Guest Services manager

Job Title Guest Services Manager
Department: Guest Services
Reports To: Head of Retail Operations and Guest Services
Status: Full-Time (Salaried)
Location: The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
Schedule: 40 hours per week/including weekends and select evenings, 9:30-5:30 Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Shift start/end time to be adjusted for Pa5, 3rd Thursday, other special events as needed.
Salary: $49,000 – $53,560/annually

POSITION OBJECTIVE:
The Guest Services Manager reports daily to Head of Retail Operations and Guest Services and is responsible for leading and coordinating all aspects of the daily guest experience at The Phillips Collection. This role ensures that all guests, whether first-time visitors, members, or long-standing supporters, receive a warm, welcoming, and inclusive experience that reflects the museum’s mission and values of bringing guests and artists together in the spirit of inspiration, discovery and excellence.
This role oversees frontline staff and daily operations related to admissions, membership and shop sales along with wayfinding, lobby experience, and guest experience. The Manager leads with empathy and professionalism, instills a culture of exceptional service, and collaborates across departments to ensure that the museum’s public-facing experience meets the highest standards of care, inclusion, and operational excellence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Guest Services & Frontline Operations
• Oversees all aspects of daily front-of-house operations including admissions, membership and shop sales.
• Hires, train, supervise and schedule guest service associates; provide ongoing training and performance evaluation.
• Cultivates a service-focused team culture grounded in hospitality, excellence, DEAI priorities and institutional values.
• Cultivates long-term strategic priorities in guest experience and audience development
• Develops and maintains training and protocol materials and manuals.
• Ensures frontline staff are fully prepared to communicate museum policies, ticketing information, exhibition highlights, and accessibility offerings.
• Troubleshoots real-time guest issues with professionalism, care, and alignment with institutional values.
• Ensures accurate and efficient use of the museum’s ticketing system (e.g., Altru), and coordinates with the communications and programming departments to manage ticketing inventory and capacity for successful outcomes.
• Creates on-sale ticketing perimeters for all ticketed programs, including daily general entry. Configures and oversees the look and functionality of reservations web forms and coordinates post purchase communications originating from the museum’s CRM and from other email platforms as necessary. Monitors and evaluates the online user experience of webforms.
• Responds promptly and effectively to guest inquiries, concerns, complaints, and incidents with empathy and professionalism.
• Works in partnership with security and facilities to ensure safe and welcoming public spaces.
• Supports the implementation of initiatives that promote accessibility, inclusion, and hospitality across the museum’s public spaces.

Administrative & Financial Oversight
• Create staffing schedules and manage timekeeping, payroll submissions, and coverage planning.
• Oversee daily admission reconciliations, cash handling protocols, and coordination with finance for end-of-day reporting.
• Maintain supply and marketing material inventories for guests and budget documentation as needed.
• Assist Guest Experience Manager in monitoring guest service metrics and generating reports on attendance, feedback, and trends.
• Contribute to departmental budgeting, ticket pricing, and earned income strategies.
• Represent the guest services department in cross-departmental planning and debriefs.
• Facilitates the scheduling and payment of group reservations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality, museum studies, arts administration, or a related field—or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of supervisory experience in visitor services, guest relations, or hospitality.
• Proven leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with commitment to staff development and inclusive team culture.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills with a guest-first mindset.
• Familiarity with ticketing systems and CRMs (Altru, Tessitura).
• Availability to work some evenings, weekends, and holidays to support museum programming.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills; able to remain calm and composed in fast-paced or high-volume environments.
• Able to stand, bend, crawl, reach high ceilings, climb ladders, etc.
• Interest in art, museums, and public engagement is strongly encouraged.

The Phillips Collection is an equal opportunity employer of qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. All employment decisions and personnel actions are conducted without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic disposition or carrier status, marital status, veteran status, personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Employment at The Phillips Collection is at-will. At-will means that you may terminate your employment at any time for any reason with or without notice and that The Phillips may terminate your employment at any time for any reason.