Manager of Guest Programs

Open To External And Internal Candidates•Williamsburg, VA

About The Position

The Manager of Guest Programs leads the design and delivery of mid-to-high-premium paid Guest programs across the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This role turns Colonial Williamsburg’s historic sites, historic trades, collections, subject-matter expertise, and hospitality resources into curated experiences for individual Guests and group audiences. The Manager works in partnership with Tom Savage, Director of Educational Travel and Conferences, to build programs that strengthen revenue, growth, and profitability for the Foundation while advancing its educational mission and standards for service excellence.

Requirements

University degree in Hospitality Management, Public History, Museum Studies, Business Administration, Education, Tourism, Economic Development, or a related field preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in guest programs, educational travel, museum programming, cultural tourism, hospitality, conferences, or premium experience design.
Demonstrated success moving program concepts from idea through execution.
Experience building budgets, pricing models, enrollment goals, or revenue-producing programs.
Strong project management skills with the ability to coordinate logistics across multiple teams.
Knowledge of the City of Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg, colonial American history, public history, or heritage tourism preferred.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to work effectively with internal experts, operational partners, and premium Guests.

Nice To Haves

Creative program design
Guest experience judgment
Revenue awareness and financial discipline
Cross-functional collaboration
Operational follow-through
Historical stewardship and mission alignment
Service orientation and hospitality mindset

Responsibilities

Ideate, develop, and implement a portfolio of mid-to-high-premium paid Guest programs grounded in Colonial Williamsburg’s mission of preservation, education, and world-class Guest service.
Design programs of varying length and focus, including multi-hour experiences, single-day immersions, multi-day programs, custom group offerings, and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Translate historic assets and internal expertise into world-class Guest experiences that are distinctive, credible, and financially sound.
Benchmark designs against best practices from comparable programs across a range of for-profit and non-profit industries.
Partner with Tom Savage, Director of Educational Travel and Conferences, to shape program themes, itineraries, access points, and learning moments that create premium value propositions for Guests.
Ensure that each program reflects Colonial Williamsburg’s standards for historical integrity, stewardship, and service excellence.
Coordinate with hospitality and operational partners on meals, lodging, room blocks, transportation, access, and other Guest needs.
Develop pricing models, budgets, enrollment targets, and revenue expectations for each program.
Evaluate intersections with current donor group-related programs and experiences to delineate and differentiate offerings.
Evaluate opportunities to monetize Colonial Williamsburg physical assets, historical assets, collections, interpretive content, and subject-matter expertise.
Collaborate with marketing, sales, development, and communications to identify target audiences, position programs clearly, and refine programs based on demand.
Serve as the primary coordinator for program planning across departments that provide content, access, staffing, or operational support.
Build strong working relationships with interpreters, curators, educators, tradespeople, hospitality leaders, and operational teams.
Prepare program briefings, schedules, staffing plans, and leadership updates while resolving operational conflicts before they affect the Guest experience.
Develop a Guest Programs Performance Dashboard integrating key organizational indicators such as: Program revenue and margin Enrollment and conversion rates Guest satisfaction / Net Promoter Score (NPS) Repeat participation and referral rates Service recovery response rates Cross-department staffing and support needs
Regularly present insights to the AVP HR, Organizational Culture and other leaders, linking program results to revenue, mission impact, and Guest experience quality.