Special Events Bartender

The work is straightforward, making guests feel special.

Here is how Special Event Bartenders accomplish this as a team:

• Use standard beverage recipes.
• Prepare bars and keep them stocked throughout the shift.
• Check ID’s of guests and ensure that all forms of identification are valid.
• Mix drinks based on serving size outlined by management and Alcohol Beverage Control guidelines.
• Monitor alcohol inventory to maintain appropriate levels and complete consumption reports after shift.
• Maintain tight controls on alcohol throughout shift.
• Deliver a consistently high level of customer service to the client and maintain a safe environment by identifying problem clients and addressing the situation appropriately with management.
• Adhere to all safety and sanitary practices.
• Prepare and serve consistent beverages.
• Investigate and resolve customer complaints if needed

• Prior knowledge of Alcohol Beverage Control policies and guidelines.
• Prior experience as a bartender and/or server.
• Prior experience in a fast paced, fine dining environment. Prior bartending education and training.
• ServSafe Food Handler’s certification is a plus.

At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), we facilitate beautiful memories.

Our Events Team is relentlessly passionate about their work. Every event detail is a touchpoint, a foundational pinning, evoking the right ambiance, feeling, and desired energy. Our dedicated service professionals bear witness and make possible some of the best days ever for our guests.

“…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

The team works to provide reasonable and advanced-scheduling notice to staff within the agreed upon availability. We are open 365 days a year, therefore there are a variety of shifts to work.

Work with people whose talents shine not only at work but also beyond work hours. Many of our staff are creatives who find an ease in serving others, have an eye for the details, and enjoy the flexibility this position offers.

Revenue from Events and other Enterprise operations directly supports museum operations. VMFA is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. Our purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art and to encourage the study of the arts.

Professionalism is a key tenet in our workplace. We treat each other no less than how we treat our guests. Come create career-supportive relationships with some of the best service professionals in the industry. Learn and grow with us.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA’s growing encyclopedic collection houses more than 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.

Our holdings include the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, British sporting art, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art.

Recently named the 11th-best art museum in the United States by The Washington Post, VMFA is the only US art museum open 365 days a year with free general admission.

VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Name: HR Services

Phone: For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. We do not provide application status updates via phone.

Email: recruitment@vmfa.museum for recruitment related questions.

 Emailed applications, resumes, or cover letters will not be accepted. For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. 

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

Advertised: 30 Oct 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 15 Nov 2026 Eastern Standard Time

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