About MoPA: Museum of Play and Art

We opened our very first Children’s Museum in Geelong, in January of 2020, and it quickly established itself as a world-class play-based learning facility. Within a year of operation, the organisation had secured funding from the Australian Government to grow its footprint across Australia, and the next Museum commenced operation in the Bayside suburb of Sandringham in June 2022. MoPA Thomastown then opened in December 2024, and so it is our THIRD Museum in Melbourne – and it has already established a special place in the hearts of the Northside community.

The team here at MoPA in Thomastown is incredible – and they are looking for an experienced leader, who will lead by example, to deliver truly outstanding guest experiences and interactions and to maintain the impeccable physical environment that MoPA is famous for maintaining.

It’s most likely you’ll be from a background in Venue Management, Entertainment, Recreation, Restaurant and/or Hospitality Management… However it’s worth noting that MoPA has been lucky to be a part of lots of success journeys along the journey, with leading individuals coming from all walks of life – from operating early learning centres to growing circus schools; from practicing play therapy to practising law! So please don’t be shy – this is such a unique role that if this position description really grabs you, and you’ve got the right attitude, you can rock it in we’re sure!

The Role: Museum Manager

Every role at MoPA plays an integral role in the successful operation of our Children’s Museums. Few roles, though, are as influential as those on the Museum Management team. As one of the Museum Managers @ MoPA: Thomastown, you will oversee key elements of operation of our beautiful Thomastown site, and take ownership of a handful of key pillars required to deliver a world-class guest-experience. Perhaps most importantly, and unlike other ‘management’ roles in hospitality, you will be very “hands-on” in this role, wearing many hats and leading by example – from greeting guests at reception to leading dance parties; from writing rosters to delivering training and performance mentoring; from fixing PCs early in the morning to hand-painting an exhibit that has been scratched during a long day of operation.

MoPA’s aspirations are not for the faint-hearted. One visit to a MoPA is all it will take for it to become clear that we’re not mucking around here; we’re busy building the best family experience in the world. The Museum itself is one key aspect of this world-class experience, but that work (building the Museum) is now done. It’s built! The piece of the puzzle that you will control is the team that will fill the space with pure joy, and ensuring it’s maintained impeccable well to ensure no feature of the space is ever ‘down’, ‘broken’ or ‘tired’. Whilst this can sound intimidating to some, you are the type of person that gets excited by such aspirations; the thought of being such an important part of this journey excites and energises you!

You will hire, train, manage and maintain the biggest, bestest team of casual, part-time and full-time team members that you’ve ever assembled before. This team will ultimately determine your own success, and so you’ll obsess over the people systems in place that ensure every team member is engaged, learning, measured, delivering, receiving and implementing feedback, and doing the best job they’re capable of doing.

As you will know, building a large and successful team will require you to hire extremely carefully. You will build and maintain a team that features the skills, the attitudes, and the FUN, that represent the organisation’s values. You will train to a tee and ensure every team member’s skills are impeccably tuned. You will help team members move on that aren’t making the necessary contribution. And you will ultimately build the values and the culture that are required for MoPA Sandringham to deliver the MoPA guest experience that’s fast-becoming world-famous.

To be considered for this position, you…

• Are able to demonstrate proven success building and maintaining large teams of casual/part-time staff across at least one (but probably more than one) area of function
• Are BORN for hospitality, with years of practice in a similar family environment, perhaps even an early learning environment, meeting the diverse needs of a very large, very busy, family environment
• Will be available to work most weekends and public holidays (because weekends represent the greatest opportunity for you to ensure the largest number of visitors have the best experience)
• You won’t necessarily have all the experience in the world (because, let’s face it, there aren’t many Children’s Museums to garner first-hand experience!) BUT, you will have a huge appetite to learn, improve, and master the role.
• You love following processes and procedures, and won’t mind adopting all the learnings from our existing operation. So much can be learned from our existing Museum, and so much of the operating model will be a tuned replica of the existing processes – and this is something that excites you to be part of.

What this job is NOT…

We are big believers in full transparency, and so it’s important to understand what this role is not…

• The Museum is fully designed and built by an experienced team – and the operation (activities, schedules, exhibits) are developed and governed by the Museum Directors. There is no scope to be involved in exhibition development or activation design. This role is, instead, focused on developing and managing the team, and a disciplined execution of the operational procedures that make sure the space is impeccably well presented to every guest that walk through the door at any time of the day.
• This role is certainly no desk job! You will be on your feet, in the Museum, for most (if not all) of the entire day. This presence on the exhibition floor is what’s required to oversee the operation, and lead by example.

Our Cultural Foundations

The team that work at the Museums, and the team that support the Museums remotely, are a collection of truly wonderful individuals. We’re blessed to be surrounded by so many great people, but it hasn’t happened by accident. We’ve built this team by design, because here at MoPA, ahead of anything else, we ‘hire for heart’. 

We assemble teams of people that ooze kindness. The type of people that hold doors open for strangers, the type that can’t wipe smiles from our faces. We’re the type that jump in and take shifts from each other in times of need and we are all deeply passionate about providing families with an experience they’ll tell all their friends about.

