Guided Tour Manager

How You’ll Contribute

Who We Are
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. Components of the new guest experience 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. A fully sustainable, on-brand hotel may also be built and operated by a third party on the campus. The capstone of the renovation is a one-of-a-kind nighttime experience in the courtyard.

How You’ll Contribute
Job Description Summary

NGS is seeking a Manager, Guided Tours to lead the museum’s guided tour and gallery talk program and oversee the museum’s tour guides. The Manager will set the strategy and content for all tours, including public, group, donor, and VIP tours, as well as gallery talks and mini tours. They will also be responsible for hiring a team of tour guides to lead these tours daily and will work closely with the Visitor Experience, Content, Public Programming and Advancement teams to deliver these tours.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include:

Museum Tour Program Management (60%)

• Plan all museum guided tours, creating a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule and schedule all tour guide shifts

• Hire and train tour guides and provide ongoing professional development support

• Lead regularly scheduled guided tours for all audiences, including public visitors, school groups, and other visitors

• Set content guidelines for guided tours, keeping in mind museum key messaging, learning objectives, brand standards, and visitor engagement techniques

• Create and implement a strategy for pop-up talks, spotlight tours, touch carts, and other short form interpretative opportunities

• Create and manage a tour content development calendar and work closely with Exhibitions and Public Programming to align tour content with rotating exhibitions and upcoming events

Cross-Divisional Collaboration (20%)

• Collaborate with Education, Special Collections, and Community Engagement and Social Impact (CESI) on all tour content, ensuring learning objectives and throughlines are incorporated into all scripts

• Support the Group Experience and Education teams in producing engagement opportunities for groups

• Lead public speaking, guided tour best practices, and other visitor engagement trainings for other museum and NGS staff as needed

• Provide guided tours at NGS Signature Events, such as Explorers Festival and in support of Advancement initiatives and events

VIP Visit Engagement (20%)

• Lead all VIP tours, including high level donors, heads of state, and other types of VIPs

• Curate a VIP tour experience tailored to each individual’s interest and availability

What You’ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor’s degree required.

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

5 years experience in a museum or cultural attraction. At least 3 years experience leading guided tours.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills

• Experience creating tour scripts and tour route

• Experience in public facing environment

Supervision

4 direct reports

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 - $70,000

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; 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.