The Position 

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver seeks a dynamic individual to lead our Visitor Services Team. The Visitor Services Manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) ensures that all guests receive a welcoming, inclusive, and memorable experience that reflects the Museum’s mission. This role leads the Visitor Services team in delivering exceptional service, oversees retail operations to achieve sales targets and grow revenue, and manages day-to-day departmental operations with a focus on excellence and continuous improvement. The position requires strong leadership, a collaborative approach, and the ability to balance visitor experience, team management, and retail performance. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities 

Visitor Service Excellence 

• Lead by example to cultivate a culture of hospitality and service excellence across all visitor-facing teams. 
• Oversee and grow the Museum’s public tour program, group reservations, and related offerings; work to increase individual and group visitation and deepen engagement with diverse audiences. 
• Ensure Visitor Services staff are knowledgeable about exhibitions, programs, and membership offerings, empowering them to educate and engage visitors.
• Support membership acquisition and renewal by training team members to effectively communicate benefits at all levels. 
• Proactively address visitor concerns, resolving escalated issues with sensitivity and professionalism. 
• Partner with other departments to ensure smooth visitor experiences during programs, events, and special activities. 
• Regularly evaluate and recommend enhancements to the visitor journey, including ticketing, wayfinding, accessibility, and interpretive opportunities. 
• Act as an advocate for visitors of all abilities, backgrounds, and needs by collaborating across departments to ensure accessibility and inclusivity. 

Retail Operations

• Develop and implement retail strategies that support the Museum’s mission while driving onsite and online sales growth. 
• Oversee merchandising, display design, and inventory management, ensuring visual appeal, accuracy, and alignment with seasonal and programmatic themes.
• Manage the Museum Shop’s online presence, including product updates, order fulfillment, and customer communications. 
• Maintain merchandise backstock, storage areas, and retail systems with high levels of organization and efficiency. 
• Collaborate with Marketing to create promotions, campaigns, and communications that highlight retail offerings and grow visibility. 
• Work with Finance to ensure accurate cash-handling, point-of-sale integrity, and reconciliation of transactions. 
• Monitor inventory levels, gross margins, and sales performance; reorder and source merchandise to meet targets and expand offerings. 
• Maintain productive relationships with external vendors and service providers supporting Visitor Services and retail operations. 

Team Management, Leadership & Collaboration 

• Recruit, hire, train, and onboard Visitor Services staff, Managers on Duty, and Gallery Attendants across the Museum’s buildings (Fries + The Holiday Theatre).
• Provide consistent coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to foster a high-performing and motivated team. 
• Lead by example by being visible and present on the floor, modeling professional conduct, customer engagement, and teamwork. 
• Develop and maintain departmental training manuals, onboarding tools, and emergency response plans. 
• Create and manage schedules that balance operational needs with staff well-being.
• Conduct regular inspections of front-line areas to ensure readiness, cleanliness, and adherence to MCA Denver standards. 
• Build and sustain a team culture that values inclusivity, accountability, and professional growth. 
• Work across all MCA Denver Teams to integrate visitor experience seamlessly into exhibitions, programs and other ongoing engagements at both the Fries and Holiday locations. 

Finance, Operations & Administration 

• Manage departmental budget, including labor costs, retail performance, and operational expenses. 
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices, deposits, and audits in partnership with the Finance team. 
• Monitor and report on key performance metrics related to visitation, sales, and service.
• Proactively seek opportunities for efficiency and revenue growth within departmental operations 

Qualifications & Skills 

• Proven leadership experience in visitor services, retail management, or related fields, preferably within a cultural, nonprofit, or hospitality setting. 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to resolve conflicts and build positive relationships with staff and visitors. 
• Ability to manage competing priorities with sound judgment and a clear sense of how to sequence, delegate, and tackle tasks effectively. 
• Demonstrated success in driving sales and managing retail operations, both onsite and online. 
• Experience with ticketing, POS, or CRM systems. 
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities.
• Passion for art, culture, and engaging diverse audiences. 

Other Duties/​Responsibilities: Other assistance, as designated by museum leadership, to support the overall goals of the department and organization. Management retains the right to add or change duties and/​or responsibilities at any time. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: Oversees the work of part-time Visitor Services staff members. 

