.

Preparation, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• A bachelor’s degree and 4 years experience in public history, museums, education, or a related field. Additional experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis, and vice versa.


• Experience in customer service, preferably in a high‑traffic environment. Ability to communicate effectively and courteously with the public and other staff members under pressure.


• Experience managing staff and budgets. Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects with competing deadlines.


• Experience working with Blackbaud Altru or similar customer relationship management and point of sale software.


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.


• Excellent interpersonal skills.


• Excellent organizational skills.


• Excellent oral and strong written communication skills. Spanish language proficiency a plus.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Directly supervises the Communications and Marketing Manager, Museum Experience Manager, Visitor Services Manager, and Settlement Program Manager. Manages all Visitor Services and Settlement staff (12-25 individuals, varying seasonally) indirectly, through subordinate managers.


• Leads cross‑departmental work teams.

Working Conditions/Physical Demands:

• This position has a typical work week of Tuesday through Saturday, and will be required to periodically work nights and weekends.


• This position requires constant use of speech, hearing, and sight abilities.


• Must be able to climb stairs, including the secret staircase, and stand for at least one hour at a time.


• May need to kneel, bend, crouch, reach or stretch to perform daily tasks.


• May need to occasionally lift and carry moderate weight items weighing up to 25 pounds.

To Apply:

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter and resume to Human Resources Manager Jackie Besse at [e-mail]

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to do this job. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required.

*External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act must be able to perform the essential job functions (as listed) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by management on a case by case basis.