Assistant Operations Manager

Reporting to the Visitor Experience Operations Manager, you will play a key role in planning and coordinating Visitor Experience operations, including managing staffing rotas, payroll and staffing budgets, while supporting the team to achieve agreed KPIs and commercial objectives.

You will line manage the Visitor Contact & Insight Coordinator and undertake regular duty management shifts, helping to ensure the museum operates safely, smoothly and to consistently high standards.

Key areas of focus include:

• Managing Visitor Experience rotas, staffing resources, payroll and staffing budgets.
• Supporting operational planning and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and visitor experience.
• Line managing and developing the Visitor Contact & Insight Coordinator, with oversight of visitor bookings and enquiries.
• Undertaking duty management responsibilities, including health and safety, security and emergency procedures.
• Leading and coaching the Visitor Experience team to deliver excellent customer service and achieve operational and commercial KPIs.

The Design Museum is the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form, from architecture and fashion to graphics, product design and digital innovation.

We are looking for an organised and proactive Assistant Operations Manager to join our Visitor Experience team, supporting the effective planning and delivery of day-to-day visitor operations and helping us provide an exceptional experience for everyone who visits the museum.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong operational and people management experience who enjoys managing resources, developing others and delivering excellent customer service in a busy public-facing environment.

We are looking for someone who brings:

• Experience managing complex rotas, payroll processes and staffing budgets.
• Experience delivering excellent customer service and leading and motivating customer-facing teams.
• Duty management experience, including responsibility for health and safety and security in a public-facing environment.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritise a changing workload and work effectively under pressure.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, alongside good financial awareness and experience of working to KPIs.

The complete job description (including the person specification) is available to download on this page.

Salary: up to £31,090 per annum

Holidays: 33 days + Christmas Eve (museum closed)

Hours: 35 hours/5 days per week, on a rota basis, including weekends, evenings, and bank holidays

Location: on-site, at the Design Museum, Kensington

Closing date: Sunday 22 November 2026 (midnight)

Interviews: Wednesday 02, Thursday 03 and Friday 04 December 2026

If you encounter any issues while completing your application, please email peopleteam@designmuseum.org before the vacancy closing date. We will be in touch as soon as possible; (please note the inbox is monitored Monday-Friday).

FAQs: https://careers.designmuseum.org/faqs