Director of Guest Operations

About The Thomas Jefferson Foundation

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation has a twofold mission of preservation and education, and was incorporated in 1923 to preserve Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Our dedicated staff leverages the power of a beautiful, resonant, and carefully preserved historic site to tell unflinching stories of America's complex origins and fitful progress toward the ideals Jefferson articulated in the Declaration of Independence.

Monticello is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a United Nations World Heritage Site and a Site of Conscience.

Reporting to the Vice President for Education and Guest Experience, the Director of Guest Operations is responsible for the following:

Fostering a culture placing our guests at the forefront of our decision-making. This includes the management of robust guest feedback systems and developing staff training programs to ensure that Monticello maintains its world-class guest experience ratings.

Managing budgets and personnel for Admissions, Guest Services, and Transportation, including three manager-level direct reports.

Planning operational logistics for major events, including Monticello's annual July 4 th Naturalization Ceremony.

Setting policies for online and on-site admissions, access control, service recovery, accessibility, and way finding.

Managing Monticello's fleet of six shuttle buses, and collaborating with other departments on security screening procedures, safety programs, and DOT compliance.

$105,000 - $112,000

A bachelor's degree; a master's degree in a relevant field is preferred.

Demonstrated director-level experience planning guest facilities, operations, and experiences at scale.

Strong knowledge of ticketing, admissions, and guest-facing CRM platforms, with the ability to use reporting and data export functions to drive operational decisions.

A passion for guest service, and demonstrated ability to cultivating an institutional culture that places guest experience first.

Strong business and financial acumen.

A record of team-driven results and effective leadership.

High-level analytical and project management skills, with experience managing collaborative projects.

The ability to anticipate how events, programs, and plans will affect guest flow — and to build plans that mitigate negative impact before it happens.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work across a diverse range of staff and visitors.

As a seven-day-a-week operation, this role requires availability for non-traditional shifts — evenings, weekends, and holidays — and on-call availability for emergencies.

Monticello sits on a mountaintop: the job requires working outdoors in all weather and walking steep, uneven terrain on a regular basis.

• Excellent benefits package (including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) retirement savings plan plus 6% match, life insurance, and more!).
• Fitness club membership discount.
• Discount in the Monticello Cafe, gift shop, and Monticello online catalog.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - free for employee and dependents.
• $500 employee referral bonus.