Director of Guest Services

POSITION: Director of Guest Services 
DEPARTMENT: Marketing 
CLASSIFICATION: Full-Time / Salaried / Exempt 
SUPERVISOR: Chief Marketing Officer 
 

OVERVIEW 
Founded in 1947 by Nina Vance, the Alley Theatre is a pioneer of regional theatre, and one of the leading nonprofit theatre companies in the United States. The Alley has been awarded the prestigious Regional Theatre Tony Award® and the Texas Medal of Arts Award. The Alley has transferred productions to Broadway, Off-Broadway, major European Festivals, and to 40 American cities. Unique among regional theatres, the Alley is committed to maintaining a Resident Acting Company and providing them with work year-round. Nationally recognized directors, actors, playwrights, and designers from across the country have regularly joined the Resident Acting Company. 

Rob Melrose, Artistic Director at the Alley, took over as artistic leader of the organization in 2019. His vision for the future of the Alley is both thrilling and ambitious. His strategic goals include upholding the Alley’s artistic excellence, keeping longtime Alley Theatre devotees eager to return each season, and creating productions and cultivating new audiences. 

Rob Melrose and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein along with Alley’s leadership team are committed to fostering an environment where everyone is encouraged to bring their authentic selves. 

 
JOB STATEMENT
As an integral position of Alley Theatre, the Director of Guest Services is responsible for creating and ensuring an exceptional experience to Alley patrons at all touchpoints of their Alley visit that relate to Guest Services/Box Office and Front-of-House. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this role will also be at the forefront of analyzing and reporting on sales, managing ticket inventory, maximizing earned revenue, and training and managing consistency of box office, front-of-house staff and volunteers. The position will work across departments to optimize Tessitura (and enact best practices). This role directly manages the Senior Manager, Front-of-House, Audience Experience Manager, and Guest Services Manager.  

JOB DUTIES

• Assures the highest quality of customer service is provided by the Team. 

• Build Subscriber base using retention initiatives and new Marketing-approved promotions. 

• Manage the accurate building of ticketed events/packages in the Tessitura system. 

• Utilize Tessitura reports and Analytics for detailed reporting on inventory, holds, and revenue by zone, ticket distribution statistics, and relevant data. 

• Analyze trends, report, and recommend sales strategies to maximize revenue, including the annual review and potential adjustment of house scaling.  

• Create and maintain all held and allocated ticket inventory, serving as the primary liaison between Box Office, Front-of-House, and all other departments. 

• Manage ticket inventory to maximize revenue and capacity; manage partnerships with external stakeholders when needed. 

• Create, maintain, and distribute all box office sales information, including sales, holds, revenues, performance against budget, and relevant reports. 

• Proactively maximize the value and ensure the quality of data introduced into Tessitura. 

• Develop and promote policies and procedures which generate and encourage audience loyalty. 

• Develop and implement incentive programs for upselling, add-ons, and tax-deductible donations. 

• Perform or manage other event-related administrative duties and tasks as assigned. 

• Attends organizational meetings as the representative for the patron side of the Marketing department. 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Direct reports are Guest Services Manager, Audience Experience Manager, and Senior Manager, Front of House. 

• Manages hiring, training, discipline, and ongoing cross-training with departments as needed.  

• Motivating and coaching employees to improve performance, provide feedback and training opportunities.  

• Organizes and oversees the schedules and work of departmental staff. 

• Conducts or assists with performance evaluations that are timely and constructive. 

• Ensuring staff members follow company policies and procedures. 

• Oversee all accounting and financial operations of box office including record keeping and reporting functions. 

• Work with Senior Manager, Front of House, and Volunteer Manager to develop recruitment and reward programs to increase volunteer number and participation. 

• Leads and plans regularly scheduled team meetings. 

• Create a patron-centric team with sales acumen, including a comprehensive cross-training (Guest Services and Front-of-House) plan and documentation. 

REQUIREMENTS (SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE)

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• 5-7 years of demonstrated leadership experience in ticket office management, preferably in a performing arts environment. 

• High-level experience with the Tessitura database or working knowledge of relational database applications. 

• Experience with selling individual tickets, fixed seat subscriptions, partial subscription packages, flexible passes, memberships, and/or other subscription models. 

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, energized and quickly changing environment. 

• A proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making skills. 

• Detail oriented, able to prioritize efficiently and multi-task. 

• Ability to be self-directed and take initiative. 

• Ability to maintain confidential information. 

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.  

• Exhibits a positive attitude with good communication and interpersonal skills.  

• Ability to lead and manage a team of ticket office and front-of house professionals to ensure both short- and long-term goals and objectives are met. 
   

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.   

• Ability to lift and move 25 lbs.  

• Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where directions and priorities can change rapidly.  

• The position requires flexibility to be available for weekends, holidays, and evening work hours as performance schedule and events dictate.   

• Ability to work in a multi-tasking and public environment with frequent interruptions. 

• Ability to be tactful under stress, use good judgment, and lead a team successfully. 

BENEFITS & PERKS

• Medical, dental and vision insurance 

• Paid vacation, floating holiday and sick time 

• 401(k) with matching, FSA, HRA (Alley paid deductible) 

• Free and discounted tickets to Alley Theatre performances 

• Discounted Parking ($4 Bi-weekly) 

• Discounted gym membership 

• Employee wellness program & Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

• Houston, TX is one of the most affordable cities in the nation with no state or city income tax. 

Alley Theatre is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at hrdept@alleytheatre.org. 

The Alley Theatre is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.  

Salary : $4