Visitor Experience Manager

Discover Durham is Durham, North Carolina’s marketing and sales agency, generating economic impact by drawing 12+ million leisure, business, and sports visitors to our vibrant community. Discover Durham also operates the Durham Sports Commission (DSC), a 501(c)3 whose mission is to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support and promote sporting events at every level. And Durham Next, a 501(c)3 created to lead the research, planning and implementation of initiatives put forth in the Destination Master Plan that advance Durham as the best place to live, work and visit. 

The Visitor Experience Manager oversees the daily operations of Discover Durham's visitor experience programs, ensuring visitors receive exceptional service and meaningful connections to Durham. This role manages the Visitor Information Center, Mobile Visitor Information Center, volunteer program, and visitor-facing resources while supervising the Visitor Experience Coordinator and supporting the implementation of strategic visitor experience initiatives. Working closely with the Associate Director of Visitor Experience, the Manager translates strategy into action by leading daily operations, coordinating visitor engagement programs, and fostering a welcoming, hospitable environment that inspires visitors to explore Durham and strengthens the destination's reputation for exceptional visitor experiences. 

Primary responsibilities:  

Visitor Information Center Operations & Volunteer Management 

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Visitor Information Center (VIC), ensuring a welcoming, hospitable, and visitor-centered environment during regular business hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm), and special events. 

• Coordinate and execute VIC programming, activations, exhibits, and ongoing visitor engagement opportunities.  

• Supervise, schedule, and support the part-time Visitor Experience Coordinator, ensuring there is adequate VIC coverage, that visitor requests and admin duties are fulfilled.  

• Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, and support VIC volunteers, fostering a culture of exceptional customer service and destination knowledge. 

• Provide exceptional customer service by assisting visitors and residents through walk-in, phone, and email inquiries, offering comprehensive information about Durham's attractions, events, dining, shopping, lodging, transportation, and other visitor resources. 

• Develop and maintain a high level of destination knowledge, including top attractions, annual festivals and events, and Durham’s unique cultural assets. 

• Manage visitor publication fulfillment, including online, phone, group, and in-market requests, while monitoring inventory levels and coordinating publication and collateral reorders with Marketing and Operations to ensure visitor resources remain current and well stocked. 

• Plan and participate in volunteer appreciation dinners and other programming.  

• Monitor visitor interactions, collect walk-in data, identify trends, and prepare reports to inform visitor experience strategies.  

Mobile Visitor Information Center & Other Visitor Information Touchpoints 

• Coordinate staffing, logistics, setup, execution, and breakdown for Mobile Visitor Information Center (MVIC) activations at attractions, festivals, conventions, and sporting events. 

• Ensure consistent delivery of Discover Durham's visitor experience standards across mobile and off-site visitor engagement efforts.  

• Manage inventory and distribution of publications, promotional items, giveaways and event supplies used in the VIC, MVIC, and in support of the Strategic Initiatives team’s work.  

• Coordinate with regional visitor information centers and tourism partners to strengthen visitor service collaboration and resource sharing.   

Strategic Initiatives Department & Administrative Support 

• Provide project management support for the Strategic Initiatives team by coordinating project timelines, meetings, deliverables, and cross-functional collaboration. Schedule and facilitate project kickoff, alignment, and post-mortem meetings, document action items, and ensure project teams remain informed of upcoming milestones and responsibilities. 

• Support planning and logistics for Destination Durham workshops and other tourism readiness initiatives.  

• Support the development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of visitor trails, challenges, curated itineraries, and other visitor engagement platforms across physical and digital channels.   

• Delegate approving, reviewing and editing DiscoverDurham.com event calendar submissions to the Visitor Experience Coordinator, overseeing to ensure visitor-facing events are timely, accurate, and comprehensive. 

• Manage finance related administrative tasks for the Strategic Initiatives team, like entering purchase orders and processing receipts. 

• Support the Marketing Technology Manager with delegating tasks to the CRM contractor as needed. 

Required Qualifications 

• High School diploma required with minimum 3 years of demonstrated experience in supervising, coaching, or leading teams, preferably within visitor services, hospitality, tourism, nonprofit, or customer service environments. 

• Excellent oral communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage with visitors, partners, vendors, direct reports and internal teams. 

• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong time management skills and ability to balance multiple priorities. 

• Problem-solving capabilities with energy and a positive attitude. 

• Working schedule for position is Tuesday through Saturday. One must have availability to work occasional nights and weekends to support VIC and MVIC programming. 

• Computer skills using Microsoft Office, Outlook, Dropbox and cloud-based internet technologies on a PC. Experience with project management software, like Asana is a plus. 

• Must have a valid NC driver’s license.  

• Physical demands – Must be able to lift and transport materials weighing up to 50 pounds in support of VIC operations, mobile activations, and event setup. Should be comfortable working in an outdoor venue, with regular exposure to varying weather conditions, including heat and cold. Sitting and standing for extended periods is common. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism Management, Business Administration, or a closely related field preferred. 

• Experience managing a public-facing space, ensuring it’s welcoming, well-maintained, and ready for visitors.  

• Experience in event planning, coordination, and logistics. 

• A passion for events, bringing people together and creating a sense of place or pride for Durham, with a superior customer service attitude.    

• An eagerness to learn about Durham and destination marketing and management. 

Salary & Benefits 

Discover Durham offers exceptional benefits, including employer-paid insurance premiums for staff and employer contributions to an HSA, generous retirement contributions to the NC pension program, an enviable vacation and holiday allowance, paid parental leave, a wellness stipend, a monthly mobile device stipend, paid downtown parking, and a great team of coworkers.  
 
As the Visitor Experience Manager, you can expect a salary in the range of $60K to $65K, commensurate with experience. 
 
Discover Durham is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran. 

PLEASE, NO PHONE CALLS, EMAILS, OR WALK-INS REGARDING THIS POSITION.