Director of Guest Experience

Filoli Historic House and Garden•Woodside, CA

2d•$135,000 - $148,000•Onsite

About The Position

Director of Guest Experience: Define World-Class Hospitality at Filoli! Are you a visionary leader passionate about hospitality, data, and creating unforgettable moments? Filoli, a National Trust Historic Site, is seeking a Director of Guest Experience to be the driving force behind every visitor's journey, making our beautiful estate more welcoming, engaging, and accessible to all. This is a full-time, exempt position at our beautiful historic house and garden. Depending on candidate experience, the annual salary range for this position is $135,000 to $148,000. This position is also eligible for employee benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, LTD, Flex Plan, 401(k), vacation, sick leave and holiday pay. The Director’s schedule will include evenings and weekends. Flexibility is important as schedules may change to meet the needs of the organization. Your Mission: From Arrival to Advocacy This is a senior role that oversees the end-to-end experience for all guests and members. Reporting to the Chief Experience Officer, you will lead the Guest Experience, Membership and Reservations teams, establishing standards of world-class hospitality and operational excellence that place Filoli among the nation's leading cultural destinations. Your work will be instrumental in executing our Strategic Plan and supporting our mission to inspire belonging and foster loyalty in a diverse community. Key Areas of Impact Visionary Leadership & Data-Driven Excellence Be the Champion: Serve as the internal voice and champion for guest and member feedback, using data, sentiment analysis, and benchmarking to guide innovation and continuous improvement. Drive Strategy: Set clear KPIs and performance expectations, ensuring service alignment with Filoli's strategic goals and DEAI commitments (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion). Mentor & Empower: Lead and mentor managers to build an empowered, high-performing team culture where every employee takes ownership of delivering exceptional service and telling Filoli's story. Guest Journey & Reservations Mastery Seamless Service: Lead efforts to create a warm, welcoming, and well-orchestrated guest experience from the moment they reserve their tickets to their final departure. Systems Optimization: Oversee and enhance our ticketing, membership and reservations systems (familiarity with Altru is a plus) to improve efficiency, reporting accuracy, and drive forecasting and analytics. Cross-Functional Integration: Partner across all departments—from Events and Retail to Development and Resourcing—to ensure guest services are fully integrated, staffed correctly, and support a seamless site-wide experience. What You Bring to Filoli Experience: A minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in leading guest services, hospitality, or visitor-oriented teams, preferably in a cultural institution or large non-profit setting with an engaged member base. Leadership: Proven success in mentoring, supervising, and developing managers and frontline staff, creating a culture of accountability and excellence. Data Proficiency: A strong track record of using data (KPIs, ROI, guest sentiment) to make informed business decisions, predict frontline needs, and drive continuous improvement. Technical Acumen: Expertise in large database systems (ticketing/CRM), proficient use of Google/Microsoft suites, and above-average proficiency in scheduling/calendar programs. Decisive Nature: The ability to independently anticipate, analyze, and swiftly solve problems and immediate issues while maintaining a calm, helpful demeanor. Commitment: A passion for advancing DEAI objectives and ensuring Filoli is welcoming to all people. Ready to define world-class? If you are an outcomes-oriented, collaborative leader with a passion for hospitality and a belief in the power of data, we invite you to apply. https://filoli.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a26ons3yydtv/aa0 Join us and lead the experience that brings Filoli’s rich history to life!

Requirements

A minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in leading guest services, hospitality, or visitor-oriented teams, preferably in a cultural institution or large non-profit setting with an engaged member base.
Proven success in mentoring, supervising, and developing managers and frontline staff, creating a culture of accountability and excellence.
A strong track record of using data (KPIs, ROI, guest sentiment) to make informed business decisions, predict frontline needs, and drive continuous improvement.
Expertise in large database systems (ticketing/CRM), proficient use of Google/Microsoft suites, and above-average proficiency in scheduling/calendar programs.
The ability to independently anticipate, analyze, and swiftly solve problems and immediate issues while maintaining a calm, helpful demeanor.
A passion for advancing DEAI objectives and ensuring Filoli is welcoming to all people.

Nice To Haves

familiarity with Altru is a plus

Responsibilities

Serve as the internal voice and champion for guest and member feedback, using data, sentiment analysis, and benchmarking to guide innovation and continuous improvement.
Set clear KPIs and performance expectations, ensuring service alignment with Filoli's strategic goals and DEAI commitments (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion).
Lead and mentor managers to build an empowered, high-performing team culture where every employee takes ownership of delivering exceptional service and telling Filoli's story.
Lead efforts to create a warm, welcoming, and well-orchestrated guest experience from the moment they reserve their tickets to their final departure.
Oversee and enhance our ticketing, membership and reservations systems (familiarity with Altru is a plus) to improve efficiency, reporting accuracy, and drive forecasting and analytics.
Partner across all departments—from Events and Retail to Development and Resourcing—to ensure guest services are fully integrated, staffed correctly, and support a seamless site-wide experience.