Our team comes from a range of backgrounds; from early-learning centres to primary-school art teaching, from study in occupational therapy to dance class co-ordinators, and all corners of the hospitality sector. Whilst we’re a diverse bunch, we’re also united by a common belief that providing safe, clean, rich opportunities for play-based learning and creativity will paint a brighter future.

MoPA VALUES

The four core values that are fundamental here at MoPA are:

1. Play is in our DNA
We practise what we preach. We all know that we’re at our best when we’re ‘playing’, and so we’re always trying to make even the toughest jobs, on the toughest days, as much fun as we can. A positive and playful attitude is infectious!

2. Purposefully Efficient
We steward every resource we have access to as wisely as we can, to maximise the impact of every minute, and every dollar. Great prioritisation (of the 100 things we could do, we chose 1), thinking, doing, and communicating, are all super important skills we bestow that ensure we’re ‘purposefully efficient’ in all that we do.

3. Meticulous Execution
We execute the things we choose to do at a truly exceptional standard. We take the RIGHT path (the best for the guest!) not necessarily the CHEAPEST or EASIEST path (which is often the easiest for us, the team).

4. We’re Growing Together
We consistently seek opportunities for ourselves and others to learn and grow; this is likely to materialise in all sorts of ways – including but not limited to taking on new things we haven’t before, building new skills, uber-consistently sharing feedback of all kinds, and lots of collaboration.

If this job sounds like a good fit for you, we’d LOVE to meet you – regardless of your age, skills or experience.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, please ensure the below listed attachments are included in your application. Only applications submitted with all of the requirements can be considered.

Please submit an application that includes:

1) Your resume
2) Your cover letter
3) A short video (a basic selfie-video is absolutely fine!) introducing yourself and what you’re all about!

We will do our very best to keep everyone well-informed of the progress of all applications, successful or otherwise. Within a week of submitting your application, you will receive an update from our recruitment team!

Note: Only applications submitted with all of the requirements can be considered – so please be sure to include everything that’s requested above in your application.

Please email work@museumofplayandart.com.au with any questions.

Please note: MoPA is open 7-days a week. Please only apply for this Management Role if you can work weekends and through school holiday periods.

About MoPA: Museum of Play and Art

Well… If you’re here reading this, you’ll probably know that MoPA is exciting new family of Children’s Museums that was founded in Geelong in 2020. In a few short years, we’ve grown quickly to become one of the worlds’ first networks of private Children’s Museums with over twenty locations planned throughout Australia in the coming years. Our mission is to provide opportunities for families to experience rich play-based learning and creative exploration in a beautifully curated museum environment. Super passionate about play, an unwavering commitment to continuous learning, and a relentless drive to deliver the most outstanding guest experiences are some of the values that guide us to achieve every day… And we mean every day: we are open 364 days a year!

Role description:

We seek authentic, kind, and passionate individuals to fill the position of Assistant Museum Manager for our upcoming museum in Nunawading. As an Assistant Manager, you’ll play a crucial hands-on role in supporting the Museum Manager to efficiently manage the day-to-day operations of the museum (museum exhibits, cafe, kitchen, birthday parties, excursions, and retail). In addition, the role requires that you manage and direct a team of part-time and casual team members to deliver outstanding guest experiences and to maintain the highest quality standards of museum operation.

About You:

To succeed in this role, you should have experience in either hospitality or early learning settings, possess strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills and love working with children, parents, and team members.

You must also be disciplined in executing operational processes and systems and thrive on being on the museum floor participating in the daily activities, engaging with guests, and directing your guest experience, cafe, and kitchen teams—all in the quest to achieve outstanding guest experiences.

We seek individuals from diverse backgrounds who are eager to learn, develop, and excel in this unique but rewarding leadership role. There is no desk in sight for this role – with very little admin but LOTS of busy sessions to manage, the Assistant Manager role is hands-on and extremely fast-paced!

For You:

Competitive salary of $60k or more (commensurate with experience), plus 11% super, plus a very supportive and collaborative work environment, plus professional development opportunities, plus the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children and families.

To be considered for this position, you will:

• Have visited a least one of our Museums to gather an appreciation for the what the role is about, and what it isn’t about, and to fall in love with what your role in the organisation might look like
• Be able to demonstrate proven success in positions of influence with a firm but fair approach to achieving standards and have energy to burn because so much of your success will be about leading by example
• Be born to deliver a magical guest experience, with years of practice in a similar family environment, perhaps even an early learning environment, meeting the diverse needs of a very large, very busy, family environment
• Be available to work most weekends (because weekends represent the greatest opportunity for you to ensure the largest number of visitors have the best experience)

What this role isn’t about:

• Sitting at a desk! You’ll be on your feet all day every day, and very little time is spent in any small rooms (other than cleaning up the odd spill from a sensory room of course!)
• Designing activities! All of MoPA’s exhibits and activities are planned and executed by our creative teams; this Assistant Museum Management role does not contribute to the design or planning of these activities

Please note: MoPA is open 7-days a week, almost every day of the year. Please only apply for a Museum or Cafe role if you’re available to work during weekends and school holiday periods.

