Manager of Visitor Experience

Reports To: Director of Visitor Experience
Team: Visitor Experience
Status/Employment: Full-time/Exempt
Hours: The position requires 37.5 hours per week; including special events and programs.
Schedule: Must be able to work most Wed-Sun work week.
Wage: $40,000-$55,000 commensurate with experience, education and certifications.
Benefits: Health Care Insurance, 401K, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Aflac, Discretionary Time Off (DTO), free downtown parking, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), museum membership, and other special discounts.

To apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references. Please submit only through our online portal at https://www.taftmuseum.org/jobs/. Our team will review your information, and we will get back to you with the next steps. If you have questions, please email Human Resources at HRAdm@taftmuseum.org. No phone calls, please.

POSITION OVERVIEW: Reporting to the Director of Visitor Experience, the Manager of Visitor Experience assists in all aspects of the Taft Museum of Art (TMA) front of the house (FOH) operation to include admissions, café, retail sales, and events. The Manager of Visitor Experience’s primary responsibility is to supervise, train and develop the Visitor Experience Associates to deliver exceptional visitor experience when the Museum is open to the public or during events.

LEADERSHIP/SUPERVISORY
– Works as the Manager of Visitor Experience between the Taft Café, private TMA events and meetings, the shop, admissions, and facility rental events, spending equal time involved in hands-on work on the floor and back-office functions.
– Trains each Associate to give an exceptional first Impression to museum visitors! Always cheerful and welcoming with everyone at the museum.
– Provides supervisory presence on the floor of the Museum when it is open to the public and for special events and facility rentals as required, ensuring that services are delivered as planned to ensure each guest enjoys an exceptional experience.
– Supervises and coaches Visitor Experience Associates to ensure all service standards are achieved and all administrative duties are effectively completed and in compliance with Museum guidelines and management expectations.
– Provides the Director of Visitor Experience support in running the operation and floor coverage for their days off.
– Supports the Director of Visitor Experience in the scheduling of Visitor Experience Associates and ensuring the payroll process is done according to the Finance guidelines accurately, timely, and within Visitor Experience budget.
– Works with Human Resources to ensure all Visitor Experience Associates follow the Museum and HR processes and procedures per the Employee HR Guide, the Museum Facility Policies, and Security, Risk, and Safety Procedures.
– Coordinates HR personnel activities for the Visitor Experience department based on Director of Visitor Experience’s expectations and HR processes and policy to include hiring staff, onboarding and orientation new hires, training & development, performance feedback, payroll, and employee relation issues.

GUEST SERVICES & HOSPITALITY EXPERT
– Monitors guest activity to ensure safety protocols, study what engages guests, and provide feedback on guest museum experiences.
– Handles a wide variety of customer requests through demonstrating robust product/service knowledge alongside an ability to deal creatively but effectively with
unusual situations in line with Museum standards. Demonstrates an ability to deal with both positive and negative customer feedback with grace and professionalism.
– Communicates information accurately regarding current and future programs and events to Visitor Experience Team and guests.
– Ensure that customer-facing and back-of-house activities are operated with excellence and under the standards established by the Director of Visitor Experience.
– Resolves guest complaints and or service deficiencies by listening to the guest, responding with sincerity, and using appropriate service recovery tools.
– Works with Visitor Experience Team to respond and effectively disseminate phone inquiries and information.
– Assists with addressing guest and staff issues on the Museum floor, including de-escalating guest issues, and engaging with guests from a wide range of backgrounds
– Assists in the planning and delivery of events such as exhibition openings, weddings, or meetings.
– Leads the operation of the activities of the retail sales, including the accuracy of transactions; receipt of, pricing, and display of merchandise; daily, weekly, and monthly sales reconciliation; and ongoing inventory audit.
– Sets the standards for visual merchandising, including packaging and displays, in concert with institutional branding efforts.
– Maintains the Museum’s point of sale systems; to include ensuring screens and products are correctly setups, pulling data from systems for reporting, and making recommendations for system development and improvement.
– Interfaces daily with reservation systems to check reservations for the day.
– Follows all Museum processes and compliance standards applicable to financial transactions.
– Other duties may be assigned or assumed.

Other
– Inspects all function rooms before service to ensure the room is maintained and reports any discrepancies to Facilities Team.
– Helps with setups in Cafe and other meeting rooms before opening to the public.
– Flows to help Cafe team if it gets too busy, helping to clear and set up tables.
– Other duties may be assigned or assumed.

REQUIRED SKILLS & CAPABILITIES
– Excellent standards of proficiency with Microsoft Office, including the use of Microsoft Excel. Experience managing point of sale (POS) systems.
– Experience with electronic employee scheduling platforms.
– Strong supervisory and leadership skills to leverage the talents of the staff to deliver goals most efficiently and effectively.
– Must be self-directed, motivated, and demonstrate exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills.
– Highly organized and demonstrates the ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced work environment.
– Adhere to established departmental standard operating procedures for all matters of execution and behavior.
– Must be well-groomed, attired in clean, crisp, well-maintained clothing with proper fitting.
– Personable and possesses excellent communication skills, both in-person, email, virtually, and on the phone.
– Welcoming and able to have pleasant conversations with all guests.
– Computer savvy and able to learn and operate the POS system for sales transactions.
– Always on time and reliable.
– Highly motivated, professional, creative, articulate, and goal-oriented, and possess the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
– Ability to use a stepladder to reach merchandise for customers
– Always collaborates and works well with others.
– Flexible, the ability to flow to work when and where is needed to ensure a positive experience for Guests.
– Loves the Arts is a big plus.
– Access to reliable personal transportation for routine pick-ups or drop-offs to/from vendors.
– Reliable transportation.
– You are authorized to work in the US.

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
– Three years of hospitality/guest service job experience.
– Supervisory experience of at least one year or more is required.
– Must have a working knowledge of Banquet operations as well as core standards and standard operating procedures.
– Excellent communication skills and a desire to work with the public are a must.
– ServSafe Level 1 or equivalent.
– TIPS training is preferred.

MUSEUM CORE VALUES
All employees of the museum must strive to:
– Embrace the museum’s core values of respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, and collaboration and demonstrate this understanding through words, behaviors, and interactions with our guests, staff members, volunteers, and the public.
– Learn and teach every day. Share knowledge freely with colleagues and pursue opportunities to gain new skills to enhance our success as a team.
– Appreciate, understand, and value each staff member’s expertise, background, experience, strengths, and unique perspective. Share time, energy, and knowledge with others to ensure everyone has the highest potential to succeed.
– Achieve excellence in all tasks and goals.
– Demonstrate professionalism on and off the job and always represent the Taft Museum of Art positively and professionally. Speak truthfully and fulfill promises and obligations in all museum dealings.
– Be comfortable and communicate with people of diverse backgrounds.
– Adhere to all current museum policies, procedures, protocols, and processes.
– Create a pleasant work environment by being a positive influence and respectful to every person.

The Taft Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1976, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other applicable employment laws. The TMA does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, gender, religion, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.