Responsibility for Confidentiality: The nature of this position requires safeguarding against the release of confidential and proprietary information of MCA. 

Contact with Others: This position will interact with managers at all levels and staff members across the organization, in addition to members of external organizations. 

Job Requirements and Experience 

Education: College degree preferred, or any equivalent combination of education and/​or experience. 

Experience: Requires a minimum of 3 years of experience in visitor services management, customer service leadership, or retail management, preferably in an arts or non-profit environment. 

Knowledge, Skills and Responsibilities 

Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Office, Google Suite, ticketing and point of sale experience as well as general math proficiency. 

Leadership, coaching, employee development, team-building and motivational skills. Demonstrated understanding of protocol and sensitivity to cultural diversity needs.

Ability to exercise composure and diplomacy at all times; demonstrate creative problem solving and conflict resolution skills. 

Requires excellent organizational skills, written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize work and tasks. Requires adaptability to produce and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-task environment, and the ability to work independently as well as part of a team. 

Schedule Availability: Flexible availability to work days, nights, weekends, and special events. 

Licenses/​Certifications: None. 

Physical Requirements 

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

Ability to speak, understand, and communicate in English effectively, in person and in writing. Ability to hear adequately in person and by phone, in personal and group settings. 

Ability to work with, and process information from, a variety of individuals and media (e.g. computers, projected images, printed materials), and sitting and/​or standing up to 8 hours per day. 

Mobility necessary to access various offices and a wide variety of meeting and museum settings. Mobility necessary to perform a variety of tasks that involve standing, walking, sitting, stooping, kneeling, bending and twisting, occasionally climbing stairs or using an elevator, possibly reaching chest high and overhead for materials. 

Ability to reach for, move and/​or lift up to 50 pounds and the use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. 

About Us 

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA Denver) is a nonprofit organization providing an innovative forum for contemporary art that inspires and challenges, creating understanding and dialogue about the art of our time. MCA Denver is paving a new path for a 21st century museum that is Both/​And: We are both advancing the field of contemporary art and providing a platform for creative expression, in the broadest sense of the term. We present both world-class exhibitions and quirky events, serious lectures and epic parties. We are both sophisticated and unpretentious. We welcome all audiences, celebrate all voices, and share all stories to provide one-of-a-kind experiences for our community. 

Our Core Values 

We are: 

Adventurous – We are risk-takers. We are creative, open, curious, and sometimes weird. Excellent – We strive to be the best in our field, we have high expectations, we believe in being resilient, creative problem-solvers, and professionals.

Human Centric – We are collaborative. We strive for emotional intelligence, and we value relationships. 

Inclusive – We are welcoming to all audiences, voices, and stories. We believe in being authentic and inclusive. We actively seek and engage with diverse perspectives. 

MCA Denver is committed in policy, principle, and practice to maintaining an environment that prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons. MCA Denver affirms its commitment to provide a welcoming and respectful work and educational environment, in which all individuals within the museum community may benefit from each other’s experiences and foster mutual respect and appreciation of divergent views. 

All employment decisions at MCA Denver are based on business needs, job requirements and individual applicant qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, or belief, ancestry, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), family or parental status, or any other status protected by law. MCA Denver will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. 

Our History 

MCA Denver was founded in 1996 by philanthropist Sue Cannon and a group of committed volunteers and artists who responded to the community’s need for a contemporary art museum in Denver. In 2007, we opened our 27,000-square foot, environmentally sustainable facility in the Riverfront neighborhood of LoDo Denver. Our building has five galleries on two floors as well as dedicated education spaces, a gift shop, an innovative art lending library, and a rooftop bar and café. In 2021, MCA Denver opened a satellite location at the Holiday Theater in Denver’s Northside. This 380-seat auditorium is the site of some of the museum’s programming and events. 

Application Process 

• This is an exempt, salaried position. 
• The salary range is $56,485 to $65,000 and includes our standard benefits package, including a medical plan, dental plan, basic term life insurance, 403b retirement, holiday pay and paid time off. 
• Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Please apply directly on our website:

https://mcadenver.org/about-the-mca/jobs