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Guest Services Manager

Posted: Open to internal and external applicants

Reports to: Guest & Membership Services Manager

Status: Full-time, hourly, benefitted position

Hours of work: Sunday - Thursday, after-hours work as related to events and other projects.

Date needed: ASAP

Posting expires: When position is filled.

Position description:

The Seattle Aquarium, a leading marine conservation organization, is looking for a Guest Services Manager to join the Guest Services team. As the Guest Services Manager at the Seattle Aquarium, you will oversee a dedicated team committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences while championing our mission-Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. Your leadership and strategic vision will shape the direction of our Guest Services department, ensuring that guest and employee interactions reflect our organization's values, including accessibility and inclusivity. Collaborating closely with the Guest Services Supervisor and Guest Services Coordinators, you will guide them in their roles as frontline ambassadors, setting the tone for each guest's journey. Your vision and unwavering passion will inspire your team and departments across the aquarium to exceed expectations and drive meaningful change. If you are ready to lead with enthusiasm and purpose, enact meaningful change, and empower others to make a difference, then seize this opportunity to join us in making a difference.

The skills and abilities listed below may be demonstrated through a combination of relevant cultural and community programs, jobs, internships, volunteer experience, and/or formal or informal education. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Key functions:

Leadership

• Develop and implement comprehensive plans to engage and professionally develop the Guest Services team, prioritizing employee well-being, enrichment, and involvement.
• Directly supervise one full-time Guest Services Supervisor and provide indirect management for a team of up to 35 Guest Services Representatives and Coordinators.
• Conduct regular check-ins with the Guest Services Supervisor to identify areas for performance improvement and professional development.
• Lead by example every day, setting a high standard for work and service, and providing mentorship to motivate the team to deliver their best work and be their authentic selves.
• Recognize and celebrate team members who demonstrate outstanding performance and value alignment.
• Build and maintain communicative, proactive, and respectful relationships across diverse interpersonal and interdisciplinary teams.
• Assess staffing needs and collaborate with People & Culture to lead equity-centered hiring processes, assess candidates, conduct interviews, and fill vacancies.
• Participate in advancing and integrating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Regenerative practices in alignment with our S.A.L.I.S.H. Values.
• Champion equity-centered hiring practices for positions across the Aquarium, actively participating in recruitment, onboarding, and training initiatives for new Guest Services team members.

Long-term Planning and Operations

• Collaborate with senior leaders to devise, lead, and execute department goals, metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives for service and sales procedures, policies, and standards.
• Develop weekly and monthly work schedules to cover operations, sick days, vacations, breaks, special events, and staff meetings. Schedule and lead regular team meetings.
• Support the Guest Services Supervisor in planning, organizing, and supervising daily departmental activities, including accessibility initiatives.
• Review and approve timecards, conduct disciplinary actions and performance reviews, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement within the team.
• Audit cash handling and data integrity procedures. Collaborate with the Senior Manager of Guest Services and Membership, Finance, and IT departments to ensure compliance with internal controls and audits.
• Draft annual department budgets and monitor and make recommendations on spending.
• Serve as backup for managing the programmatic aspects of the point-of-sale system, ensuring seamless guest interactions and transactions.

• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Required skills and experience:

We will consider various combinations of relevant experience and education to meet minimum requirements.

• Extensive experience in customer service roles or similar capacities, with a demonstrated ability to manage diverse tasks and systems, interactions, and grow and allocate finances appropriately.
• Minimum three years of experience in a lead or supervisory role, showcasing proficiency in team management, scheduling, task delegation, and strong leadership skills.
• English verbal and written proficiency is required for this role. Preference will be given to multilingual candidates (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Lushootseed, or Japanese) and individuals with extensive personal or professional experience communicating across languages and differences.
• Personal and professional experience in managing conflict, de-escalating diverse groups of people, and promoting the well-being of impacted individuals in a respectful manner.
• Passionate about delivering exceptional hospitality and customer service, with a strong interest in conservation and education within an aquarium setting.
• Ability to thrive in high-pressure environments, managing multiple projects, consistently meet deadlines, and collaborate effectively with other Aquarium staff while demonstrating grace, resilience, and empathy.
• Committed to fostering a welcoming and enjoyable environment for guests and coworkers, and the ability to work well in a diverse team environment.

Working conditions:

• Constantly move about the Aquarium campus, occasionally working in outdoor weather conditions, while seldom remaining stationary for long periods.
• Frequently operate a computer and other office equipment such as a calculator or telephone.
• Occasionally move items such as stanchions and small boxes, either independently or in a team-lift situation.
• Proficient in clear and engaging communication, adept at effectively conveying information both in constant one-on-one interactions and when presenting to diverse groups, including co-workers, the public, and individuals from various cultural backgrounds, ensuring consistency and effectiveness across all communication channels.
• This is a full-time position that necessitates regularly working one weekend day. Flexibility to accommodate irregular and occasional evening hours, as well as holidays, is essential. The Aquarium is open daily, except on Christmas.

Salary and benefits: $36 - $37 / hour Dependent on experience. Please include salary expectations in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for the Seattle Aquarium's comprehensive benefits package to include medical, vision, dental, an employer-funded health reimbursement account, medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b retirement fund with employer match, access to a subsidized ORCA pass, a Seattle Aquarium Family Plus membership and generous paid time off.

How to apply: The Seattle Aquarium is committed to expanding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation movement. We are invested in building an Aquarium with a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, languages, cultural ways of knowing, and life experiences. We know research shows that society has conditioned communities of color, trans and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized candidates to more frequently not apply to a job because they don't feel that they meet all of the qualifications listed even if they are qualified. If you meet some of the requirements and you are passionate about our mission and our ocean, we encourage you to apply and look forward to learning more about you.

Interested candidates should upload a resume to our online application to be considered. Application review will begin immediately.

Please let us know if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for this job by emailing us at .

Note: If offered the position, candidates must pass a background check. Conviction record is not an automatic disqualifier; we are a second chance employer.

About the Seattle Aquarium:

The Seattle Aquarium is a respected authority on Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the world's one ocean. Our passionate staff increases awareness and drives the change needed to preserve and protect our marine environment by providing an inspiring visitor experience, engaging daytime and evening events, conservation education programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, community outreach to marginalized populations, research that advances understanding of animals in our care and their counterparts in the wild, advocacy and policy work, an award-winning volunteer program, high-impact marketing and communications, and more.

Our values, developed in conjunction with our staff, include commitments to adopting and promoting sustainable practices, creating awe-inspiring experiences, constantly learning and improving, fostering an inclusive community, maintaining scientific credibility through evidence-based practices and honoring our unique place by using our location and history as a lens for larger understanding.

Proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, we're among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S. by attendance, and we welcome over 850,000 people each year. Guided by our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment, we're working to substantially increase our conservation impact by expanding our campus with a new building, the Ocean Pavilion. Learn more at

Timeline:

We anticipate the following recruiting schedulefor those candidates who are selected for following dates are preliminary and subject to will work with candidates to set interview hired, relocation assistance is not available.

• Priority given to applications received first 2 weeks after posting.
• Interviews completed by early June 2024
• Start date: Late June 2024