Director, Visitor Experience & Programming
Full-Time Term Position: To July 2025, extension subject to fundingHiring Manager: Melanie Kjorlien, COO & VP, EngagementClosing Date: October 22, 2023Salary: $114,000 – $138,000 annually
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to careers@glenbow.org.
Glenbow is an equal opportunity employer and values different perspectives, backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. Should you have special accommodation needs, please let us know.
All employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
About Glenbow
Situated in Calgary, Alberta, Glenbow is an arts and culture museum undergoing a complete transformation and reimagining of what a museum can be for the community.
Glenbow’s team is passionate and dedicated to making art accessible for everyone. Every member of our team, regardless of job title or description, is focused on serving our community and reimagining the museum experience.
As an integral part of Calgary’s community, the Glenbow team is focused on making arts and culture experiences accessible to everyone. We are dedicated community builders, working to shape the future of arts and culture in Calgary and beyond. Working at Glenbow also means you are part of an organization that recognizes its role in reconciliation and is working toward building an equitable community.
The Role
Glenbow seeks a director, visitor experience & programming to provide strong leadership and vision to help create the ideal visitor experience. Reporting to the chief operating officer, the director will develop and implement effective strategies, procedures and systems for visitor services and program areas such as school programs, adult and family programs as well as program spaces within the museum. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with all other departments to deliver quality visitor services and experiences for a broad range of audience groups in preparation for Glenbow’s reopening.
Role Responsibilities
The director is responsible for leading and delivering an innovative, inclusive and service-focused experience for all museum visitors that embodies Glenbow’s mission, vision and values. The director will develop strategies that support attendance and programming-related revenue goals, ultimately fostering long-term relationships with visitors and expanding the museum’s audience base. This position is an advocate for visitors and leads audience research and evaluation efforts to ensure visitor needs and expectations are incorporated into the museum’s operations and service delivery.
Working with the museum’s education and programming team, this position will lead the development of a suite of program offerings, including formal and informal learning experiences for diverse audiences that will utilize Glenbow’s unique exhibitions and collections as well as follow best practices in museum engagement, scholarship and learning theories.
Qualifications for this Role:
- Minimum seven years of related professional and progressive experience in a nonprofit visitor/public customer service operation required.
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in relevant discipline preferred.
- Demonstrated knowledge of current trends and best practices for increasing visitor attendance, engagement and satisfaction, as well as measuring visitor experience.
- Demonstrated commitment to the museum sector, with an interest in and enthusiasm for museums and their relevance to community.
- Relevant experience leading program development and coordination, with knowledge of and experience in formal and informal learning and museum programming.
- Proven track record of managing and mentoring a large team in a fast-paced visitor-centred environment; ability to motivate and develop staff to perform at high standards and provide superior service to visitors.
- Creative, strategic thinker with proven project management and program management experience as well as an audience-focused approach.
- Excellent organization, planning and administrative skills with an ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple activities to meet deadlines.
- Well-devveloped verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate effectively with the public, staff, vendors and contractors.
- Superb interpersonal skills and diplomacy, with proven ability to work collaboratively with the institution as well as build relationships with external constituencies.
- Must be able to work a flexible schedule to include weekends, holidays and special events; willingness to travel and attend out-of-hours functions as required.
- Must have working knowledge of MS Office products and other related applications; knowledge of ticketing systems, POS systems and museum management databases helpful.
Benefits of working at Glenbow
We recognize there are many reasons to believe in your work — and that everyone deserves to be valued, be part of a caring culture, be compensated fairly and be part of building our community.
Flexible work environment: We know having flexibility in how you work is important in today’s workplace. From hybrid working options, flexible hours and more, Glenbow offers ways to achieve the balance you’re looking for in your life.
Health & wellness benefits: We believe in physical and mental well-being. Our benefits package supports you and your family in your ongoing health.
RRSP matching: Glenbow matches employee RRSP contributions, up to 5%. Employees structure their retirement savings how they choose and Glenbow tops up those contributions.
