Director, Volunteer Programs

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 89 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, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, 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 five million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

With the Vice President, HR, Organizational Culture, provide enterprise leadership for Colonial Williamsburg Volunteer Programs across all areas of the organization. The Director, Volunteer Programs is responsible for the strategy, governance, growth, and consistent administration of a portfolio of more than 800 volunteers serving throughout Colonial Williamsburg. The role directly supervises three positions: one Manager, Volunteer Programs and two Supervisors, Volunteer Programs. Together, these three direct reports provide the management and supervisory structure needed to support the volunteer workforce, program growth, daily operations, and consistent volunteer practices across the organization.

The Director establishes enterprise practices for workforce planning, role design, recruitment, selection, placement, onboarding, training, scheduling, supervision, performance management, recognition, retention, and volunteer experience. The position sets priorities and accountability for the Manager, Volunteer Programs and the two Supervisors, Volunteer Programs, ensuring that responsibilities are clearly assigned and that management coverage is aligned with program scale and operating needs. The Director is responsible for expanding volunteer capacity while ensuring that growth is supported by appropriate supervisory coverage, training, operating readiness, clear role expectations, and reliable measures of effectiveness.

Provide strategic and operational oversight for Colonial Williamsburg Volunteer Programs across all areas of the organization. Directly supervise one Manager, Volunteer Programs and two Supervisors, Volunteer Programs, for a total of three direct reports. Establish clear priorities, accountability, staffing structures, role boundaries, and consistent enterprise practices for the full volunteer lifecycle. Ensure the Manager and both Supervisors work as an integrated leadership team while maintaining distinct areas of responsibility and clear escalation paths to the Director.

Directly supervise and establish performance expectations for the Manager, Volunteer Programs. Hold the Manager accountable for coordinating the overall administration of the volunteer program, translating enterprise priorities into consistent operating practices, supporting the two Supervisors, maintaining program procedures and records, coordinating recruitment and placement activity, monitoring volunteer capacity and retention, and escalating policy, staffing, performance, or operational issues that require Director-level action. Use the Manager as the primary day-to-day management partner for integrating work across the volunteer portfolio while retaining Director accountability for strategy, major decisions, and enterprise results.

Directly supervise one Supervisor, Volunteer Programs with primary accountability for day-to-day volunteer operations, scheduling, deployment, coverage, attendance follow-up, assignment support, service consistency, and immediate volunteer or operating-area concerns within assigned programs. Establish clear expectations for timely problem resolution, documentation, field presence, volunteer coaching, and coordination with operating leaders. Ensure this Supervisor identifies recurring coverage or performance issues, recommends practical solutions, and escalates matters that require Manager or Director intervention.

Directly supervise a second Supervisor, Volunteer Programs with primary accountability for assigned program support, volunteer onboarding implementation, training coordination, communications follow-through, new-program deployment, volunteer engagement, and the consistent application of enterprise practices across assigned areas. Establish clear expectations for volunteer readiness, role clarity, timely communication, documentation, and follow-through. Ensure this Supervisor works closely with the Manager and the other Supervisor so that program growth, volunteer experience, and operational needs remain aligned, and require escalation of issues that exceed the Supervisor level.

Lead the planned expansion of Colonial Williamsburg Volunteer Programs beyond the current base of more than 800 volunteers. Develop a disciplined growth plan that aligns volunteer recruitment and deployment with operating demand, supervisory capacity, training resources, scheduling requirements, and the organization's ability to provide a high-quality volunteer experience.

Oversee the design, build-out, launch, and continuing operation of the Wayfinding volunteer program, including role design, recruitment, training, deployment, scheduling, service expectations, coverage standards, performance measures, and coordination with operating areas. Ensure Wayfinders are prepared to provide accurate, welcoming, and consistent assistance to guests.

Maintain leadership accountability for the Liberty Lounge operation, including supervisory coverage, volunteer preparedness, scheduling, consistent service, operating coordination, supplies and procedural readiness, and a welcoming experience for active-duty, veteran, and retired military members and their families.

