Assistant Director of Events & Visitor Experience

Job Description

About Grace Farms

Grace Farms is a center for culture and collaboration in New Canaan, Connecticut. We bring together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building, situated on 80 acres of natural landscapes. Our humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in our local and global communities includes leading the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain.

The Role:

The Assistant Director of Events & Visitor Experience is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring exceptional experiences for all Grace Farms guests-from daily visitors to event participants. This position manages and supports both the Visitor Experience (VE) and Events teams, oversees catering partnerships, and ensures operational excellence and mission alignment in all aspects of hospitality, programming, and logistical execution.

This individual will lead by example, cultivating a welcoming environment that prioritizes peace, hospitality, and excellence, while managing the day-to-day operations of our public-facing teams and delivering meaningful events in collaboration with internal and external partners.

Responsibilities:

Event & Program Management

Oversee the planning and execution of mission-aligned public and private programs, performances, and internal events in partnership with the Events team.

Supervise a team of Event Coordinators; assign leads and manage workflows based on event scope and audience.

Collaborate cross-functionally with internal initiative leaders, the technical team, and the catering team to ensure seamless delivery of events.

Participate in technical walkthroughs and coordinate production elements, hospitality needs, artist/talent relations, and day-of logistics.

Serve as liaison between programming teams and front-of-house staff of the Grace Farms culinary team to ensure alignment and success in event execution.

Support both Front-of-House and Back-of-House coordination for in-house catering, including menu planning, staffing, and vendor communication.

Manage and maintain relationships with preferred caterers and event vendors; support contracting and compliance.

Provide high-level oversight for food and beverage service during programs, and large-scale events.

Serve as project manager for complex or signature events, including anniversary celebrations and donor-focused programs.

Visitor Experience Leadership

Oversee, actively supervise, and support the daily operations of the Visitor Experience (VE) team, ensuring each guest receives exceptional hospitality from arrival to departure from each VE team member.

Hire, train, coach, manage, and mentor, full-time and part-time staff and supervisors; conduct regular performance evaluations and provide regular and ongoing feedback.

Ensure the presentation, staffing, signage, and cleanliness of all public spaces are in accordance with Grace Farms' aesthetic and operational and safety standards.

Respond to guest feedback and escalated concerns with professionalism and care, implementing improvements as needed.

Foster a collaborative culture of continual learning, hospitality, and service excellence.

Ensure daily staffing, ticketing, scheduling, and registration systems (including Ticketure and Classy) run smoothly and align with guest needs, oversee visitor access, membership support, and concierge services in collaboration with Advancement and Marketing teams.

Approve timesheets, schedule staff, track PTO, and provide logistical and HR support as needed.

Skills/Abilities:

Demonstrated excellence in customer service, training, and team development.

Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple events and priorities simultaneously.

Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

Familiarity with ticketing, CRM, and scheduling software; experience with similar systems is a plus.

Experience working in mission-driven, nonprofit, arts, or cultural environments strongly preferred.

Comfortable working in a collaborative, fast-paced, and evolving setting with varying levels of complexity.

Must have the ability to work onsite 5 days per week with the flexibility to work weekends and events.

Education & Experience:

Bachelor's Degree required.

Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a public-facing service industry. Preferred experience in catering, visitor services, event production, hospitality, or cultural programming. Not for profit experience at a museum/cultural attraction greatly preferred

At least three (3) years of supervisory or team leadership experience in a public-facing environment.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to lift up to 25 lbs., stand or walk for extended periods, and navigate stairs and outdoor conditions.

Benefits:

Grace Farms offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes tuition reimbursement, a 403(b)-retirement benefit with an organization match, along with different medical plans, including dental and vision plan, 100% employer-paid basic life insurance and short-term disability. We believe in the importance of rest and balance, offering generous paid time off (PTO), sick and personal days, and 11 paid holidays. All staff are invited to enjoy our scenic 80-acres preserved landscape and participate in the diverse public events hosted on-site.

Grace Farms is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Part-time