Job Highlights
The Guest Experience Manager oversees the customer experience at Houston Grand Opera performances and events, ensuring a memorable visit. The role is charged with reducing or eliminating hassle factors for guests, and continually seeks to improve and innovate for the benefit of our customers by reacting to feedback and collaborating with internal and external partners.
Join Us!
We are looking for talented, passionate, dedicated people who are eager to make contributions to our community and our mission.
Concerned you do not meet every single requirement listed? Apply! We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job if they don’t think they meet 100% of the requirements. At HGO, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. So, if you’re excited about this position but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply! You may be just the right candidate for this position or another role at HGO.
About the Houston Grand Opera
The mission of HGO is to enrich our diverse community through the art of opera. We do so by creating, curating, exploring, and producing outstanding experiences centered around the human voice. HGO has received a Tony Award, two Grammy Awards, and three Emmy Awards – we are the only opera company in the world to win all three honors.
Our strategic focus is two-fold: creating profoundly enriching experiences for our diverse audiences and clearly defining and positively promoting the HGO brand.
We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all company members. We believe every team member enriches our diversity by exposing a broad range of ways to understand and engage our community and discover, design, and deliver enriching experiences.
Compensation and Benefits
The starting salary for a candidate who meets the minimum requirements of the position is $65,000.00. We offer robust benefits to full-time employees, including:
Comprehensive and affordable health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance; a high-deductible healthcare plan with an employer-funded health savings account; a flexible savings account; an employee assistance program; and employer-paid life, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance
Generous paid time off including vacation, wellness, parental leave, and scheduled and flexible holidays
403b retirement plan with employer match
Flexible work schedule
Hybrid work environment
Professional development fund and opportunities
Discounted parking in the Theater District garage and nearby lots plus easy access to Metro transportation
Free tickets to our mainstage and community productions and events
Key Responsibilities
Lead the front-of-house team (including supervision of a House Manager, Assistant House Manager, and a team of Guest Services Representatives) by establishing policies and procedures to ensure that HGO customers have the best experience possible during events.
Ensure we have creative and engaging entertainment and guest activities on Fish Plaza, in the lobbies, and in the Grand Foyer that result in a memorable, share-worthy visit for all guests. Responsibilities include brainstorming activations, enlisting co-worker and partner support when needed, and scheduling or developing these efforts.
Maintain relationships and schedule all front-of-house staff for performances including Guest Services, EMTs, and police officers. Ensure all parties are knowledgeable about their responsibilities and the elements particular to each event.
Develop a process by which co-workers and partners will schedule activities created for guests that happen before, during, or after the performance (such as an activation on the Plaza) to ensure awareness among all parties, and prioritization of initiatives and plans for logistical challenges. Maintain a master calendar of these initiatives and ensure clear communication prior to shows, including working closely with Marketing to develop communication for guests.
Serve as liaison for the guest experience elements of our partnership with Houston First Corporation and Levy Restaurants. Ensure partners are informed of HGO needs and plan for circumstances related to each performance. Establish an expert understanding of building policies and procedures. Collaborate with HGO Operations team on all efforts.
Maintain strong working relationships and open communication with additional businesses and organizations that impact our guest experience including other performing arts groups, nearby parking facilities and restaurants, city, and downtown organizations, etc.
Establish best practices for customer service and the delivery of HGO's brand vision through the guest experience. Create and execute training for those who interact with customers, including part-time and contract staff, internal colleagues, and external partners.
Work closely with Business Intelligence, Marketing, and the Customer Care Center to understand the feedback and survey responses we receive from customers. Create action plans to resolve experience and partner-related issues.
Create post-event recaps that track the overall experience, capturing data from the day, best practices, opportunities for improvement, and issues that need immediate resolution. Ensure recaps are appropriately distributed and appropriate actions are taken in a timely manner.
Establish budgets and track expenses for all guest experience efforts including part-time staff, vendors, activations, etc. Ensure accounts payable procedures are followed. Ensure initiatives stay on budget and are evaluated annually for return on investment and strategic alignment.
Be the lead innovator of the HGO guest experience by researching and benchmarking other entertainment experiences, dreaming of new initiatives, and championing ideas for improvement.
Provide activation and event support to the entire Audience team when needed, including efforts to expand to new audiences, sell tickets, or deliver Subscriber benefits.
In all areas of responsibility, work to establish best practices, set goals, and create processes for us to improve the guest experience show after show.
Additional responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer and Director of Patron Experience
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree preferred.
5-8 years of experience in guest services, experiential marketing, event services, hospitality, or relevant field required.
Experience managing full-time, part-time, and contract staff a plus.
Experience in customer surveys and feedback analysis a plus (specifically Qualtrics).
Must be available to work at nights and weekends.
Other Skills and Abilities
Must thrive in a fast-paced group setting, be highly organized and efficiency-driven.
Self-motivator with analytical problem-solving abilities; confident, experienced decision-maker.
Detail-oriented individual with attention to process; sound judgment abilities; successful customer service professional; ability to manage up, down, and laterally; high level of personal and professional ethics.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those we consider important for an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 25 pounds), reaching for items, proficiency in keyboarding, effective communication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending meetings. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Equal Opportunity
Houston Grand Opera is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at HGO are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. HGO will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. HGO encourages applicants of all ages.