Guest Experience Manager

Description

Title: Guest Experience Manager

Classification: Full Time, Exempt

Department: Guest Experience

Reports To: Director of Guest Experience

Schedule: Sunday – Thursday

Wage Band: Manager

Compensation: $68,640 annually

Mission: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History inspires a thirst for discovery and a passion for the natural world.

Position Summary: Responsible for day-to-day Guest Experience activities and operations including supporting the Butterflies Alive exhibit. This includes managing operations at the admissions desk and other Guest Experience posts throughout the Museum’s Mission Creek Campus (MCC.) This position requires excellent communication, organization, and demonstrated management experience in a multi-dimensional business.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Create and maintain a culture committed to excellent customer service. Ensure each visitor has a courteous, pleasant, and efficient initial contact with the Museum. Be a shining example of good behavior and high performance.
• Manage daily operations; maintaining signage, flow, capacity levels, and safety rules, and notifying appropriate staff of any inappropriate or unsafe activities.
• Oversee the collection of admissions fees from individuals and groups, selling memberships, process coordination of membership forms and packets; works with Membership Manager to stay abreast of current packages and promotions and communicates same to MCC staff to support membership goal.
• Lead all front office tasks ensuring staff performed their essential tasks of sorting mail, postmarking outgoing mail, answering phones, taking admissions, managing the POS, selling memberships, and demonstrating the Guest Experience Values.
• Proactively interact with the general public and volunteers including greeting and welcoming guests, answering questions and providing expert information about the Museum and its exhibits and programs, promoting visitorship to the Sea Center campus, answering questions about Santa Barbara, and acting as a museum representative at various exhibit posts.
• Lead coordination for Group Sales and interacting with external organizations to obtain price estimates, book reservations, resolve complaints, greet groups, and collaborate with internal departments for a smooth experience. Field incoming telephone calls including routing calls and taking messages.
• Support the Retail Coordinator with efficient operation of the Museum Store operations, and ensure operations remain smooth, including straightening and stocking merchandise; ensuring that the sales area and retail displays are kept clean; monitoring store inventory; and being well-organized in dealing with multiple customers' needs and requests.
• Assist customers in the Museum Store, including answering questions, assisting with purchases, cashiering, restocking of inventory, and promoting a positive guest experience.
• Demonstrate a professional demeanor in dealing with guests, trustees, donors, and vendors on the phone and in person. Work cohesively with multiple divisions and departments as a friendly, flexible, team player.
• Serve on Museum committees; represent and be the voice of the visitor/guest to maintain and enhance the overall Museum experience for the visitor.
• Supports the Museum’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for fellow staff, guests, and the community.
• Contributes to a positive guest experience by greeting and addressing any questions when encountering guests as they navigate through the Museum and Sea Center.
• Other duties as assigned.

In coordination with the Guest Experience Director:

• Assess current and improve upon GE policies and procedures in coordination with the Sea Center Manager.
• Maintain policy binders and ensure staff are up to date.
• Assist in developing and managing budget planning and meeting goals.
• Assist in End of Month reporting and writing quarterly board reports.
• Hire, Train, and supervise staff, approve timecards, and ensure payroll budgets and HR meal break laws are being met.
• Train all new GE staff in POS Systems, Membership, and Training Checklists ensuring uniform training and consistent standards. 
• Write employee schedules, assess and implement best use of payroll distribution for Front Office, Store, and Butterfly Pavilion staff inclusive of events, attendance trends, and staff availability.
• Maintain Email inboxes and tasks related to the Front Office, Online Sales, and Store, Butterfly exhibit.
• Maintain a neat and orderly environment, accessible to the public. Ensures workspace is clean and clear of clutter consistent with Museum and department operations and safety procedures.
• Support special events after normal Museum hours and additional days outside of the regular schedule, as needed.

Butterfly Pavilion: Sundays & Mondays

• Be familiar with the Butterfly Pavilion, including general butterfly biology & behaviors.
• On Sundays/Mondays, support USDA containment protocols among all staff and volunteers involved with the exhibit.
• Ensure daily opening and closing exhibit procedures in conjunction with Butterfly Attendants/Coordinator, including plant care, proper disposal, and/or disinfection of trash, tools, and work areas.
• Ensure daily animal care in emergence chamber and butterfly maintenance tasks are coordinated.
• On days of duty, ensure coverage of Butterfly Pavilion and surrounding areas utilizing staff schedules and actively arrange for substitutes as necessary.
• Serve as a resource of information to volunteers and visitors on the Museum and its exhibits, programs, and events.
• Serve as point person for Butterfly volunteers on days that Volunteer Manager is off.
• Maintain a neat and orderly environment, accessible to the public.

Essential Requirements:

• 1 year of management or leadership experience.
• 2 years of office, sales, or customer service experience.
• Must be available for the following weekly schedule: Sunday-Thursday 9 AM-5:30 PM and occasional after-hour events (no later than 10:00 PM).
• Must be available to work 1 weekend day, including both weekend days of opening and closing exhibit weeks, usually Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays.
• Must have reliable transportation to arrive at work on time.
• Strong organizational and leadership skills, ability to multitask with a track record as an effective team member, and ability to work collaboratively and on team projects.
• Dependable, punctual and reliable.
• Comfortable working in various work environments including outdoors.
• Responsible, goal-oriented with organizational skills including an excellent ability to handle multiple tasks; Able to work independently, be proactive, and possess excellent time management skills.
• Excellent customer service, communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills; ability to interact with varied individuals and groups of diverse backgrounds and ages.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and software programs including MS Office, databases, and inventory management systems.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
• Able to maintain a high level of confidentiality in all areas of work.

Preferred Requirements: 

• Bilingual Spanish fluency, written and oral, a plus.
• College Degree in a related field preferred.

Work Environment:

• General office, retail store environment with occasional work throughout the Museum’s facilities (galleries, conference rooms, research laboratories, and exhibit halls) and outdoors.
• Extensive interaction with the general public.
• Frequent repetitive movement tasks (typing, pricing, folding).
• Frequent standing, walking, bending, and climbing stairs and ladders with frequent lifting of medium loads (25 lbs.).
• Frequent use of chemicals (bleach, isopropyl alcohol).
• Contact with live and deceased insects and plant materials.

The incumbent must be able to perform each requirement of the position as outlined in the job description. Essential Requirements are representative and are essential for satisfactory job performance. The Work Environment characteristics are representative of those that may be encountered while on the job. The Museum will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Salary : $68,640