Partner with operating leaders to identify appropriate volunteer opportunities and determine where volunteer service can add meaningful capacity or enhance the guest and organizational experience. Establish clear role descriptions, responsibilities, qualifications, schedules, supervision expectations, and boundaries between volunteer and employee work.

Develop and maintain an enterprise recruitment strategy that builds a dependable and diverse volunteer pipeline. Use community outreach, partnerships, referrals, events, digital channels, targeted campaigns, and other appropriate methods to attract candidates whose interests and capabilities align with identified organizational needs.

Establish consistent practices for application review, interviews, screening, reference or background processes where appropriate, selection, and placement. Ensure placement decisions consider volunteer interests and abilities as well as operating requirements, role qualifications, schedule needs, and supervisory capacity.

Create a consistent enterprise onboarding experience that introduces volunteers to Colonial Williamsburg's Common Purpose, Service Standards, Service Behaviors, organizational expectations, safety requirements, communication practices, and role-specific responsibilities. Coordinate with Learning and Development and operating partners to ensure readiness before deployment.

Establish a practical training architecture for volunteers that includes initial role preparation, refresher training, service expectations, safety information, guest interaction skills, and continuing development where appropriate. Ensure supervisors have clear responsibility for role-specific proficiency and reinforcement after initial training.

Establish scheduling and deployment practices that improve coverage, reliability, and transparency across volunteer programs. Work with operating areas to identify priority times and locations, reduce avoidable coverage gaps, and maintain contingency plans for cancellations, seasonal demand, special events, and other operating changes.

Set clear expectations for employees and volunteer supervisors who lead or work with volunteers. Provide tools, guidance, and development that strengthen assignment clarity, feedback, coaching, conflict resolution, documentation, and day-to-day volunteer support while reinforcing consistent enterprise practices.

Develop fair, practical processes for setting expectations, providing feedback, recognizing strong performance, addressing concerns, documenting recurring issues, and ending assignments when necessary. Ensure performance management respects the nature of volunteer service while protecting organizational standards, safety, guest experience, and mission alignment.

Partner with Employee Appreciation, Recognition, and Engagement to create meaningful recognition practices and strengthen volunteer connection to the organization. Use feedback, retention data, length-of-service information, participation patterns, and direct listening to identify opportunities to improve the volunteer experience and reduce avoidable attrition.

Establish reliable communication practices so volunteers receive timely information about operating changes, schedules, training, events, policies, service expectations, and matters affecting their assignments. Partner with Internal Communications and operating leaders to improve message clarity, reach, consistency, and two-way communication.

Create recurring opportunities for volunteers to provide feedback on their assignments, supervision, training, communication, scheduling, and overall experience. Establish processes for reviewing themes, routing issues to responsible leaders, communicating follow-up where appropriate, and using feedback to improve program design and administration.

Establish a core set of volunteer program measures, including recruitment, application conversion, placement, onboarding, training completion, active participation, hours contributed, scheduling reliability, retention, turnover, recognition, and volunteer experience. Prepare regular reporting for the Vice President and leadership that identifies trends, capacity risks, and recommended actions.

Evaluate and support systems used for volunteer applications, records, scheduling, communications, training, service-hour tracking, and reporting. Establish sound practices for data quality, access, privacy, documentation, retention, and system use in coordination with Human Resources, technology, legal, and operating partners.

Maintain clear enterprise policies, procedures, standards, and documentation for volunteer programs. Establish governance for role approval, supervision, records, safety requirements, conduct expectations, performance concerns, recognition, inactive status, separation, and other recurring program needs.

Partner with Safety and Security, Human Resources, and operating leaders to ensure volunteers understand relevant safety expectations, emergency procedures, incident reporting, and role-specific risks. Review incidents and recurring concerns involving volunteers and support corrective actions, training changes, or role redesign where appropriate.

Review volunteer practices with attention to accessibility and equitable participation. Partner with appropriate subject matter experts to identify reasonable ways to reduce barriers in recruitment, onboarding, training, communication, scheduling, and assignment design while maintaining essential role requirements.

Build relationships with community organizations, educational institutions, military and veteran communities, civic groups, affinity organizations, and other potential partners that can strengthen volunteer recruitment, broaden participation, and create sustainable pipelines for priority roles.