Role description:

This role supports the head chef in preparing the very best food offer to MoPA standards. From cutting, chopping, assembling and presenting our cafe and catering range, you will take pride in every piece you put on display.

To be considered for this position, you must

• Have worked in a busy cafe style kitchen with exceptionally high standards and revel in a fast paced environment
• Have the ability to take direction but also work autonomously to cook, prepare, assemble the range of  snacks, sandwiches, food platters, etc
• Be comfortable engaging with cafe team members who you co-share the cafe/kitchen space with

Please note: MoPA is open 7-days a week. Please only apply for a Cafe role if you’re available to work 2-4 shifts per week during weekends and school holiday periods.

MoPA is already famous for its delicious coffee – but you will take this fame to new levels. You’re a passionate, reliable, service-orientated barista with a passion for the entire cafe offering, not just the coffee.

Role description:

This role supports the cafe supervisor in delivering the very best guest experience. From opening and closing tasks, ensuring the next day team walk into a perfectly ready cafe, to food and beverage order taking and service, coffee making, bussing cafe tables, restocking and most importantly keeping the cafe impeccably clean and tidy.

To be considered for this position, you will:

• • Have worked in a busy cafe with exceptionally high standards and revel in a fast paced service environment
  • Have the ability to make an amazing coffee, take orders with genuine enthusiasm and have pride in how you present food to your guests
  • Be comfortable engaging with children and parents alike with a genuine kind and caring nature
  • Love cleaning, tidying, restocking, wiping, vacuuming, cleaning, emptying bins, clearing tables and did I mention cleaning!
  • Be naturally fun, bubbly, positive personality – a breath of fresh air in everything you do.

Please note: MoPA is open 7-days a week, almost every day of the year. Please only apply for a Museum or Cafe role if you’re available to work during weekends and school holiday periods.

Role description:

Our delightful crew of Cafe Team Members are responsible for ensuring that our cafe is the cleanest, yummiest haven for nutrients that our guests could ever ask for. Each day they’re the first team members in – prepping the for the day ahead. They then busily tend to guests orders for our delicious food and coffee menu, maintaining an impeccable environment within the serving area but also in the cafe eating areas, and scrub the place impeccably clean at the end of the day to ensure tomorrows team get a head start into another busy day.

You will be comfortable engaging with children and parents alike, you will demonstrate a genuinely kind and caring nature by helping anyone and everyone with whatever their needs may be, and you will be a ‘service machine’, endlessly re-strocking, tidying, wiping, vacuuming, emptying bins and doing all it takes to maintain the exceptionally high standard of cleanliness and hygiene that MoPA are famous for.

Give me more:

• You’ll be rostered for 2-4 shifts per week of between 3 and 8 hours each

• Most shifts occur on weekends, however some shifts will also occur on weekdays

• Most shifts will be during the Museum’s typical operating hours (approx. 8.30am til 5.30pm) however some shifts will end later (9.30pm, at the latest) when events/functions occur in the Museum

• You’ll be on your feet all day

• Fastidious and constant cleaning and tidying of all areas

To be considered for this position, you will:

• Have worked in a busy cafe with exceptionally high standards already, and you revel in this environment.

• Be available to work at least 3 full day shifts per week.

• Be a born ‘people person’ (You just LOVE engaging with babies, toddlers, adults, grandparents, carers and more).

• Be a naturally fun, bubbly, positive personality – a breath of fresh air in everything you do.

Please note: MoPA is open 7-days a week, almost every day of the year. Please only apply for a Museum or Cafe role if you’re available to work during weekends and school holiday periods.

Role description:

The role is responsible for ensuring that every single visitor has a truly exceptional and memorable experience at MoPA. This is demonstrated through your endless energy and enthusiasm for children, families and play. You love to dance, paint, build, tell stories as well as hosting parties and excursions whilst maintaining an eye for detail on the cleanliness of the museum.

Give me more:

• You’ll be rostered for 2-4 shifts per week of between 3 and 8 hours each

• Most shifts occur on weekends, however some shifts will also occur on weekdays

• Most shifts will be during the Museum’s typical operating hours (approx. 8.30am til 5.30pm) however some shifts will end later (9.30pm, at the latest) when events/functions occur in the Museum.

• You’ll be on your feet all day – because there’s always something that can be cleaned. But rest assured, all day you’ll also be laughing, dancing and having loads of fun with our team and our guests!

• You’ll be running a host of scheduled activities such as dance parties, craft, games and classes

• Fastidious and constant cleaning and tidying of all areas, exhibits and facilities

To be considered for this position, you will:

• Ideally have worked with children in an educational capacity – many of our team are future, current or past formal educators.
• Be comfortable hosting parties, excursions, dance parties, painting sessions, craft building with individuals and groups
• Be confident in enforcing safety guidelines for our guests (outside food policy and play safe areas)
• Love cleaning, tidying, restocking, wiping, cleaning, emptying bins, dusting, and did I mention cleaning!
• Be a naturally fun, bubbly, positive personality and just LOVE engaging with babies, toddlers, adults, grandparents, carers and more).