Manager of Guest Programs

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The Manager of Guest Programs leads the design and delivery of mid-to-high-premium paid Guest programs across the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This role turns Colonial Williamsburg’s historic sites, historic trades, collections, subject-matter expertise, and hospitality resources into curated experiences for individual Guests and group audiences. The Manager works in partnership with Tom Savage, Director of Educational Travel and Conferences, to build programs that strengthen revenue, growth, and profitability for the Foundation while advancing its educational mission and standards for service excellence.

Main Duties

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

Program Design and Development 
• Ideate, develop, and implement a portfolio of mid-to-high-premium paid Guest programs grounded in Colonial Williamsburg’s mission of preservation, education, and world-class Guest service. 
• Design programs of varying length and focus, including multi-hour experiences, single-day immersions, multi-day programs, custom group offerings, and behind-the-scenes experiences. 
• Translate historic assets and internal expertise into world-class Guest experiences that are distinctive, credible, and financially sound. 
• Benchmark designs against best practices from comparable programs across a range of for-profit and non-profit industries. 
 
Curated Guest Experience 
• Partner with Tom Savage, Director of Educational Travel and Conferences, to shape program themes, itineraries, access points, and learning moments that create premium value propositions for Guests. 
• Ensure that each program reflects Colonial Williamsburg’s standards for historical integrity, stewardship, and service excellence. 
• Coordinate with hospitality and operational partners on meals, lodging, room blocks, transportation, access, and other Guest needs. 
 
Revenue and Business Planning 
• Develop pricing models, budgets, enrollment targets, and revenue expectations for each program. 
• Evaluate intersections with current donor group-related programs and experiences to delineate and differentiate offerings. 
• Evaluate opportunities to monetize Colonial Williamsburg physical assets, historical assets, collections, interpretive content, and subject-matter expertise. 
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, development, and communications to identify target audiences, position programs clearly, and refine programs based on demand. 
 
Cross-Department Collaboration 
• Serve as the primary coordinator for program planning across departments that provide content, access, staffing, or operational support. 
• Build strong working relationships with interpreters, curators, educators, tradespeople, hospitality leaders, and operational teams. 
• Prepare program briefings, schedules, staffing plans, and leadership updates while resolving operational conflicts before they affect the Guest experience. 
 
Metrics and Measurement 
• Develop a Guest Programs Performance Dashboard integrating key organizational indicators such as: 
Program revenue and margin 
Enrollment and conversion rates 
Guest satisfaction / Net Promoter Score (NPS) 
Repeat participation and referral rates 
Service recovery response rates 
Cross-department staffing and support needs 
• Regularly present insights to the AVP HR, Organizational Culture and other leaders, linking program results to revenue, mission impact, and Guest experience quality. 

​This job description reflects the general responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Duties and responsibilities may evolve over time based on operational needs. 

Required Education and Experience: 

• University degree in Hospitality Management, Public History, Museum Studies, Business Administration, Education, Tourism, Economic Development, ora related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in guest programs, educational travel, museum programming, cultural tourism, hospitality, conferences, or premium experience design.
•Demonstrated success moving program concepts from idea through execution.
• Experience building budgets, pricing models, enrollment goals, or revenue-producing programs.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to coordinate logistics across multiple teams.
• Knowledge of the City of Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg, colonial American history, public history, or heritage tourism preferred.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to work effectively with internal experts, operational partners, and premium Guests.

Key Skills / Competencies: 

Core Competencies: 
• Creative program design 
• Guest experience judgment 
• Revenue awareness and financial discipline 
• Cross-functional collaboration 
• Operational follow-through 
• Historical stewardship and mission alignment 
• Service orientation and hospitality mindset 
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Performance Indicators: 
• Development and launch of new mid-to-high premium paid Guest programs 
• Revenue growth from curated Guest experiences 
• Strong Guest satisfaction and repeat participation or recommendation 
• Positive collaboration with Educational Travel and Conferences, hospitality, and Historic Area and entertainment partners 
• Documented use of Colonial Williamsburg assets and subject-matter expertise in revenue-producing programs 
• Clear alignment between program design, mission impact, and service excellence