Guest Experience Coordinator

Job Title: Guest Experience Coordinator

Job Highlights

The Guest Experience Coordinator will collaborate with the Director of Patron Experience and Guest Experience Manager to ensure the customer experience is memorable. Develop plans and support training/policies to ensure the elimination or reduction of hassle factors. Continually seek to improve and innovate for the benefit of our customers by reacting to feedback and collaborating with partners internally and externally.

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 $42,000. 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 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

• Work with Guest Experience Manager to manage the front of house team (including liaison of a House Manager, Assistant House Manager, and team of Guest Services Representatives) by communicating policies and procedures to ensure that HGO customers have the best experience possible during events.
• As requested, serve as the organization’s customer service lead at events, dealing with any escalated issues and making decisions as needed.
• 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. Help create a welcoming and inspiring environment for these parties on event nights.
• Process invoices and payroll for all front of house staff including timely and accurate approval of timesheets and invoices.
• Support Guest Experience Manager, Human Resources and partners in recruiting and hiring staff.
• Support training for those who interact with HGO customers, including part-time and contract staff, internal colleagues, and external partners. Execute process for auditing operations, providing actionable feedback, and reinforcing desired performance.
• Assist the Guest Experience Manager in efforts to create a memorable, share-worthy, and entertaining experience for guests.
• Communicate with Houston First, Levy, and other building partners to ensure all are informed of HGO needs and plan for circumstances related to each performance.
• Work with the Guest Experience Manager to 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.
• Lead inventory management efforts for Opera Cues, our event program.
• Assist Customer Care Center in answering customer inquiries and finding solutions for feedback we receive via surveys, staff feedback, etc.
• Provide activation and event support to entire Audiences team when needed, including efforts to expand to new audiences, sell tickets, or deliver on Subscriber benefits.
• Provide Administrative support to the Patron Experience team as requested including data entry, report generation, inventory, organizing, accounting tasks, and other office management duties as requested.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, Director of Patron Experience and Guest Experience Manager.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 1-3 years of experience in guest services, event services, hospitality or relevant field required.
• Proficient in the use of computers to include knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
• Experience managing part-time and contract staff a plus.
• Experience working in a theater, concert hall, or similar venue a plus.
• Must be available to work a flexible work schedule to include nights and weekends.

Other Skills and Abilities

Must be a highly motivated and meticulous self-starter with ability to balance numerous tasks and deadlines within a brisk day-to-day pace. Must be able to communicate effectively at all levels. Must be a team player and creative thinker. Must be flexible and able to manage their schedule and prioritize workflow.

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Guest Experience Coordinator will need to be able to stand for long periods of time and lift up to 25 lbs. Coordinator positions also require sitting for long periods of time, repeating the same movements, and use of their hands to handle, control, or feel objects and tools. It is important for Coordinators to be able to see details of objects that are less than 20 (twenty) inches away, communicate clearly so listeners can understand, and understand the speech of another person.

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.

Houston Grand Opera