Group Experience Manager

How You’ll Contribute

The National Geographic Society headquarters, based in Washington, D.C., is undergoing a significant renovation project on its campus (called Base Camp), which will be completed in 2026. The public-facing portion of this renovation will be the new National Geographic Museum of Exploration. Components of the new museum will include a state-of-the-art pavilion entrance, auditorium, iconic photo gallery, exhibition space, immersive walk-through attraction, retail, food and beverage, education center, archives, tours, and exciting new event space. The capstone of the renovation is a one-of-a-kind nighttime experience in the courtyard.
NGS is seeking a Group Experience Manager to lead the facilitation of group experiences at Base Camp. This position will be responsible for the oversight of the group arrivals process; as well as, managing the dissemination of all pre-visit and post visit materials for a wide array of group visitors. The Group Experience Manager will bring their attraction experience in tourism and demonstrate the ability to manage a team of museum group program facilitators and collaborate with internal teams to meet customer satisfaction goals. This position will report to the Director of Group Sales and Experience and work closely with the Group Sales team to produce the best group visit experience.
This role requires flexibility to work varying hours, including weekends and holidays, depending on group schedules.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include :

Fulfillment and On Site Management (60%):

• Manage all group experiences from reservation through post visit, including add-on experiences

• Ensure all group arrival communication and special requests with group clients are met

• Manage group flow by creating a wayfinding plan that ensures the most seamless experience for groups moving through Base Camp to minimize congestion

• Collaborate with other departments like Visitor Experience, Ticketing, Catering, Cleaning and Security to ensure seamless group experiences

• Partner with Visitor Experience, Education, MOE Design and Content teams to create and fulfill group materials

• Manage the dissemination of supplemental group visit materials, including pre-visit materials, post visit materials, and post visit surveys 

Strategy and Program Development (30%): 

• Hire, develop, and manage a team of group experience professionals who focus on executing the onsite group experience, aligning with the developed strategy

• Create and implement group programming strategy to engage audiences of all ages, with a focus on school field trips

• Manage group itineraries to include dining, guided tours, workshops, and other pre-scheduled activities

• Develop  and implement group pre-visit and post visit materials

• Implement group customer satisfaction surveys for post group visit follow up and create reports for internal distribution

Community Engagement (10%)

• Attend conferences and events that align with goals and objectives

• Activate local youth organizations to boost group attendance

• Source branded merchandise to support outreach efforts

What You’ll Bring 

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent work in experience in business operations

Minimum Years and Type of Experience   

5 years experience in tourism (museum, zoo, aquarium or similar attraction) and 3 years of related experience in facilitating group experiences. 

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Flexibility to work varying hours, including weekends and holidays, depending on group schedules

• Excellent customer service skills with a focus on providing a positive experience for large groups

• Strong communication and interpersonal abilities to effectively interact with diverse group leaders and visitors

• Organizational skills to manage multiple group bookings and details simultaneously

• Ability to adapt to changing situations and respond to unexpected needs of large groups

• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with a wide range of staff and external stakeholders

• Knowledge of best practices in group programming

• Experience managing visitor service teams

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

• Excellent communication, organizational, and research skills

• Meticulous attention to detail and thorough record keeping

• Technical proficiency with Microsoft Office and G-Suite tools

Desired Qualifications

Museum education experience a plus. Ticketing software experience a plus.

Supervision 

The Manager will be responsible for hiring support staff to include 2 supervisors and 14 group experience representatives. 

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $66,500.00 - $70,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.); paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Resident - Our Resident category recognizes that certain staff need to be physically present at Base Camp to do their work. Some Resident staff must be at Base Camp every day to do their jobs, while others may only need to be physically present onsite some of the time to meet looming deadlines or to get work done and may require a unique schedule. As such, this category has been revised to provide maximum flexibility depending on what’s required for each individual role. The days Resident staff come into the office will be determined by their teams and workflow, and they should work with their supervisors to determine their specific schedule. And throughout the year, their schedule may be adjusted based on cyclical work cycles, deadlines, and/or ebbs and flows of work.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.