Museum Guest Experience Lead

uchicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Smart Museum of Art in Chicago seeks a Guest Services Team Lead to oversee front-line operations, welcome visitors, and protect art objects. You will recruit, train, and supervise staff, partner with Exhibitions, and ensure alignment with visitor protocols and DEIA commitments.

This role reports to the Deputy Director and supports museum programs, events, and customer service excellence.

Qualifications

• Recruits, hires, trains, and manages the Guest Services team.
• Supports and holds Guest Services staff accountable for safety procedures, customer service, and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Conducts staff orientations and maintains ongoing and supportive relationships with the staff with a focus on mentorship, training, and skill building.
• Oversees scheduling and proactively ensures appropriate Guest Services staffing levels for daily operations as well as off-hours activities and events.
• Leads weekly team meetings for Guest Services staff.
• Ensures compliance with Smart Museum visitor protocols including protection of art objects and files incident reports with the Registration and Exhibitions teams as needed.
• Assists Guest Services staff in responding to patron issues and questions, including calls and emails regarding online reservations.
• In coordination with the Exhibitions team, develops training materials and procedures for each exhibition to ensure that the Guest Services team effectively manages project-specific needs, including turning a/v equipment on and off.
• Collaborates with Feitler Center and Public Practice teams to develop integrated training and community-building opportunities for student gallery attendant staff.
• Implements protocols for managing the visitor reservation system, attendance and visitor information gathering, and other data as directed.
• Manages the day-to-day activities related to publications sales in the museum building, including training staff, managing sales functions, and tracking inventory.

Responsibilities

• Recruits, hires, trains, and manages the Guest Services team.
• Oversees scheduling and staffing levels for daily operations and events.
• Provides coaching, feedback, and performance management to staff.
• Leads weekly team meetings and communicates updates to staff.
• Ensures compliance with visitor protocols and safeguarding of art objects.
• Coordinates with Exhibitions on training for each exhibition, including a/v setup.
• Collaborates with Feitler Center and Public Practice teams for student staff development.
• Manages visitor reservation system, attendance, and data reporting.
• Oversees publications sales and inventory tracking.

Skills

Staff management

Customer service

Coaching

Safety procedures

DEI awareness

Mentorship

Training

Communication

Tools

Audio/visual equipment

Job description

Smart Museum of Art in Chicago seeks a Guest Services Team Lead to oversee front-line operations, welcome visitors, and protect art objects. You will recruit, train, and supervise staff, partner with Exhibitions, and ensure alignment with visitor protocols and DEIA commitments.

This role reports to the Deputy Director and supports museum programs, events, and customer service excellence.