Description

The Senior Director of Operations and Experience is a key member of the Seacoast Science Center’s senior leadership team, responsible for ensuring that every visitor’s experience reflects SSC’s mission, values, and commitment to exceptional guest engagement. This role oversees all front-of-house operations and visitor-facing departments, including Admissions, Facility Rentals and Events, the Nature Store, Exhibits, Aquaria, and Programs.

With a blend of strategic vision and hands-on operational leadership, the Senior Director of Operations and Experience ensures cohesive, high-quality experiences that spark curiosity, enhance understanding, and inspire conservation of our Blue Planet.

*Please Note: Applications must include a cover letter describing your interest in the role and your relevant experience. Applications without a cover letter will not be reviewed.

Requirements

Primary duties include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic Leadership & Integration: Developing a cohesive, organization-wide approach to the visitor experience that aligns with SSC’s mission and strategic priorities. Serving on the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational decision-making and long-range planning. Using data, including visitor feedback, attendance trends, revenue performance, to shape operational improvements and future planning.
• Revenue & Resource Stewardship: Overseeing revenue performance for Admissions, Facility Rentals, Programs, and the Nature Store. Developing and managing departmental budgets, monitoring financial outcomes, and ensuring efficient use of resources. Supporting pricing strategies, rental offerings, and retail planning that balance mission impact with financial sustainability. Overseeing inventory management, facilities maintenance and rentals, and capital planning for all visitor-facing spaces to ensure operational readiness and long-term resilience.
• Operational Management: Ensuring smooth, safe, welcoming daily operations across all departments. Overseeing scheduling, staffing, systems, and workflows that support excellent guest service. Leading operational readiness for peak seasons, programs, and special events. Partnering with the Senior Director of Science & Administration to support compliance, safety protocols, and emergency response planning.
• Team Leadership & Culture: Supervising and mentoring department managers, creating a collaborative, mission-driven culture. Supporting staff training programs that cultivate strong guest engagement, inquiry-based communication, and inclusive interpretation. Encouraging innovation, shared problem-solving, and cross-department coordination.
• Visitor Experience & Interpretation: Championing an exceptional, inclusive visitor experience across all touchpoints—from arrival to exhibits to retail and rentals. Ensuring exhibits, aquaria, and interpretive elements are well-maintained, engaging, and aligned with SSC’s educational philosophy. Collaborating with Education, Programs, Communications, and Science to integrate storytelling, inquiry-based learning, and conservation messages throughout visitor spaces.
• Cross-Organizational Collaboration: Partnering across Education, Programs, Rescue, Science, Communications, Facilities, Finance, and Advancement to ensure cohesive, mission-aligned operations. Integrating consistent storytelling, inquiry-based learning, and conservation messaging throughout all visitor spaces in collaboration with programmatic and communications teams. Playing a key role in exhibit development and site redevelopment projects, ensuring visitor flow, accessibility, and operational and interpretive needs are fully incorporated.  Aligning visitor operations with fundraising, membership, and community engagement goals through close collaboration with Advancement.