Head of Visitor Experience & Museum Operations

Salary: 56000.00 - 70000.00 per annum

Closing date: 18th August 2026

Contract type: Permanent

Interview dates: W/C 7th September

Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library. We believe everyones experience of health matters. Through our collections exhibitions and events in books and online we explore the past present and future of health.

Wellcome Collection opened in 2007 and currently welcomes around 400k visitors per year. We care for many thousands of items relating to health medicine and human experience including rare books artworks films and videos personal archives and objects. Were part ofWellcome a charitable foundation supporting science to help build a healthier future for everyone.

We are looking fora Head of Visitor Experience and Museum Operations to join our team.

Where in Wellcome will I be working

You will be leading the Visitor Experience & Museum Operations team within the Strategy Operations & Enterprises team reporting to the Managing Director.

The team is responsible for delivering an outstanding visitor experience while ensuring the safe efficient and effective day-to-day operation of Wellcome Collection alongside the delivery of a welcoming inclusive and engaging environment for all visitors ensuring every interaction reflects Wellcome Collections values and commitment to accessibility.

What will I be doing

You will lead the Visitor Experience & Museum Operations team within the Strategy Operations & Enterprises Directorate reporting directly to the Managing Director.

You will provide leadership for all aspects of front-of-house and museum operations ensuring visitors are safe informed and supported throughout their visit. Working collaboratively across the organisation you will ensure the seamless delivery of the daily public programme exhibitions and events balancing exceptional customer experience with operational excellence.

The role is responsible for developing and leading a high-performing team embedding a culture of continuous improvement inclusivity and service excellence. You will use visitor insights and operational data to drive improvements optimise resources and enhance the overall visitor journey while ensuring compliance with health and safety safeguarding security and operational policies.

As a key member of the Strategy Operations & Enterprises leadership team you will contribute to organisational planning and decision-making working in partnership with colleagues across curatorial learning commercial facilities security and public engagement functions to ensure Wellcome Collection continues to deliver an inspiring accessible and memorable experience for every visitor.

As Head of Visitor Experience and Museum Operations you will:

• Lead and motivate ahighlyperforming Visitor Experience and Engagement team that is effective creativeinclusiveand critically reflective to deliver visitor experienceobjectiveswhich produce meaningful interactions with our audiences.

• Develop and implement the delivery of a coherent and inclusive visitor experience strategyin line withWellcomesCollections strategy and priorities

• Lead and support the team to createdeliverand manage a strongprogrammeof visitor engagement achieving a high standard of innovation and delivery with measurable impact.

• Contribute to strategic and operational planning and management ofWellcomeCollectionas a member of theWellcomeCollectionLeadershipTeam.

• Oversee all day-to-day operations ensuring the museum runs safely efficiently and in line with its charitable mission.

• Be responsible foroverall co-ordination of thevenuesresponse to a building incident/emergency and to contribute toWellcomesbusiness continuity plan.

Is this job for me

If you are an experienced leader who is passionate about creating exceptional visitor experiences and leading high-performing operational teams this could be the role for you.

Youll thrive in this position if you enjoy balancing strategic thinking with operational delivery are confident making decisions in a fast-paced public environment and are motivated by creating welcoming inclusive and accessible spaces for diverse audiences.

Were looking for someone who:

• Has significant experience leading visitor experience front-of-house or museum operations within a cultural heritage visitor attraction or customer-facing environment.

• Is an inspiring people leader with a proven ability to build develop and motivate diverse teams creating a culture of inclusion accountability and continuous improvement.

• Can confidently lead complex daily operations balancing visitor needs commercial priorities public programming and operational risk.

• Has strong stakeholder management skills and enjoys working collaboratively across multiple teams to deliver shared outcomes.

• Is calm resilient and decisive with the ability to respond effectively to changing priorities and operational incidents.

• Has a strong commitment to equity diversity accessibility and inclusion ensuring everyone feels welcome and represented at Wellcome CollectionMost importantly youll be someone who believes that every visitor matters and is excited by the opportunity to shape experiences that are welcoming engaging and memorable for everyone who comes through our doors.

If these criteria resonate with your skills and experience we encourage you to apply.

To apply for this role pleasesubmitan update CV and answer 2 application questions todemonstratethat you meet theminimumrequirements for the role.

MinimumCriteria:

• Proven experience leading large visitor-facing or front-of-house teams in a museum gallery cultural institution or comparable high-volume public venue.

• Demonstrated ability to manage both day-to-day operations and contribute to strategic planning ensuring safe efficient and visitor-focused operations.

• Significant experience managing motivating coaching and developing multidisciplinary teams with responsibility for performance management and fostering collaboration.

• Experience leading organisational change implementing new initiatives and driving improvements that enhance visitor experience and operational effectiveness.

• Proven track record of operating at a senior leadership level influencing stakeholders and delivering results on time and within budget.

You can view the full Job Descriptionon our website

You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on ourwebsite

Our HybridWay ofWorking

We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment in which people can perform at their have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (TuesdayWednesdayand Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do

Diversity and Inclusion is a priority are committed to cultivating a fair andinclusiveenvironment where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includesmaking adjustmentsfor people who have a disability or long-term visitourwebsitefor more information on adjustments andaccessibility orcontact us

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