Guest Experience Lead Associate
Job Description
OBJECTIVE: To advance the mission and vision of Valley Church by creating and leading a world-class guest experience (GX) ministry that eliminates barriers between guests and Jesus, fosters extraordinary hospitality and develops a thriving volunteer culture that warmly welcomes people from their first impression to their next step.
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:
Experience: 5+ years of leadership experience in guest services, ministry leadership, customer experience, hospitality or related fields. Demonstrated success in leading teams, developing volunteers and managing environments that shape meaningful relational experiences.
Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Church Home: Must be a regular and involved attender at Valley Church.
COMPENSATION/STATUS:
Full-time, 45–50 hours per week, annual salary commensurate with experience.
This position is an exempt position and doesn’t include overtime.
Benefits include group health insurance, paid vacations, etc.
Refer to personnel policies for details.
ROLE: The GX - Hospitality Lead Associate position is …
DNA Carrier: Completely embraces and contagiously communicates the mission, values, strategy and impact measures of Valley Church.
Strategic Architect: Designs and implements a comprehensive “street-to-seat” hospitality strategy that creates seamless, meaningful and spiritually attentive guest experiences.
Bridge Builder: Creates pathways that connect new guests to meaningful relationships and next steps in discipleship.
Team Builder: Recruits, develops, empowers and multiplies high-capacity leaders and volunteers; inspires a volunteer culture of joy, excellence and mission.
Advocate for the Unchurched: Understands and champions the perspective of guests—especially those unfamiliar with church—to remove friction and elevate hospitality.
Creative Experience Designer: Evaluates and enhances physical and relational environments to ensure warmth, clarity, beauty and spiritual resonance.
Relational Leader: Friendly, present and approachable—naturally makes others feel comfortable, welcome and known.
PERSONALLY: The Guest Experience Coordinator is …
Disciple: Fully devoted to following Jesus in all areas of life.
Highly Relational: Enjoys and excels at engaging people from diverse backgrounds, both churched and unchurched.
Self-Aware and Emotionally Healthy: Understands strengths and growth areas; models humility and emotional intelligence.
Humble Learner: Receives feedback well and consistently seeks growth.
Seasoned: Knows and loves Valley Church, understanding its philosophy, rhythms and vision.
Flexible and Collaborative: Works well across departments, adapting with grace to changing needs and perspectives.
Energetic Multi-Tasker: Able to manage a wide range of tasks, responsibilities and leadership demands.
Time Manager: Intrinsically motivated, organized and able to prioritize without external supervision.
Friend to All: Naturally helps guests, volunteers and staff feel welcome, seen and valued.
JOB: The Guest Experience Lead Associate is responsible for …
1. Hospitality Leadership (“Street to Seat”)
Lead all aspects of guest experience from parking to seating, ensuring consistency, warmth, clarity and excellence. Champion a culture of attentiveness and Christlike hospitality across every venue and service. Ensure every guest feels genuinely welcomed, informed and guided toward meaningful next steps.
2. Volunteer Leadership & Development
Oversee, equip and inspire more than 400 volunteers across greeters, monitors, info desk, café and specialty teams. Provide ongoing training that clarifies purpose, builds confidence and celebrates spiritual impact. Coordinate scheduling for multi-site and multi-service environments.
Recruit new volunteers and develop high-capacity leaders who multiply ministry.
3. Staff Leadership & Collaboration
Supervise and support the GX Associate and GX Scheduler, providing clear expectations, coaching and alignment. Lead the GX Core Group through regular meetings, feedback loops and mission alignment. Serve as a communication bridge between pastors, ministry departments and GX leaders.
4. Sunday Experience Management
Direct the full guest experience on weekends, ensuring smooth execution and immediate problem-solving. Lead pre-service huddles to align vision, energy and excellence. Collaborate with the creative arts team as an active member, ensuring environments work together to enhance worship.
5. Guest Identification, Follow-Up & Connection
Oversee systems that identify new guests, capture information and ensure timely, personal follow-up. Build clear next-step pathways: newcomer events, groups, serving opportunities and pastoral connection. Track and report metrics that reflect engagement, retention and ministry health.
6. Environmental & Experience Design
Evaluate guest journeys regularly, identifying friction points and elevating excellence.
Collaborate with communications and facilities to maintain signage, décor, clarity and branding.
Ensure every environment communicates warmth, accessibility and care.
7. Event & Special Experience Support
Lead or support guest-oriented events such as Welcome Sundays, holiday services, baptism celebrations and newcomer brunches. Partner with departments to ensure exceptional hospitality at major church-wide events.
8. Culture Building & Continuous Improvement
Foster a joyful, prayerful and mission-focused culture among all GX staff and volunteers.
Highlight stories of transformation and celebrate volunteer contributions.
Seek continual improvement by studying best practices from churches and hospitality-centered organizations.
SUCCESS: Guest Experience Lead Associate is defined by ...
Exceptional Guest Care: Every visitor feels welcomed, seen and smoothly guided from first impression of next steps.
Volunteer & Leadership Development: A thriving culture of trained, empowered, joyful volunteers leading the ministry with excellence.
Welcoming Environment: Guests consistently describe Valley Church as warm, approachable and spiritually inviting.
Elevated Participant Experience: People can clearly articulate how hospitality contributed to growth in their faith.
Measured Growth: Guest identification, follow-up engagement and retention increase through reliable systems and data.
Missional Reach: The unchurched feel welcomed, understood and drawn into community and discipleship.
Ministry Alignment: The GX ministry is fully aligned with Valley Church’s mission, values and strategic direction.
About this Church
Valley Church is a thriving, multi-generational Evangelical Free Church located in West Des Moines, Iowa, committed to mobilizing everyone’s God-given potential to deeply love Christ and their neighbors.
At Valley, we “major on the majors”—anchoring everything we do in the timeless truths of Scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a biblical church that values unity in essential beliefs, authentic community and a mission-driven approach to ministry that impacts both our church and the broader community.
Our ministry philosophy is simple but powerful: Faith is meant to be lived out in community. Whether through Life Groups, outreach initiatives or the Valley Community Center—which serves thousands each year—we are passionate about helping people grow in their faith, build meaningful relationships and serve others with purpose.
We are a church that believes deeply in developing leaders, equipping volunteers and creating environments where people can take their next step with Jesus. Our team is collaborative, forward-thinking and committed to excellence in ministry.
If you are passionate about helping people grow spiritually, building teams and making a lasting Kingdom impact, Valley Church is a place where your calling can flourish.