Arts Centre Melbourne – Chief Experience Officer

Location: Melbourne, Australia | Term: Full Time, 5 Year Contract

Shape the experience of Arts Centre Melbourne

This is a rare opportunity to shape how millions of people experience Arts Centre Melbourne at a defining moment for the organisation and Melbourne’s cultural landscape.

As Chief Experience Officer, you will lead the end-to-end audience and visitor experience across one of Australia’s most significant cultural institutions. Working closely with the CEO and Executive Team, you will bring together customer experience, marketing, strategic communications, and ticketing sales and services to create a seamless and compelling experience – from first discovery and booking through to arrival, time on site and the relationship that follows.

With the transformation of the Melbourne Arts Precinct underway, the role offers an extraordinary opportunity to help Arts Centre Melbourne evolve from a place people primarily visit for a performance to a destination people choose to spend time in, throughout the day and week.

Why This Role?

- Shape the visitor experience at a pivotal moment – lead how audiences and visitors discover, experience and engage with Arts Centre Melbourne as the organisation and precinct enter an important new chapter.
- Grow Arts Centre Melbourne as a destination – create new reasons to visit, stay and return, growing and diversifying audiences and activating the site beyond performance times.
- Create new opportunities for growth – bring an entrepreneurial and commercial lens to new experiences, partnerships and revenue opportunities, while balancing public purpose and financial sustainability.
- Lead a significant and diverse portfolio – bring together customer experience, marketing, strategic communications,



and ticketing sales and services around a shared focus on the customer journey.

About Arts Centre Melbourne

Arts Centre Melbourne is a globally recognised performing arts centre and a cornerstone of Australia’s cultural life. Situated on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People, it is home to The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Company and Opera Australia, and welcomes more than three million people through its doors each year.

As the Melbourne Arts Precinct undergoes an extraordinary period of renewal, Arts Centre Melbourne has the opportunity to reimagine not only its buildings and public spaces, but the experience it creates for audiences, visitors and communities.

The Opportunity

As Chief Experience Officer, you will:

- Lead the end-to-end customer and visitor experience across physical and digital touchpoints.
- Grow and diversify audiences, visitation and engagement across the whole site and throughout the day and week.
- Lead Arts Centre Melbourne’s brand, marketing, strategic communications, and ticketing sales and services.
- Develop recent experiences, partnerships and revenue opportunities that deepen engagement and encourage repeat visitation.
- Strengthen Arts Centre Melbourne’s tourism and destination positioning, including its growing gallery and exhibition offer.
- Lead and develop a large,



multidisciplinary portfolio and contribute as an executive leader to Arts Centre Melbourne’s strategy, transformation and future direction.

What We’re Looking For

- A strong record of shaping exceptional customer, audience or visitor experiences and growing visitation and engagement in complex, high-profile environments.
- Entrepreneurial and commercial judgement, with experience identifying and developing new experiences, partnerships or revenue opportunities.
- Significant experience across brand, marketing, audience engagement and/or strategic communications, and an understanding of how these connect with customer experience and place.
- Strategic leadership capability and experience operating successfully within a complex, multidisciplinary organisation.
- The ability to build influential relationships across government, industry, commercial, cultural and community partners.
- A collaborative, visible and inclusive leadership style, with experience leading large or multidisciplinary teams through change.

Candidates may come from cultural organisations or adjacent sectors including tourism, visitor attractions, hospitality, entertainment, major destinations or other customer-led environments.

Experience activating public spaces or precincts, growing audiences for exhibitions or collections, and knowledge of the Victorian tourism and visitor economy would be highly regarded.

Ready to Shape the Next Chapter of Arts Centre Melbourne?

For a confidential discussion and a copy of the Candidate Information Pack, please contact Andrew Abbott or Caitlin Pang at Korn Ferry by email at [email protected]

Applications close: 11:59pm, Sunday, 25 October 2026

How to apply: Submit your CV and cover letter to [email protected]

SE: 510821442

📌 Chief Experience Officer, Arts Centre Melbourne
🏢 Korn Ferry
📍 Melbourne