The Walker Art Center empowers people to experience the transformative possibilities of the art and ideas of our time and to imagine the world in new ways. Throughout our more than 125-year history, the Walker has become one of the most celebrated art museums in the country, recognized for innovative presentations and acclaimed collections of contemporary visual, performing, and media arts.
The Role
The Associate Director, Visitor and Gallery Experience provides strategic and operational leadership for the Walker’s visitor-facing experience, gallery operations, tours, and institutional events.
This position directly supervises four roles. Working through this management and professional team, the Associate Director establishes departmental strategy, service standards, staffing frameworks, performance expectations, and operating practices that support an exceptional, accessible, and welcoming experience for Walker visitors.
The Associate Director leads through managers, develops department leaders, and ensures that public-facing teams have the direction, training, resources, and support needed to succeed.
Reporting to the Head of Operations, the Associate Director serves as a strong advocate for the visitor perspective and uses audience feedback, operational data, and frontline insights to influence institutional planning and decision-making.
What You Get to Do
- Lead Visitor and Gallery Experience
- Develop and lead a comprehensive visitor and gallery experience strategy aligned with the Walker’s mission, audience goals, and commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
- Provide leadership, direction, coaching, and accountability to four direct reports.
- Establish consistent service standards, operating expectations, and departmental priorities.
- Create alignment across Visitor Experience, Gallery Experience, tours, and event operations.
- Maintain overall accountability for admissions, ticketing, membership sales, gallery operations, visitor assistance, tours, and front-of-house event support.
- Advocate for visitor needs and public-facing operational realities in institutional planning and decision-making.
- Maintain an informed and visible presence in public areas while empowering managers to lead daily operations.
- Develop Managers and Teams
- Strengthen managers’ skills in supervision, communication, employee development, conflict resolution, performance management, and operational planning.
- Hold managers accountable for effective scheduling, supervision, training, communication, and performance.
- Oversee the development and continuous improvement of public-facing training programs.
- Ensure training addresses customer service, accessibility, cultural competency, gallery practices, ticketing systems, emergency procedures, and conflict de-escalation.
- Partner with Human Resources on employee relations, labor relations, accommodations, investigations, performance management, and workforce planning.
- Support consistent administration of applicable collective bargaining agreements and constructive labor-management relationships.
- Workforce planning and Operational Readiness
- Ensure staffing plans and service levels appropriately support exhibitions, tours, performances, events, and changing attendance patterns.
- Review staffing models, labor utilization, and operational readiness to balance service, employee wellbeing, contractual obligations, and financial resources.
- Provide senior-level guidance for complex visitor concerns, employee matters, operational disruptions, and service recovery.
- Ensure event plans address visitor flow, staffing, communication, and operational readiness.
- Oversee gallery and tour scheduling, including processes for resolving scheduling conflicts and competing institutional priorities.
- Partner across Security, Facilities, Curatorial Affairs, Performing Arts, Public Engagement, Membership, Development, Retail, and other departments to coordinate visitor-facing operations.
- Use Data to Improve Experience
- Establish departmental key performance indicators related to visitor satisfaction, accessibility, participation, revenue, staffing, and operational effectiveness.
- Partner with the Marketing team to analyse, interpret, and create action from visitor feedback, attendance data, transaction trends, and public-facing observations.
- Prepare departmental reports and recommendations that translate data into actionable insights.
- Use information and feedback to improve service, training, staffing, systems, and the overall visitor journey.
- Ensure visitor and public-facing perspectives are elevated and considered in institutional decision-making.
- Manage Systems, Budgets, and Communication
- Develop and manage the annual department budget in partnership with the Head of Operations and Finance team.
- Monitor staffing expenses, operating costs, earned revenue, and departmental forecasts.
- Maintain accountability for cash-handling, reconciliation, ticketing, admissions, membership sales, and financial controls.
- Work closely with the Tessitura Administrator to support effective ticketing and customer relationship management operations.
- Ensure accurate and timely completion of required departmental reporting.
- Establish clear communication practices so frontline employees receive timely information about programs, exhibitions, events, policies, and building operations.
- Represent Visitor and Gallery Experience in institutional planning, fundraising, and cross-departmental initiatives.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
What We Need in You
- Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience leading visitor experience, customer service, hospitality, admissions, venue operations, events, or another complex public-facing function.
- At least three years of experience directly supervising managers, professional staff, or leaders responsible for frontline teams.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through others, develop managers, delegate effectively, and hold teams accountable for results.
- Experience overseeing multiple interconnected operational functions in a high-volume or complex environment.
- Strong experience developing service standards, training programs, staffing strategies, operating procedures, and performance measures.
- Proven ability to manage complex visitor, employee, and operational situations with sound judgment, diplomacy, and professionalism.
- Strong supervisory, coaching, team-building, conflict-resolution, and performance-management skills.
- Experience working effectively with diverse employees, audiences, and communities.
- Strong budget management, labor-cost oversight, financial reporting, and cash-control experience.
- Experience using data and feedback to guide decisions and improve operations.
- Experience with ticketing, point-of-sale, CRM, scheduling, event-management, or database systems.
- Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and cross-functional communication skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office or comparable workplace technology.
- Ability to clearly communicate and support the Walker’s mission, programs, policies, and visitor expectations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading managers who supervise union-represented employees.
- Knowledge of collective bargaining agreement administration, labor-management relationships, or grievance processes.
- Experience in a museum, performing arts organization, cultural institution, event venue, hospitality organization, or public-facing nonprofit.
- Experience overseeing event operations, gallery scheduling, tours, or cross-functional program logistics.
- Experience with Tessitura or a comparable ticketing and CRM platform.
- Experience developing accessible and inclusive visitor-service practices.
- Interest in contemporary art, film, performance, and interdisciplinary cultural programming.
Physical Requirements and Work Environment
- Ability to regularly work Tuesday - Saturday, with occasional evening, Sunday, and holiday work based on Walker programs and events.
- Ability to work at a desk and use a computer for prolonged periods.
- Ability to frequently walk and move throughout galleries, public spaces, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and administrative offices.
- Ability to stand or move for portions of the workday while supporting museum operations.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 15 pounds.
- Ability to work in active public environments with changing attendance levels and operational demands.
Job Specifications
- This position is considered full-time, exempt. As an exempt position, it is not eligible for overtime pay. The minimum compensation for this role is $81,500.00 annually.
- Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution; paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.
- This position is not eligible for relocation assistance.
- All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship.
Walker’s DEI commitment The Walker is committed to being an employer with a staff who, at all job levels, reflects the rich diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We are dedicated to ensuring inclusion and equity in all our employment practices. We deeply value and welcome all the unique lived experiences in our applicants and encourage anyone meeting the minimum requirements to apply.
E-Verify Participation Notice Walker Art Center participates in E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
For more information, please review the following notices:
- E-Verify Participation Poster (English/Spanish)
- Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish)
