Head of Visitor Experience & Museum Operations

Salary: £56,000.00 - 70,000.00 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 everyone’s 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. We’re part of Wellcome, a charitable foundation supporting science to help build a healthier future for everyone.

We are looking for a 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 Collection's 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 a highly performing Visitor Experience and Engagement team that is effective, creative, inclusive and critically reflective to deliver visitor experience objectives which produce meaningful interactions with our audiences. 

• Develop and implement the delivery of a coherent and inclusive visitor experience strategy in line with Wellcome’s Collection’s strategy and priorities,

• Lead and support the team to create, deliver and manage a strong programme of visitor engagement, achieving a high standard of innovation and delivery with measurable impact.   

• Contribute to strategic and operational planning and management of Wellcome Collection as a member of the Wellcome Collection Leadership Team. 

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

• Be responsible for overall co-ordination of the venue's response to a building incident/emergency and to contribute to Wellcome’s business 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.

You'll 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.

We're 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, you'll 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 please submit an update CV and answer 2 application questions to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role. 

Minimum Criteria:   

• 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 Description on our website 

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

Our Hybrid Way of Working   

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 best.  At Wellcome we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and 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 at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, 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 includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. Please visit our website for more information on adjustments and accessibility, or contact us at [email protected].   

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