Director of Guest Services

Thinkery Director Of Guest Services

Thinkery is Austin's children's museum and a place where science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) come to life through joyful, hands-on learning. We believe every child deserves opportunities to cultivate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, and we strive to create welcoming experiences for all families in our community.

The Director of Guest Services is responsible for creating exceptional, mission-driven experiences for every guest who walks through Thinkery's doors. This leader oversees front-facing guest interactions, ensuring every interaction reflects Thinkery's commitment to joyful, inclusive, hands-on STEAM learning while supporting organizational goals for earned revenue, guest engagement, and community impact. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Guest Services leads the Guest Services team and is responsible for front-of-house operations and ticketing, guest services, birthday party and field trip operations, and daily operational excellence. This position partners closely with Museum Education, Exhibits, HR and Facilities to ensure guests have an engaging experience each time they visit Thinkery.

Key Responsibilities

• Foster a guest-focused culture of curiosity, inclusion, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor guest satisfaction and implement improvements based on guest feedback, operational metrics, and industry best practices.
• Champion accessibility and ensure welcoming experiences for guests of all backgrounds and abilities.
• Provide input into a comprehensive guest experience strategy aligned with Thinkery's mission, strategic plan, and organizational values.

• Oversee all daily guest-facing operations outside of the exhibits and galleries, including admissions, front desk, membership services, birthday and field trip services and opening and closing procedures.
• Ensure consistent operational excellence, staffing, cleanliness, and readiness throughout public spaces.
• Maintain policies, procedures, and service standards that support efficient operations and outstanding guest experiences.
• Lead Guest Services planning for weekends, holidays, special events, school breaks, and peak attendance periods.
• Partner with Facilities team to ensure safe and well-maintained public environments.

• Recruit, hire, train, coach, and develop a high-performing Guest Services team.
• Provide leadership to managers, supervisors, and frontline staff while fostering collaboration and accountability.
• Establish performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching, recognition, and professional development.
• Create staffing models and schedules that balance excellent service with fiscal responsibility.

• Develop team goals, budgets, staffing plans, and performance metrics.
• Track Objectives and Key Results including attendance, membership conversion, guest satisfaction, labor efficiency, and revenue performance.
• Prepare reports and recommendations for executive leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using data to enhance guest experience and operational effectiveness.

• Lead front-of-house implementation of strategies to grow membership acquisition, retention, and renewal. Collaborate with marketing and development teams around these efforts as needed.
• Optimize admissions, memberships, retail, and other guest-facing revenue opportunities.
• Analyze attendance, conversion rates, membership performance, and revenue trends to identify opportunities for growth.
• Ensure frontline teams effectively communicate membership benefits and support revenue goals.

• Collect and respond to guest feedback.
• Resolve complex guest concerns with professionalism and empathy.
• Ensure all guest communications reflect Thinkery's brand, mission, and values.
• Foster a welcoming environment that reflects Austin's diverse community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Hospitality, Museum Studies, Education, Recreation, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3-5+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in guest services, hospitality, attractions, museums, cultural institutions, or customer experience.
• Minimum 3 years managing managers and frontline teams.
• Demonstrated success leading customer-focused operations in a high-volume public environment.
• Experience managing budgets, staffing models, and operational performance metrics.
• Strong leadership, communication, and coaching skills.
• Ability to analyze data and translate insights into operational improvements.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.

• Experience in a children's museum, science center, zoo, aquarium, or other family-focused attraction.
• Experience with admissions, membership, or CRM systems.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
• Knowledge of museum operations, nonprofit organizations, or cultural institutions.

Competencies

• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Values Differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
• Creates Connection: Builds engagement and belonging in relationships across teams and with guests promoting a welcoming environment for all.

Working Conditions

• Regular weekend, holiday, and occasional evening work required.
• Ability to work on the museum floor for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and move throughout the museum as needed.

Benefits

Thinkery offers competitive and affordable benefits for our full-time team members 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 plans.
• 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 holidays annually.
• Paid Family Leave.
• Pet and child friendly offices.

Thinkery is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company does not and will not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above listed items. All candidates offered a position will be required to submit to a background and reference checks.