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VISITOR SERVICES MANAGER

Req #:
222771

Department:
BURKE MUSEUM

Job Location:
Seattle Campus

Posting Date:
05/30/2023 

Closing Info:
Open Until Filled 

Salary:
$4859 - $7288 per month 

Other Compensation:
 

Shift:
Alternate Work Shift 

Benefits:
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.  

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

About the Burke Museum:
The Burke Museum cares for and shares natural and cultural collections so all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal. The Burke was founded in 1885 by the Young Naturalists, a group of curious teenagers inspired by seeing Seattle transform before their eyes. For 135 years, the museum has built upon this legacy, collecting objects that help us understand how the Northwest has grown and changed.

Totaling over 18 million objects, the Burke’s collections help sustain cultural traditions, enable groundbreaking scientific research, and advance timely conversations that matter to us all. The collections are records of our past and investments in our future. The Museum’s curators—faculty members at the University of Washington—grow collections in anticipation of change: continued disruption to ecosystems, shifting cultural landscapes and advances in technology we have yet to imagine. Our work is collaborative; we partner with institutions, students, communities and people around the world to understand our past and create positive change in the future.

As both a University and State museum, the Burke Museum is a public resource committed to building an inclusive environment that welcomes and values all people. We recognize that our history, from the founding to the present day, is built upon a colonial model of museums that consistently privileged collections, preservation, and research over cultural autonomy and community survival.
The Burke is committed to decolonization as a key institutional priority, and across the museum, we now work as facilitators and stewards, not as gatekeepers and sole authorities, in order to honor our mandate to truly be a museum for all.

Summary:
In October 2019, the Burke opened a new building turning the work of a museum “inside-out” with visible labs, workrooms, collections storage, and an artist studio.  Removing these barriers enables us to make the collections and work that happens here daily accessible to everyone. Every visit to the New Burke is different because every day brings new work. And because we’re doing this work right out in the open, everyone can experience it and join in.

Job Summary:
The Burke Museum values the critical role that frontline staff play in creating an onsite experience that is accessible and inclusive for all.  To support this, we are seeking an energetic, guest-service-oriented problem-solver to oversee the onsite visitor experience and lead a dynamic and thoughtful Visitor Services team. This person is responsible for managing the admissions experience, customer relationship management systems, and internal and external communication between visitors and staff. 

As a member of the Visitor Experience team, this position manages the Admissions, Museum Store and Group Visits. This involves developing annual attendance projections, budgeting and planning, ensuring progress toward target KPIs, and proactively proposing ideas to energize program profitability while supporting the Burke’s mission. This position also works with public programs, membership, operations, exhibits and interpretive teams to provide Visitor Services support in museum-wide initiatives.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Visitor Services: 30

• Embody the Burke’s philosophy of Empathetic Guest Service, empower the Visitor Services team through training, modeling, and policy to engage with guests and respond to guest service issues appropriately ensure the proper execution of admissions ticketing, entry, wayfinding and greeting processes for daily admissions and special programs; anticipate and provide answers to FAQs for staff in advance
• Act on analysis and feedback provided through guest reviews, comment cards, emails, and surveys to suggest additions or improvements for visitor needs and amenities; develop accessibility strategies to accommodate diverse needs of all visitors
• Work with the Membership Manager to implement training and strategy to meet onsite membership sales goals in terms of both total sales and conversion rate
• Be a regular presence at the front desk, especially during busy days and special events; monitor the admissions process to support the visitor services team in providing excellent guest service, make adjustments as necessary
• In response to visitor satisfaction surveys and other evaluation, make improvements to operations and procedures and communicates to team members
• Generate and implement creative ideas to move visitors through the engagement cycle (e.g. visitor to member)

  Museum Store: 15

• Advise Store Coordinator on product selection and procurement; provide back-up ordering support if needed
• Assist Store coordinator in planning merchandise strategy, store layout and design, and staff trainings
• Ensure that product selection is aligned to store mission, and is maximizing profitability and sales goals. Connect Store Coordinator to appropriate Burke staff for consultation and facilitate inter-departmental conversations about store products as needed
• Oversee back-end accounting and verification in accordance with fiscal policies in support of semi-annual physical inventory count
• In collaboration with an advisory board and Store Coordinator lead the creation and implementation of Native Artist Consignment program

  Management & Training: 20

• Lead the Visitor Experience team which includes Supervisors, Store Coordinator, Assistants, and hourly staff; Hire new staff as needed and provide ongoing training and coaching to team members in support of team values and career goals
• Lead regular departmental meetings and oversee ongoing training for front line staff coordinated by the Visitor Services Supervisors to ensure the team has tools they need to succeed
• Lead the development of Visitor Service & Store policies and procedures; coordinate with other Burke departments to create inter-departmental policies as needed

  Communication: 10

• Represent Visitor Services in interdepartmental meetings, act as a connector to other departments to ensure sure smooth lines of communication between the frontline team to the Visitor Experience office with the help of Visitor Experience Assistants and/or Visitor Services Supervisor.
• Maintain a well-informed, working knowledge of museum schedule including daily happenings of interest to visitors, events, and scheduled tours or group visits; communicate pertinent knowledge to team members; lead morning and closing huddles as needed to make sure staff is up to speed

  Data & Systems: 15

• Become certified in Admissions CRM software; Guide team members to ensure proper systems use and data integrity; provide coaching and refreshers as needed
• Implement ticketing strategy for all public ticketed events (including discounts/access codes)
• Become skilled in generating and using system reports and dashboards to analyze performance, identify trends, and perform financial reconciliation

  Budgeting and Planning: 10

• Develop annual and multi-year budgets and data-driven revenue and expense projections that include efficient staffing models; perform regular budget reconciliation
• Create Visitor Services and Store work plans to achieve target KPIs. Develop evaluation mechanisms and dashboards to track progress toward annual and monthly goals; generate creative strategies to achieve goals, monitor success, and adjust plans as necessary

  Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent AND two years of applicable experience in the program specialty OR equivalent education/experience.
• Must be able to work a schedule that includes one weekend day

  Desired:

• People-oriented, proactive, problem solver
• Supervisory/management and training experience
• Experience in training and motivating personnel to have positive and welcoming interactions with the public is essential
• Excellent communication skills, in person, over the phone and via email
• Must be able to track details effectively and also manage a diverse, largely part-time, and hourly staff
• Experience with monitoring hours, budgets and other fiscal management required
• Experience working with data, generating reports, back-end of point of sale databases, and excel proficiency
• Experience in a high volume retail environment; demonstrated experience increasing sales and developing guest service standards for a diverse staff
• Experience with museum security and people flow
• One year museum or other type of public attraction experience in public services program training and supervision

  Conditions of Employment:

• Able to work in an environment visible to the public with visual and audible distractions
• Wear required credentials at all times and work attire/uniforms and name tags as required by position

  Application Process:
  The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.

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