Experience Operations Lead (Guests & Artists)

We are hiring one amazing human to lead Experience Operations at VAWAA. Do you love operations & metrics as much as you love creative travel? Are you energized by helping unlock life-changing experiences for others? Then read on...

AI, screen fatigue, and loneliness are pulling people back toward the analog world, and rapidly increasing the value of

human creativity . At the same time, AI is making it possible to scale a deeply human company in a way that was not possible before.

We are building VAWAA – the platform for human creativity in an AI world. It’s a

global platform

where people travel to learn directly from master artists in their studios for

multi‑day apprenticeships . Stepping into the real rhythm of their practice and leaving changed, we are defining a new category at the intersection of travel, creativity, learning, culture, and transformation.

VAWAA artists

are extraordinary ceramicists, painters, weavers, chefs, sculptors, shoemakers, woodworkers, designers, and indigenous makers around the world.

Our guests

are curious humans who want to make something with their hands, learn from someone extraordinary, and experience a place through its creative culture. 95% of our guests describe their experience as

life‑changing , and 98% of the VAWAA artists have stayed on the platform.

Demand is outpacing supply. We have 1,200 artists on the waitlist and a small team of five. We’ve built a really good product, and we’re continuing to improve the experience for both guests and artists through constant feedback and observation.

A high‑touch, high‑trust platform with many moving parts. Guest requests come from around the world – from a solo traveler in New York wanting to learn weaving in Oaxaca to a VIP guest seeking a custom calligraphy lesson in Japan. We handle everything from booking inquiries to post‑trip follow‑ups, ensuring 10‑star experiences.

Here’s where you come in. We want an ambitious, compassionate, detail‑oriented doer who can

own the day‑to‑day human experience across both sides of VAWAA – guests and artists . You love trying new things, have operational stamina, move quickly, and wake up each morning energized by this work. As the company evolves, this role may lean more toward artist onboarding, experience design, or guest operations – depending on business needs. You will own a core domain with autonomy and increasing strategic influence.

What you’ll do

Work closely with the founder and help scale the experience layer of VAWAA.

Improve booking conversions and optimize the funnel from inquiry to repeat guest.

Monitor key metrics representing bookings, guest & artist health.

Partner with the guest experience manager to own the end‑to‑end guest journey, managing bookings, decisions, experience issues, follow‑ups, CRM hygiene, templates, workflows, and SOPs.

Support artists with onboarding, gathering assets, offering guidance, co‑designing, editing, and support.

Oversee where guests get confused, where artists need more support, where bookings stall, and where the system needs to get smarter—facilitating product decisions.

Solve time‑sensitive issues across time zones, cultures, and contexts.

Maintain a great vibe and make the VAWAA experience better every week.

Maintain responsiveness wherever guests and artists communicate – primarily email, but also WhatsApp and Instagram.

Automate repetitive tasks without losing the human soul. Anything you find yourself doing over and over, it’ll be your job to automate.

What makes this role a dream job for the right person

Energized by helping unlock life‑changing experiences for others.

Treat high‑volume, high‑context execution like a competitive sport and get real satisfaction from nailing details impeccably.

Live and breathe art, craft, culture, travel, and creative experiences.

Bring a quantitative mindset to experience quality, conversion, and growth.

Love setting ambitious goals and following through on them.

Comfortable with ambiguity, can change course fast, and learn quickly.

Get genuine satisfaction from a clean inbox, a clean CRM, and a well‑run system.

Use AI tools all the time and are excited to keep teaching yourself how to use them better.

Kind, thoughtful, tasteful, and fun to be around.

Can respectfully challenge a decision and explain why.

Required Experience

2‑4 years of digital customer experience.

Experience growing operations for an early customer base.

Strong writing, editorial, visual, and experience‑design skills.

Minimum 2 years of full‑time remote, computer‑based roles requiring responsiveness and self‑direction.

Fluency with tools such as Streak, Customer.io, Helpscout, Zendesk, Front, Notion, Slack, Google Workspace, and AI tools.

Bonus if you have lived and solo traveled internationally.

Things you may have done before

Worked in guest experience, client experience, creative operations, marketplace operations, or jack‑of‑all‑trades at a startup.

Managed a high‑volume inbox, bookings, logistics, CRMs, or international client communication.

Built your own projects, hosted gatherings, organized retreats, ran workshops, created content, or made things with your hands.

Been part of the early growth stage of a successful startup in a community management, customer support/success, or operations role.

Work Arrangement
We are remote, but need

New York working hours . Guests and artists are spread globally, so

flexibility is needed on evenings and weekends

when issues arise.

Role begins as a

4‑month full‑time contract

with intention to convert to full‑time employee.

Compensation
Contract phase:

$3,500–$5,000 per month, depending on capability and location.

Upon conversion to full‑time

$65,000–$85,000 salary, depending on performance and location.

0.25%–0.5% equity or profit‑sharing options.

Health insurance.

1 free and discounted VAWAA experience.

Work closely with our founder and community of artists and guests in 50+ countries – a mission that matters.

Growth Path
In 2–3 years, this role could evolve into Head of Guest Experience, Head of Artist Onboarding & Experience, Head of Creative Operations, or even COO, depending on your skills and ambition.

Why you shouldn’t work at VAWAA
We’re working toward an ambitious goal. If you’re looking for a comfortable, highly structured job or one that feels exciting simply because it involves travel and art, this is probably not the role for you. We operate across 42 countries and time zones, with hundreds of artists and guests. There are no layers or places to hide. If something breaks, you’ll be expected to notice it, understand it, and help improve it.

We also care deeply about how people work. We value people who don’t complain, keep commitments, ask clear questions, give direct updates, receive feedback without defensiveness, take responsibility when something slips, and learn quickly from mistakes.

We’re remote, which requires trust, responsiveness, and strong follow‑through. If you want a neat playbook, a narrow lane, a lot of structure, or a job where someone else carries the emotional and operational weight, this is not it.

But if you’ve been wanting to dive into something meaningful, build from the inside, take real ownership, grow fast, and shape core functions at an early stage, this could be exactly the role you’ve been looking for.

Equal Opportunity
We are based in New York, but open to remote applications within the U.S. and Canada. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

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