Director of Visitor Experience

About Historic Yellow Springs

Historic Yellow Springs is a living village steeped in a distinguished history, tradition, and folklore that stirs the imagination of those who visit. The village spans 300 years of American history. Today, the village includes 11 buildings and 142 acres. HYS continues to host a wide range of fine art, sculpture and ceramic classes for adults, teens and children, boasts some of the best art shows in the area, contains a beautiful venue for weddings and events and hosts numerous trails for all who visit to enjoy, including passing the Revolutionary War hospital commissioned by then General Washington.

Our Mission

The mission of Historic Yellow Springs, Inc. is to share, preserve and celebrate the unique living village of Yellow Springs.

Job Summary

The Director of Visitor Experience & Operations provides support and leadership for the organization’s visitor-facing departments, including events, weddings, volunteer engagement, tours, and retail operations. While supervising staff responsible for specific program delivery, the Director’s primary focus is on enhancing the visitor experience, increasing opportunities for earned revenue, and ensuring the growth and success of visitor centric operations. This position oversees retail operations, develops new visitor-centered revenue opportunities, and implements processes that engage viewers and encourage repeat engagement through educational programs, volunteering, retail, and site engagement. Working collaboratively across the organization, the Director ensures that visitor engagement activities are well-managed, financially sustainable, and aligned with Historic Yellow Springs’ mission and long-term goals.

Essential Job Functions

1. Visitor Experience Leadership & Department Oversight
   • Provide leadership and supervision for staff responsible for events, weddings, volunteer programs, tours, and visitor services.
   • Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and service standards that ensure consistent, high-quality visitor experiences.
   • Monitor departmental performance, visitor feedback, and operational effectiveness to identify opportunities for improvement.
   • Collaborate with organizational leadership to align visitor-facing operations with strategic goals and institutional priorities.
   • Ensure a welcoming, accessible, and mission-driven experience across all public-facing activities.
2. Earned Revenue Growth & Retail Operations
   • Oversee retail operations, including merchandising, inventory management, product development, pricing, and sales performance.
   • Develop and implement strategies to increase earned revenue through retail, visitor amenities, and mission-aligned product offerings.
   • Identify and evaluate new revenue-generating opportunities connected to visitor experiences, events, tours, and site usage.
   • Analyze sales and visitor data to improve profitability, customer engagement, and operational efficiency.
   • Work with staff and partners to enhance the visitor journey through value-added experiences and services.
3. Business Development, Systems & Operational Excellence
   • Develop and refine systems that improve the efficiency, profitability, and effectiveness of on site visitor interactions.
   • Create tools, systems, and experiences from a customer centric perspective that help communicate and endear visitors to the mission and organization.
   • Oversee budgets, financial tracking, contracts, and operational processes related to visitor-facing activities.
   • Foster collaboration across departments to ensure visitor engagement, earned revenue, marketing, and programmatic goals are aligned.
4. Be an engaged team member to promote personal growth and development of best practices in the department
   • Provide program support for other organizational programs or activities as needed
   • Attend meetings, trainings and key program events as determined by program staff
   • Responds to emails and approval requests in a timely manner
   • Maintain positive interactions in promotion and retention of Yellow Springs operations and activities
   • Actively engage in brainstorming and review exercises

Competency Requirements

• Management skills: Ability to motivate, coach, and develop employees, contractors, and volunteers
• Interpersonal skills: Ability to build relationships, negotiate, and manage challenges
• Organizational and time management skills
• Cultural competency: Ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word)

Education and Experience

• A high school diploma or GED
• 3+ years of proven people management experience
• 5+ years of retail, sales, or related experience
• Experience CRM, Email, or class registration software preferred
• Experience with Square or other POS sales systems preferred

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Works primarily indoors in open office environment
• Works regular hours; some evening and weekend hours are required
• Occasional physical demands associated with carrying/moving art materials and supplies, installing exhibitions; must be able to climb ladders and lift a maximum of 25 lbs.
• Individuals must be able to move freely about the work site.
• Individuals must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.