Job Description

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. In our over 125-year history, we have become one of the most celebrated art museums in the country and we are known for our innovative presentations and acclaimed collections of contemporary art across the spectrum of the visual, performing, and media arts.

The Gallery Experience Manager is responsible for leading the daily operation, staffing, and quality of the Walker’s gallery experience. This role supervises and develops the Gallery Assistant team, ensures gallery posts and public-facing spaces are properly staffed and prepared, and helps translate exhibitions, programs, access practices, visitor guidelines, and institutional priorities into clear daily guidance for front-line staff.

Working closely with Visitor Experience, Public Engagement, Learning & Impact, Curatorial, Security, Facilities, Registration/Collections, and other partners, the Gallery Experience Manager supports a welcoming, accessible, safe, and intellectually engaging museum experience while helping protect artworks, visitors, staff, and public spaces. The position requires a visible floor presence, strong people management, sound judgment, and the ability to coach staff through both high-volume public service and quieter gallery conditions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Gallery Operations and Daily Floor Leadership

• Lead day-to-day gallery operations, including opening and closing readiness, gallery post coverage, break rotations, floor logistics, visitor flow, and staffing adjustments during public hours, programs, and special events.
• Maintain a consistent on-floor leadership presence and serve as a point of escalation for Gallery Assistants, Visitor Experience staff, and visitors.
• Ensure Gallery Assistants are prepared with current information about exhibitions, installations, programs, accessibility resources, building conditions, visitor guidelines, and daily operational changes.
• Partner with Visitor Experience, Security, Facilities, Registration/Collections, and Curatorial teams to support safe and effective gallery operations, including incident response, environmental or facilities concerns, crowd movement, and visitor behavior issues.
• Support consistent implementation of museum guidelines and visitor policies in a manner that is clear, respectful, accessible, and aligned with Walker values.

Staff Supervision, Coaching, and Development

• Hire, onboard, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate part-time Gallery Assistants and other assigned gallery staff.
• Build a strong team culture grounded in hospitality, inclusion, accountability, curiosity, and care for visitors, artists, artworks, and colleagues.
• Develop and maintain training materials, shift briefings, talking points, and operating procedures that help staff deliver consistent visitor service and gallery stewardship.
• Provide real-time coaching on visitor engagement, art protection language, de-escalation, accessibility practices, wayfinding, attendance, punctuality, post coverage, and professional conduct.
• Address performance concerns promptly and document coaching, attendance, conduct, and performance issues in partnership with HR and department leadership.

Visitor Engagement, Accessibility, and Interpretation Support

• Help create a welcoming, accessible, audience-focused experience for a diverse population of visitors across the Walker’s galleries and public spaces.
• Coach staff to engage visitors through inquiry, wayfinding, exhibition awareness, and thoughtful conversation, while recognizing when visitors prefer independent looking.
• Coordinate with Public Engagement, Learning & Impact, Curatorial, Accessibility, and Communications staff to ensure front-line teams are prepared for exhibition content, sensory notes, access tools, audience questions, and public programs.
• Support visitor feedback practices by identifying patterns, concerns, and opportunities from front-line staff observations and visitor interactions.
• Contribute to a visitor experience culture that balances hospitality, learning, safety, accessibility, and respect for contemporary art practices.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

• Represent the gallery and front-line visitor experience perspective in relevant operational, exhibition, program, and planning meetings.
• Proactively identify and recommend improvements to gallery staffing models, visitor flow, visitor information, access practices, team communication, training, and daily operating procedures.
• Collaborate with colleagues across departments to prepare for exhibition openings, public programs, school/group visits, events, construction impacts, gallery closures, and other conditions that affect the visitor experience.
• Support department goals, institutional initiatives, and special projects that improve the quality, consistency, accessibility, and sustainability of the gallery experience.
• Perform other related duties as assigned, consistent with the role’s purpose and responsibilities.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in visitor experience, museum/public-facing operations, hospitality, arts and culture, education, retail, events, or a related environment.
• Minimum of one to two years of experience supervising, coaching, scheduling, training, or leading staff; experience with part-time or variable-schedule teams strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage daily floor operations in a public-facing environment, including competing priorities, visitor concerns, staffing changes, and time-sensitive decisions.
• Strong commitment to creating welcoming, inclusive, accessible, and respectful experiences for diverse visitors and staff.
• Comfort discussing contemporary art, exhibitions, public programs, and visitor questions; ability to learn and translate complex information into clear guidance for front-line staff.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate policies and expectations with warmth, clarity, and consistency.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and composure when responding to visitor concerns, conflicts, medical/safety situations, policy enforcement, or art protection issues.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage scheduling, communications, records, and administrative follow-through.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or similar tools; ability to learn ticketing, scheduling, radio, incident reporting, and other operational systems.
• Availability to work onsite during public hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, opening days, and special events as needed.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in a museum, contemporary art center, performing arts venue, cultural organization, or visitor-centered nonprofit.
• Experience with Tessitura or other ticketing/CRM systems, staff scheduling tools, visitor feedback tools, and radio communication systems.
• Experience supporting accessibility practices, sensory accommodations, multilingual visitor needs, school/group visits, or public programs.
• Experience partnering with cross functional teams.
• Bilingual or multilingual communication skills.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

• Regularly works onsite in galleries, lobbies, box office/public areas, offices, and event/program spaces.
• Requires prolonged periods of standing, walking, and moving through galleries and public areas
• Regular periods of desk/computer work.
• Must be able to remain alert and attentive in both high-volume and quiet gallery conditions.
• May occasionally lift, carry, or move materials up to 25 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• May need to communicate by radio or other devices and respond to time-sensitive operational needs.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

JOB SPECIFICATIONS 

• This position is considered full-time, exempt. As an exempt position, it is not eligible for overtime pay. 
• 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:

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