Museum Manager Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary:

The Senior Manager of Retail Operations provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the museum’s guest-facing departments, ensuring exceptional service and driving revenue growth. This position is responsible for the day-to-day leadership of Guest Services, Memberships, Reservations and Celebrations, the Museum Store, and Divy’s Grab and Go Café. The Senior Manager of Retail Operations is a key operational leader; serving as the Manager on Duty during weekends and other assigned shifts, providing visible leadership, supporting staff, responding to operational issues, and ensuring a safe, welcoming, and high-quality guest experience throughout the museum.

The ideal candidate knows how to build and lead strong teams, deliver consistent service standards, respond calmly in high-volume environments, and turn guest engagement into repeat visitation and revenue growth. Success in this position will be demonstrated through measurable growth in earned revenue, increased membership acquisition and retention, operational efficiency, and the development of engaged, high-performing teams. The Senior Manager of Retail Operations will create a welcoming guest experience while supporting the museum's mission and contributing to the organization's long-term financial sustainability.

Essential Functions/Major Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership

• Works collaboratively with the CFOO to ensure smooth, effective, and mission-aligned daily museum operations.
• Provides day-to-day leadership and operational oversight for Guest Services, Memberships, Reservations and Celebrations, the Museum Store, and Divy’s Grab and Go Cafe.
• Serves as Manager on Duty during weekends and assigned shifts, providing visible leadership, responding to guest and staff needs, and addressing operational issues in real time.
• Develops, implements, and continuously improves operational procedures, workflows, and service standards to promote consistency, safety, efficiency, and outstanding guest experience.
• Ensures assigned departments operate in compliance with museum policies, food safety requirements, cash-handling procedures, and applicable regulations.

Leadership & Staff Development

• Provides direct supervision, coaching, mentoring, and performance management for assigned managers, and staff in Guest Services, Divy’s, and Reservations.
• Builds engaged, high-performing teams by supporting recruitment, onboarding, training, scheduling, and ongoing employee development.
• Creates a positive, collaborative work environment where accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement are expected.
• Conduct semi-monthly one-on-one meetings with each direct report to ensure accountability and professional growth.
• Conducts regular department staff meetings, check-ins, and performance evaluations to ensure clear communication, alignment, and follow-through.
• Oversight of staff schedules to ensure adequate coverage for 6-day-week museum operations.
• Maintain clear and consistent communication with the Chief Finance & Operations Officer (CFOO) regarding staffing and performance matters and involving the CFOO when needed.

Revenue Growth & Business Performance

• Develops and executes strategies that increase earned revenue across retail, cafe, memberships, admissions, reservations, and celebrations.
• Monitors labor costs, inventory performance, waste, sales trends, and other key financial indicators to support sound business decisions.
• Uses data, analytics, point-of-sale reporting, and departmental KPIs to identify opportunities for growth, efficiency, and improved profitability.
• Partners with other departments to improve workflows, strengthen sales practices, manage expenses, and create new revenue opportunities.

Membership Growth & Guest Experience

• Develops and executes strategies to foster membership acquisition, renewal, retention, and member engagement.
• Establishes and reinforces guest-service standards that create a welcoming, safe, and high-quality experience for children, families, members, visitors, and community partners.
• Responds to guest feedback, service concerns, and operational challenges with professionalism, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented approach.
• Identifies opportunities to convert guest engagement into repeat visitation, membership growth, celebrations, retail sales, cafe sales, and other earned-revenue activity.

Collaboration & Strategic Planning

• Collaborates with the CFOO, leadership team, and assigned departments to align operational priorities with organizational goals and long-term financial sustainability.
• Tracks departmental performance, prepares updates as needed, and recommends operational improvements based on data, trends, and staff and guest feedback.
• Supports cross-department communication and planning to ensure smooth execution of museum programs, events, visitor services, retail operations, café operations, and reservations.
• Contributes to annual planning, budgeting conversations, and strategic initiatives related to operational excellence, guest experience, staff development, and earned revenue growth.

Position Requirements:

• Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize competing responsibilities.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple departments in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, labor, inventory, and operational metrics.
• Proven ability to drive revenue growth and improve operational performance.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly and effectively to staff, leadership, and stakeholders.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to positively motivate and develop others.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Commitment to fostering a workplace where collaboration, innovation, accountability, and positive attitudes are valued.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission and core values of Imagine Children's Museum.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, evenings, holidays, and occasional extended hours.

Education and/or Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of successful supervisory or management experience with progressive responsibility.
• Demonstrated success driving revenue growth, improving operational performance, and leading high-performing teams.
• Experience managing multiple operational departments within retail, hospitality, attractions, entertainment, museums, or similar guest-focused organizations.
• Experience using point-of-sale systems and business reporting tools to analyze performance and support decision-making.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Retail Management, Operations Management, or a related field preferred.

Supervisory Responsibility:

Guest Services, Reservations & Celebrations, Divy’s Grab & Go Café, and Memberships/Store Coordinators, and additional staff as assigned.

Work Environment:

The work environment is representative of a dynamic children's museum with active exhibits, retail operations, food service, and public spaces. The position requires frequent interaction with children, families, volunteers, and staff while maintaining a visible leadership presence. While performing the duties of this job, the employee works in a typical interactive exhibit environment with moderate noise levels.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly required to sit for long periods of time and occasionally lift and or move up to 25 pounds.
• Regularly required to stand and walk for long periods of time, climb ladders and stairs.
• Independent body mobility to access a standard office environment with shelves and drawers of varying heights.
• Vision sufficient to read a computer screen, 12 point and finer printed text, and handwritten documents.
• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard on a daily basis.
• Speak and hear sufficiently to communicate clearly in person, over the telephone, and in small groups.
• Mental stamina for problem solving and dealing with stressful situations; prioritizing multiple tasks; interpreting and applying oral/written instructions.
• Ability to bend, carry, reach to the side, front and overhead, push, pull, walk, stand, twist and squat, grab, squeeze are repetitive motions required of the position.

This is a full-time position, onsite in Everett. The pay is $40-$42 an hour depending on experience.

Candidates must be available to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, evenings, holidays, and occasional extended hours.

Benefits: All full-time employees receive accrued sick time, vacation time, anniversary appreciation day, medical/vision/dental insurance, Life AD&D, FSA, IRA, EAP, free museum membership, discounts, and other museum perks!

Please submit a cover letter with your application.