Assistant Director, Guest Relations - Floor Operations - Shedd Aquarium

TITLE: Assistant Director, Guest Relations - Floor Operations
DEPARTMENT: Guest Relations
REPORTS TO: Sr. Director, Guest Relations
STATUS: Full-time, Exempt
SALARY:$60,000

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Assistant Director of Guest Relations, Floor Operations is charged with delivering a consistently exceptional experience for all guests while efficiently leading Shedd’s Guest Relations team. This individual will embrace and model outstanding proactive guest service and develop high employee morale. This Assistant Director is responsible for providing a seamless and joyful welcome for guests, minimizing wait times, and deploying staff and partners to assist guests throughout their encounters.

The Assistant Director of Guest Relations will provide leadership, coaching, and professional development for department managers and staff. This individual will champion efforts to achieve revenue and expense annual goals; setting team expectations, monitoring results, and ensuring accountability for achievement.

The Assistant Director of Guest Relations, Floor Operations will act as liaison to One Shedd amenities and ancillary partners as assigned.

This leader will work in concert with all partner Assistant Directors on the Guest Relations team to support the efforts and team of Theater Operations and Central Station.

TIME COMMITMENT:
This position is responsible for evening, weekend, and holiday onsite coverage.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values
• Champion a seamless, joyful, and satisfying guest experience
• Set and manage operational resources daily to ensure seamless entry, post consistency, and proactive service.
• Decrease wait time through simplified processes onsite, online, and on the phone.
• Hold management, team, and partners accountable forcontinuous improvement of the guest experience at all touchpoints.
• Develop managerial accountability for operational, communication, service standard, and time management consistency across 7 days a week
• As One Shedd, increase guest satisfaction
• Promote and continually improve the Shedd Way service standards and delivery of appropriate annual increasesinguest satisfaction scores
• Seek out proactive service strategies and opportunities to execute them
• Consistently recognize and coach to seamless and joyful behaviors at all posts using the GUEST framework:
  • G – focus on high-energy greeting by going to the guest
  • U – ask the right questions at each post to understand what the guest needs. “Where are you visiting from?” “What animals are you most excited to see today?” “Are you a member?”
  • E – engage guests, using Ask Me! animal knowledge and three interpretation techniques:
    • Ask questions. “How many sea stars do you see?”
    • Use metaphors. “Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight every day. That’s like if I ate 10 pizzas!”
    • Make connections. “Since you love sharks, have you also seen Wild Reef? Did you know Shedd members get a discount on 4D/VR/Must See Tour?”
  • S – solve guest needs by helping them with what they asked for and surprising them with a personal recommendation for something extra.
  • T – thank guests for visiting and impact their decision to visit again
• Build relationships across the organization to advance Shedd’s delivery of an exceptional guest experience.
• Work across the organization with assigned partners to achieve a seamless experience.
• Build strong relationships and synergies with peers in Membership, Marketing, Central Station, Facilities, Design & Exhibits, Learning, and Animal Care as well as amenities and ancillary partners; share opportunities
• Meet or exceed attendance and revenue goals each year
• Understand annual attendance and revenue goals, including goals for Sales, Membership, CityPASS, 4D, and EE
• Develop staff training to ensure frontline staff has appropriate tools to meet goals
• Utilize reporting and floor observations to effectively coach and recognize leaders and team
• Create action plans for Ambassadors that fall below targets
• Optimize resources within budget parameters for peak and non-peak seasons
• Optimize operational flexibility to allow appropriate levels of staffing that anticipate fluctuations in demand.
• Build and execute hiring, onboarding, and training calendar within budget that supports effective sales and service
• Monitor expense budgets monthly, and respond as appropriate
• Support fiscal responsibility, implementing appropriate annual expense efficiencies
• Increase staff satisfaction and performance
• Respond to team survey and feedback with a focus on schedules, training, connection to the collection, active listening, and professional development
• Provide consistency in corrective action, performance management, recognition
• Provide ongoing coaching and professional development to the GR leadership team: performance management, business protocols, guest service, and controls.
• Execute strategies to reduce hourly turnover (scheduling, career path/bench, training and professional development, performance management)
• Utilize independent judgment and discretion in the exercise of supervisory responsibility and authority for the Senior Managers and Managers of Guest Relations in the Guest Relations Department as well as all Guest Relations Ambassadors including assigning and directing work, evaluating job performance, resolving job concerns and problems, implementing or effectively recommending decisions concerning hiring, transfer, reassignment, promotion, merit or other compensation increases or rewards, layoff, recall, discipline and/or discharge.
• Assure appropriate adherence to controls and policies
• Serve on aquarium teams
• Fulfill other duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education:

• College degree preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years acting in a customer service/sales management position, including significant budget responsibility and direct supervision of staff.
• Experience with high-volume visitation, with an understanding of crowd management and flow during peak and non-peak times and days.
• Experience managing teams of 100+ people, including management and supervisors
• Experience with cash handling, tracking, loss prevention, and accounting systems for generated revenue
• Experience with complex ticketing systems is desirable
• Must have good communication and negotiation skills, be able to handle multiple tasks at once, and effectively communicate and collaborate with the general public.
• Must be able to handle confidential/financial information
• Must be willing to work weekends and holidays
• Word and Excel computer experience necessary
• Bilingual skills a plus

PERSONAL QUALITIES:

The candidate will be a service-oriented, data-driven and highly organized self-starter who maintains high standards for their own work and the work of their team and can set and uphold an exceptional level of service for the aquarium’s diverse constituencies. They will continually raise the bar and drive business performance collaboratively with peers and partners across the organization. The ideal candidate will enjoy the challenges of a senior leadership role and of managing a dynamic, fast-paced operation.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Lift up to 15 pounds
• Sit
• Stand
• Stoop
• Walk long distances including stairs

WORK ENVIRONMENT:The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Water
• Heat
• Cold
• Exposure to the elements in an outdoor setting
• Exposure to air particles and potential allergens
• Low noise
• Moderate noise
• Crowds

BENEFITS WORKING AT SHEDD:We offer competitive compensation packages and opportunities for professional growth within our organization.

• Medical Insurance, including FSA and HSA plan options
• Vision and Dental Insurance
• Accrued Paid Time Off
• Up to 12 Paid Holidays
• Life Insurance
• Parental Leaveand Adoption Assistance
• 401(k)
• Discounted Parking and Public Transit Subsidies
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Wellness program, including Preventive Care Incentive
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Tickets

Reasonable Accommodations:
Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at jobs@sheddaquarium.org.

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.