Manager, Tours & Visitor Experiences

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$69,000 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager of Tours & Experiences is responsible for leading the operational management, training strategy, facilitation standards, and continuous improvement of all on-site guided experiences at the Museum of Tolerance. Reporting within the Education department, this role ensures that visitor-facing educational programming is delivered with consistency, professionalism, pedagogical rigor, and operational excellence. This position provides direct leadership to the Museum’s tour guides, ensuring that every visitor experience reflects the Museum’s core educational principles: inquiry-driven learning, emotional engagement, historical accuracy, and civic relevance. The role will oversee onboarding, training, coaching, scheduling coordination, performance management, and facilitation quality across a team of part-time educators. The Manager will work closely with the Floor Coordinators and broader Education leadership to strengthen systems, standardize processes, and support a high-performing visitor experience operation.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in museum education, experiential learning, visitor engagement, or public-facing educational programming
Demonstrated experience managing educators, facilitators, docent programs, or visitor experience teams
Strong leadership, coaching, and staff development experience
Experience developing training programs, operational processes, or professional development initiatives
Excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills
Ability to balance educational quality with operational execution in a fast-paced environment
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple teams and stakeholder groups

Nice To Haves

Experience in Holocaust education, social justice education, civic engagement, or dialogue-based programming
Familiarity with inquiry-based learning, SEL frameworks, experiential education, or facilitation methodology
Experience managing part-time educator teams, volunteer programs, or distributed facilitation staff
Background in visitor experience operations or educational program management within museums or nonprofit institutions

Responsibilities

Provide supervision, leadership, and training to part-time tour guides and visitor-facing facilitators
Partner closely with Floor Coordinators to support daily operations, staffing continuity, and visitor experience quality
Lead recruitment, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts for tour guide staff
Establish clear expectations, accountability measures, and performance standards across the guide team
Conduct regular observations, coaching sessions, evaluations, and performance conversations
Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and professional team culture centered on continuous growth and learning
Support employee engagement, communication, and staff development initiatives
Design, implement, and oversee a comprehensive facilitator training and certification program for tour guides and volunteers
Create standardized onboarding materials, facilitation resources, and operational training processes
Lead ongoing professional development workshops, calibration sessions, and facilitation refreshers
Ensure all facilitators are trained in inquiry-based learning practices, visitor engagement strategies, classroom management, and Museum pedagogy
Partner with Education Content & Learning teams to align facilitation practices with institutional educational goals and updated content
Develop facilitation rubrics and quality assurance measures to support consistency across all tours and experiences
Oversee operational workflows related to guided tours and visitor experiences
Collaborate with Floor Coordinators on staffing schedules, coverage planning, and daily program logistics
Support the development of scalable staffing structures that align with tour demand, visitor volume, and budget considerations
Improve operational efficiencies, communication systems, and internal processes related to tour execution
Ensure seamless coordination between Education, Museum Operations, Visitor Services, and volunteer teams
Help maintain operational readiness for approximately 100 weekly tours and educational experiences
Establish and uphold high standards for inquiry-driven, emotionally engaging, and historically grounded facilitation
Ensure all visitor experiences reflect the Museum’s educational philosophy, mission, and institutional values
Observe tours regularly and provide actionable coaching and developmental feedback
Monitor visitor feedback and identify opportunities for continuous improvement
Ensure facilitators are prepared to engage thoughtfully with diverse audiences and sensitive historical subject matter
Work collaboratively with the Volunteer Coordinator to support meaningful volunteer engagement within the visitor experience model
Partner with Education leadership, curriculum teams, and content specialists to ensure guides are equipped with current materials and institutional messaging
Collaborate with MMOT and broader Education teams to align facilitation standards and best practices across programs
Serve as a key operational and communication partner across departments supporting visitor engagement initiatives
Develop and maintain systems for tracking tour volume, staffing metrics, visitor feedback, training completion, and facilitation performance
Use data and operational insights to inform staffing recommendations, training priorities, and process improvements
Identify opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency, and overall visitor experience outcomes
Support departmental planning efforts, including staffing models, workflow improvements, and long-term operational strategy