Manager of Guest Services

Manager of Guest Services Dayton Society of Natural History - 4.0 Dayton, OH Job Details Full-time $36,000 - $40,000 a year 10 hours ago Qualifications Staff supervision

Full Job Description Department :

Guest Services Locations :

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and SunWatch Village Reports To :

Director of Visitor Experience FLSA Status :

Full-Time, Exempt $36,000-$40,000 Summary The Manager of Guest Services leads frontline, guest-facing operations to deliver a welcoming, inclusive, and high-quality visitor experience at every point of contact. This role oversees admissions, front desk, and gift shop operations and manages Guest Services staff with accountability for daily performance, staffing, training, and financial outcomes. Reporting to the Director of Visitor Experience, the Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership to ensure consistent service delivery, efficient front-of-house operations, and continuous improvement. The position directly supervises the Assistant Manager and Guest Services Supervisors, providing coaching, accountability, and leadership development. Essential Duties Foster and reinforce a visitor-first culture emphasizing hospitality, accessibility, engagement, and professionalism across all guest touchpoints. Lead all daily Guest Services operations, including admissions, front desk, and gift shop functions, ensuring efficient opening and closing procedures and appropriate staffing. Execute and uphold institutional visitor experience standards through consistent, high-quality frontline service. Serve as an on-site leader during peak periods, special events, and public programs, modeling service excellence and providing frontline leadership as needed. Recruit, hire, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate Guest Services staff in alignment with organizational values and policies. Directly supervise the Guest Services Assistant Manager and Supervisors; coach, mentor, and support leadership staff to promote accountability, performance, and professional growth. Develop, implement, and oversee onboarding and ongoing training programs focused on guest engagement, communication, systems, and operational standards. Use guest feedback, service observations, and operational data to identify opportunities for improvement and resolve issues proactively. Maintain clean, organized, accessible, and welcoming front-of-house environments aligned with the Museum's brand and experience goals. Ensure staff proficiency in POS systems, ticketing, membership benefits, and gift shop standards; maintain appropriate inventories. Oversee accurate and compliant cash-handling practices, POS usage, reconciliation, reporting, and management of the Guest Services budget. Monitor admissions and retail revenue, analyze trends, and share insights with leadership to support decision-making. Collaborate cross-departmentally to support mission-aligned visitor experiences, rentals, events, and institutional initiatives. Education and/or Experience Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business, Museum Studies, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered. Experience in guest services, hospitality, retail operations, or visitor-facing environments. Prior supervisory or management experience required. Strong organizational, communication, coaching, and problem-solving abilities. Experience with POS systems, cash-handling procedures, scheduling, budgeting, and reporting. Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events. Physical Requirements The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually high. Equal Employment Opportunity The organization provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, or any other protected factor in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, employee development, transfer, promotion, compensation, and corrective action.