Visitor Experience Lead Associate

Japanese-American-National-Museum; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is seeking a Visitor Experience Lead Associate to oversee daily operations on the floor, supervise shifts, and coordinate guest services across indoor galleries and the outdoor campus. You will open/close ticketing desks, balance cash, and ensure high standards of service.

You will handle visitor inquiries, de-escalate concerns with empathy, and support major museum events.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in customer service, visitor services, retail, or hospitality within a museum or cultural institution.
• Strong leadership, de-escalation skills, and ability to prioritize and manage shift tasks under fluctuating visitor volumes.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and independently; exceptional communication and problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as shift supervisor and coordinate floor rotations to ensure seamless staff coverage.
• Open and close ticketing desks daily; balance cash drawers and reconcile daily sales reports.
• Handle complex visitor inquiries, de-escalate complaints with empathy, and ensure accessibility requests are addressed.
• Oversee setup for indoor galleries and outdoor spaces; verify signage and displays are functional.
• Manage safety and report issues promptly to Security, Facilities, and Exhibitions teams.
• Support major events (Gala, Oshogatsu, Natsumatsuri) with staff coordination and guest services.

Skills

Customer service

Team leadership

De-escalation

Cash handling

POS systems

Altru CRM

Google Workspace

Asana

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Altru CRM

Asana

Bloomberg Connects

Google Workspace

MS Office

Job description

The Visitor Experience Lead Associate serves as a key shift supervisor and operational coordinator within the Visitor Experience Department at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). Rooted in JANM’s core ethos of warmth, active listening, thoughtful engagement, and cultural respect, the Visitor Experience Lead ensures a premier, welcoming experience for all museum guests.

Reporting directly to the Visitor Experience Manager, the Visitor Experience Lead provides front-line floor direction, shift guidance, and break coordination to Visitor Experience Associates. The Visitor Experience Lead Associate opens and closes ticketing operations, enforces cash handling and financial controls, oversees venue setup for indoor galleries and outdoor campus events, addresses first-tier visitor escalations, and performs direct front-line visitor service duties. This role operates across both climate-controlled indoor venues and outdoor plaza spaces on a flexible schedule that includes regular weekend and evening hours.

• Serve as shift supervisor when the Visitor Experience Manager is off-site. Review daily schedules of visitor groups, school tours, and public events with Visitor Experience Associates on duty. Coordinate floor rotations and break schedules across galleries, front desk, Hirasaki National Resource Center, and outdoor stations to maintain seamless staff coverage and high service standards.
• Open and close ticketing desks daily. Balance cash drawers, ensure Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, credit card terminals, and ticketing software (Altru CRM) are operational, verify daily deposit accuracy, secure end-of-day cash deposits, and reconcile and submit accurate daily sales reports to the Finance Office. Criminal Background check is required.
• Serve as the primary floor contact for Visitor Experience Associates handling complex visitor inquiries, customer service complaints, accessibility requests, or gallery policy questions. De-escalate challenging situations with empathy, active listening, and sound judgment in alignment with JANM policies.
• Oversee daily operational setup for public spaces, indoor galleries, programs, and events. Maintain supplies, set up and strike wayfinding signage, ticketing banners, and visitor engagement collateral across indoor and outdoor campus spaces. Verify that gallery lighting, multimedia features, digital displays (Bloomberg Connects, AR/VR), and staff communication devices are charged and fully functioning.
• Perform all core Visitor Experience Associate duties during assigned shifts: greeting visitors with warmth, selling general admission and event tickets, sharing exhibition information, guiding group check-ins, and fostering a culture of belonging for all guests.
• Actively monitor assigned gallery posts and outdoor program areas to protect museum collections and ensure visitor safety. Document and report any facilities issues, rule violations, safety concerns, or unusual incidents promptly to Security, Facilities, and Exhibitions teams.
• Staff members must be able to work with visitors of all ages to support the various events sponsored by the Museum. Each staff member will be expected to work on a minimum of three museum-wide events per year:
  • JANM’s Gala & Online Auction-(off-site) typically held in the Spring (April-May)
  • JANM’s Oshogatsu Family Festival (usually 1st Sunday in January)
  • JANM’s Natsumatsuri Family Festival (Saturday in August)

This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary. Incumbent will perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions outlined above.

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree preferred; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience/Knowledge

Minimum of two (2) years of experience in customer service, visitor services, retail, or hospitality within a museum or cultural institution. Strong team leadership, de-escalation skills, and ability to prioritize and manage shift tasks under fluctuating visitor volumes. Ability to work well in a team environment and independently is imperative.

Communication

Exceptional verbal, written, and active listening skills. Proven ability to provide empathetic, courteous, and clear communication to visitors, volunteers, team members, and leadership in one-on-one and group settings. Ability to read, interpret, and implement operational procedures and safety guidelines.

Computer

Computer literate and proficient in the following digital platforms, with hands-on experience in POS and ticketing systems (Altru CRM preferred), Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive), and MS Office. Familiarity with project management tools (Asana) and digital visitor applications (Bloomberg Connects) is preferred.

Math

Demonstrated ability to accurately handle cash, process credit card transactions, balance registers, calculate discounts, reconcile daily sales totals, and manage end-of-day deposit procedures.

Reasoning

Ability to exercise initiative and sound judgment in fast-paced operational environments. Strong de-escalation, conflict resolution, and practical decision-making skills. Ability to carry out written and oral instructions and handle challenges with professional composure.

Physical

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The Visitor Experience Lead Associate position is a regular, full-time position. Please note, however, that this is an at-will position, meaning that your employment may be terminated at any time, with or without notice, and with or without cause. There is, in other words, no guarantee that you will be employed until any date in the future.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To: Visitor Experience Manager

Positions Supervised: None. Provides shift-level guidance, station assignments, break coordination, and floor leadership to Visitor Experience Associates and unit volunteers. Does not have formal hiring or firing authority.