Visitor Experience Manager at Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum Closing date: 29 June, 2026[...]

Working Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week (occasional weekend and evening working required)

Contract: Fixed contract, 2 years

Salary: £30,000 per annum

Location: Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum

About The Smith: Founded in 1874, The Smith is one of Scotland’s oldest museums and a major cultural organisation at the heart of Stirling’s community. As a free and independent charitable museum, they welcome thousands of visitors each year to our exhibitions, collections, events, learning programmes, café, shop, garden, and community activities.

Are you passionate about delivering excellent visitor experiences and leading teams in a welcoming, busy cultural environment? The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum is seeking an enthusiastic, organised, and customer‑focused Visitor Experience Manager to lead visitor‑facing operations and help deliver an exceptional experience for every visitor. This is a hands‑on operational management role with responsibility for visitor services, public engagement, retail activity, bookings, and the day‑to‑day presentation of visitor spaces across the museum. The successful candidate will manage and support staff and volunteers while contributing to the museum’s visitor engagement, accessibility, sustainability, and income‑generation objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Visitor Experience and Front of House Operations
  • Lead the daily operation of visitor‑facing services, ensuring a warm, professional, and inclusive welcome for all visitors.
  • Manage the welcome desk and oversee visitor flow throughout the museum.
  • Ensure galleries, reception, shop, and public areas are clean, safe, accessible, and well presented.
  • Provide visitors with accurate and engaging information about exhibitions, collections, events, activities, and museum facilities.
  • Handle visitor enquiries, feedback, and complaints professionally and efficiently.
  • Monitor visitor feedback and identify opportunities to improve the visitor experience and visitor journey.
  • Support the smooth delivery of exhibitions, events, school visits, learning activity, and busy visitor periods.
  • Support the delivery of engaging and accessible visitor experiences across the museum’s exhibitions, programmes, and events.
• Team Leadership and Volunteer Coordination
  • Recruit, train, supervise, schedule, and support front‑of‑house staff and volunteers.
  • Prepare staff and volunteer rotas to ensure effective operational cover.
  • Lead and motivate staff and volunteers to deliver consistently high standards of customer service and visitor engagement.
  • Provide inductions and ongoing training in visitor services, accessibility, safeguarding, and museum procedures.
  • Promote a positive, collaborative, and supportive working environment.
• Retail, Commercial Activity, and Operations
  • Oversee the day‑to‑day operation of the museum shop and associated visitor‑facing activity.
  • Ensure high standards of customer service, presentation, cleanliness, and merchandising.
  • Monitor stock levels, ordering, supplier relationships, and retail displays.
  • Support the development of retail products inspired by the museum’s collections, local heritage, and makers.
  • Contribute ideas and initiatives to support visitor engagement, retail sales, and income‑generation activity.
  • Support the development of visitor services and commercial activity to contribute to the museum’s long‑term sustainability.
  • Ensure cash handling and financial procedures are carried out accurately and securely.
• Bookings, Learning, and Community Engagement
  • Coordinate school visits, group bookings, room hire enquiries, guided visits, and community activities.
  • Liaise with schools, community groups, visitors, and external partners.
  • Support the delivery of workshops, outreach activities, learning programmes, and public events.
  • Assist with visitor communications, promotional activity, and audience engagement initiatives where required.
  • Support inclusive and accessible engagement opportunities for a wide range of audiences.
• Operations, Health and Safety
  • Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, safeguarding procedures, and museum policies.
  • Support security procedures within public areas and respond appropriately to incidents or emergencies.
  • Act as a keyholder.
  • Assist with operational administration and reporting related to visitor services, bookings, and retail activity.

Person Specification

• Experience working in a visitor‑facing role within a museum, gallery, heritage, hospitality, tourism, retail, or cultural environment.
• Experience overseeing retail or hospitality operations.
• Experience supervising, coordinating, or managing staff and/or volunteers.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Strong organisational and administrative abilities.
• Experience handling visitor enquiries and resolving issues professionally.
• Experience managing bookings, admissions, retail, hospitality, or front‑of‑house operations.
• Ability to work effectively in a busy public environment and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team while maintaining high standards of service.
• Understanding of accessible and inclusive visitor engagement.
• Commitment to equality, accessibility, and public engagement.
• Flexible and reliable approach to work, including occasional weekend and evening working.
• Experience working in a museum, gallery, or heritage organisation.
• Knowledge of Scottish heritage, museums, or local history.
• Experience using booking systems or ticketing platforms.
• Experience supporting commercial development or income‑generation activity.
• Experience supporting learning, audience engagement, or community programmes.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and covering letter to: jobs@thesmith.scot In your covering letter, please tell us why you are interested in the role and how your skills and experience meet the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. We would particularly like to hear about your experience in customer service, team leadership, visitor engagement, retail, hospitality, or working in a cultural, heritage, or community setting. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.