Identify volunteer assignments that are operationally important or dependent on a small number of experienced individuals. Develop cross-training, bench strength, documentation, and succession practices that reduce disruption when long-serving volunteers retire, step back, or change assignments.

Develop processes for using volunteers effectively during major events, high-attendance periods, seasonal programs, and temporary initiatives. Ensure event-specific recruitment, training, scheduling, supervision, communication, and closeout are coordinated with operating leaders and do not undermine core program coverage.

Conduct periodic reviews of volunteer programs and major assignments to determine whether they remain aligned with organizational needs, volunteer expectations, service standards, and available resources. Recommend continuation, redesign, expansion, consolidation, or retirement of programs based on evidence and operating priorities.

Develop an annual volunteer programs plan that identifies growth priorities, workforce needs, recruitment initiatives, training requirements, recognition activities, technology needs, major events, and measurable outcomes. Support responsible use of program resources and provide the Vice President with clear recommendations regarding staffing, systems, and budget priorities.

Serve as the primary enterprise partner to leaders who use volunteers. Clarify responsibilities between Volunteer Programs and operating departments, establish service expectations, resolve recurring coordination issues, and ensure volunteer resources are integrated into operations in ways that support the Common Purpose without replacing appropriate employee accountability.

• University degree in Human Resources, Volunteer Administration, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Leadership, Hospitality, Museum Studies, Public Administration, or a related field preferred, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in volunteer management, nonprofit operations, workforce programs, community engagement, human resources, visitor services, organizational culture, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading a large, complex volunteer program, including direct supervision of a management structure that includes a program manager and multiple supervisors responsible for volunteers serving across multiple operating areas.
• Experience expanding or redesigning a volunteer program, including workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, deployment, supervision, retention, and performance measurement.
• Experience developing enterprise policies, procedures, and operating standards for volunteer or comparable workforce programs.
• Demonstrated success building sustainable recruitment pipelines and community partnerships for large-scale volunteer or workforce needs.
• Experience with volunteer scheduling, workforce deployment, service-hour tracking, records management, and volunteer management technology.
• Experience designing or coordinating volunteer orientation, training, leader tools, and continuing development in partnership with Learning and Development or operating leaders.
• Experience creating meaningful recognition and engagement practices and using feedback and retention information to improve the volunteer experience.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across functions, establish accountability, resolve operational conflicts, and build effective partnerships with leaders who rely on volunteer resources.
• Experience developing dashboards, recurring reports, and executive-level insights that translate program information into workforce and operating priorities.
• Understanding of safety, risk, accessibility, privacy, and appropriate workforce boundaries as they apply to volunteer programs.
• Experience in a museum, cultural attraction, tourism, education, nonprofit, hospitality, public-service, or other mission-driven organization preferred.
• Exceptional communication, writing, facilitation, leadership, project management, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong judgment and discretion when working with volunteer records, performance concerns, personal information, operating issues, and sensitive organizational matters.

 

Stand

Occasionally

Walk

Occasionally

Sit

Constantly

Use hands/fingers

Constantly

Climb or balance

Rarely

Stoop/kneel/crouch/crawl

Occasionally

Reach with hands/arms

Occasionally

Talk or hear

Constantly

Lifting up to 10 lbs.

Occasionally

Lifting up to 25 lbs.

Occasionally

Lifting up to 50 lbs. (with assistance)

Rarely

Lifting up to 100 lbs. (with assistance)

Rarely

More than 100 lbs. (with assistance)

Rarely

Wet/humid conditions

Rarely

Work near moving mechanical parts

Rarely

Fumes/airborne particles

Rarely

Extreme cold

Rarely

Extreme heat

Rarely

Risk of electrical shock

Rarely

Driving requirement

N/A

 

Compensation Disclaimer: The compensation listed below for this position represents the anticipated hiring range and is provided in accordance with Virginia pay transparency requirements. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the selected candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, education, certifications, internal equity, and the specific requirements of the role. 

Range: $90,000 - $122,000/year