Thinkery is where Austin’s children and their families come to enjoy play-based, inquiry-rich, hands-on learning experiences. We believe that innovative, play-based, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning experiences are a powerful way for children to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and curiosity about the world around them. Our exhibits and programs encourage children—alongside their caregivers—to solve creative challenges, explore a variety of materials, and to develop new ways to complete unfamiliar projects. Through these activities, children gain the tools and confidence to develop and grow into enthusiastic, creative, lifelong STEAM learners and thinkers.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Guest Operations Manager leads and supervises the team delivering the museum’s mission and core values through their consistent and playful approach to learning experiences, operations and customer service. This role is multifaceted, requiring a blend of leadership, instructional design, project management, and strong interpersonal skills to create a positive and enriching museum environment for guests and staff.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Facilitates communication and connection: Serve as a bridge between museum staff and the leadership team by fostering open, two-way communication. Build trust and rapport across all levels, ensuring messages are effectively delivered and received to strengthen team alignment and engagement.
- Oversees daily operations: Maintain oversight and collaborative systems to ensure daily museum operations meet high-quality standards, ultimately improving the guest experience.
- Collaborates on training and development: Collaborate with Experience teammates to build and deliver onboarding, ongoing training, for the Guest Services team.
- Manages feedback system: Build and maintain systems for collecting staff feedback through collaborative processes to enhance staff engagement and improve staffing outcomes.
- Oversees policy implementation: Assist in the development and oversee the implementation of departmental policies, procedures, and practices.
- Manages recruitment and onboarding: Manage the implementation and iteration of processes for recruitment, hiring, training, onboarding, and coaching for Guest Services teams in collaboration with Learning Experience and Human Resources.
- Design and deliver training development: Design training development and provide mentoring and feedback to ensure a well-trained, properly structured, and highly motivated staff capable of achieving Experience goals, while modeling a culture of reflective practice.
- Oversees scheduling: Maintain oversight of scheduling teams for internal and external programs using scheduling software systems and ensure scheduling matches projected attendance models.
- Guides the TYD Program: Provide guidance and oversight of the TYD (Thinkery Youth Development) program (process, training, evaluation) and manage the relationship with TYD partner organizations (Breakthrough Central Texas).
- Ensures quality of exhibits and spaces: Work with Exhibit and Play & Learning teams to ensure exhibits and learning spaces are maintained, clean, safe, and well stocked with appropriate props and materials.
- Collaborates on education experiences: Collaborate with Experience and STEAM Learning Institute teams to implement high quality educational experiences with Guest Services Staff.
- Prepares and maintains reports: Assists in preparing and maintaining reports, including employee performance, program outcomes, and budgetary compliance.
- Models' superior customer service: Serve as a model for superior customer service, high quality facilitation, and reasonable risk taking that fosters the development of innovative experiences.
- Supervises and develops staff: Direct supervise, coach, and develop the Guest Services Leads, Guest Operations Supervisor, and Guest Services Specialist- Operations.
- Employee Engagement: Responsible for motivating and engaging staff to ensure a productive work environment.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Schedule and availability reflect that the organization is a 7-day-a-week operation.
- This role is most effective when performed onsite with limited opportunity for remote/hybrid work.
- A typical week will be a flexible Monday-Friday with regular weekend or evening work, reflective of the needs of the team.
- This role is based at Thinkery’s Mueller location but will require some on-site support at Thinkery-Del Valle upon its opening.
- Other duties as assigned
COMPETENCIES
- Community Focus: Building strong community relationships and delivering community-centric solutions
- Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments
- Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
- Values Differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
- Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder
- Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity
- Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
- Cultivates Innovation: Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful
- Develops Talent: Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals
- Plans and Aligns: Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Ability to successfully problem solve and create consensus around solutions.
- Ability to incorporate playful, engaging, and innovative experiences for various learning styles and ages, including young adults.
- Spanish language skills an asset.
- MS Office Suite and MS Teams proficiency required.
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP
- Reports to VP of Guest Services
- Supervises Guest Operations Coordinators and Specialist.
- Peer collaboration with Museum Experience Manager (Del Valle), Learning Experience Manager & Guest Services Manager
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; Some college or 4+ years of equivalent experience required
- 4+ years of experience in retail, customer service or guest-facing roles
- 2+ years relevant experience in training and development, instructional design or adult education
- 2+ years supervisory experience including developing staff, performance management and assigning work
- Thorough knowledge working with children and families in cultural institutions or out-of-school time programs. 2+ years of experience in science or children’s museum or other informal learning environment preferred.
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.
This position is very active. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:
- Observe and react to the needs of guests, staff, volunteers, and community partners.
- Move throughout the museum
- Manipulate and move exhibit components weighing up to 40 pounds, including those that may be low to the ground or above eye level
- Communicate and exchange accurate information with guests, staff, volunteers, and community partners in a variety of formats including in-person, virtually, and over the phone.
- Detect and respond to safety hazards.
- Occasionally work in outdoor environments.
- Operate a cash register and computer efficiently and accurately.
- Actively conduct training and deliver content to groups of staff, guests, and community partners.
BENEFITS
Thinkery offers competitive and affordable benefits for our full-time staff including options for 100% employer sponsored medical coverage. Our benefits package includes:
- Medical insurance options including HSA, PPO Gold, and PPO Platinum plans
- Affordable dental and vision
- 100% employer sponsored EAP, STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
- 2 weeks of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 13 paid floating holidays each year
- Paid Family Leave
- Pet and child friendly offices
- Membership to the museum and discounted rates to Little Thinker’s Preschool and Camps
