Senior Director, Visitor Services

Position reports to: Vice President, Experience & Engagement



 

Position Manages the following staff positions:

• Visitor Services Director, Independence Visitor Center
• Visitor Services Manager, City Hall and LOVE Park Visitor Centers
• Visitor Services Manager, Parkway Visitor Center and Rocky Shop
• Visitor Services Supervisor, Pride Visitor Center
• Visitor Services Supervisor, Reading Terminal Market
• Visitor Services Manager, Philadelphia Intl Airport

Number of direct reports: Six
Responsible for a team of:

• 5+ Full Time Visitor Services Managers & Coordinators
• 30-40 Part Time Visitor Experience Associates

Position description:
The Senior Director of Visitor Services is responsible for leading a team of visitor center site managers to deliver consistently positive and memorable experiences for guests across the organization’s 5+ visitor centers. The Senior Director of Visitor Services will manage a talented team of 30+ staff and volunteers to deliver a world class welcome to Philadelphia, and provide excellent service in assisting visitors with ticket sales, retail purchases, PLASH information or service updates, maps and wayfinding, itinerary planning, and information about special events and citywide promotions. 

The Senior Director of Visitor Services will be an ambassador for the City of Philadelphia, and serve as a role model to their management team in delivering an inclusive and welcoming visitor experience. The Senior Director will be responsible for overseeing high-quality visitor services operations at the Independence Visitor Center, The City Hall Visitor Center, The LOVE Park Visitor Center, the Parkway Visitor Center, the Pride Visitor Center, and Reading Terminal Market.

The Senior Visitor Services Director will supervise 5+ full-time staff and lead a team of 30+ part-time, seasonal Visitor Experience Associates operating at 5+ sites and pop-up locations across the city and region.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Responsible for daily visitor-facing operations for the organization’s portfolio of 5+ visitor centers and temporary pop-ups.
• Guide, direct, and mentor managers to ensure outstanding visitor experience operations at each site.
• Oversee management of visitor services staffing schedule, including assigning on-duty management, call-out coverage, and fulfilling seasonal, temporary, and extended hour operating needs.
• Oversee the effective and timely recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of new VEAs and volunteers.
• Responsible for the training and professional development for all visitor services team members.
• Manage and grow Visitor Center’s network of 90+ external ticket partnerships.
• Set direction and accountability for the Visitor Services Management team.
• Develop and manage an annual training program for Visitor Services managers and staff.
• Manage and negotiate with third party vendors.
• Participate in organizational leadership team meetings.
• Work closely with the operations team to ensure facility needs are addressed and resolved quickly and to a high standard.
• Oversee regular Visitor Services employee communications channels to ensure staff are well informed to support visitors and promote the City and the organization’s partners.
• Support sales, promotion and timely customer services information for the Philly PHLASH at all visitor center locations.
• Assist site staff with organizational tasks and special events as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Embodies customer service best practices.
• An experienced manager, with a proven track record leading effective teams.
• 5+ years of experience in the tourism, hospitality or visitor services sectors.
• Superior leadership, salesmanship and interpersonal skills.
• Strong computer and data entry skills, comfortable with ticketing platforms, POS (Point of Sale) systems, CMS systems, and CRM databases.
• Ability to stand or sit for at least 8 hours at a time.
• Lift items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• Second language proficiency is desirable.
• Dedication to Philadelphia and supporting the city’s reputation as a world class destination.
• Interest in working in a non-profit work environment and fulfilling the mission of the organization.

HOURS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Full time role with a variable schedule, including two weekends a month.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and all U.S. holidays; the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation is open 363 days per year (closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day)
• Regular weekend and holiday availability is required.
• Must be willing and able to travel between multiple visitor center locations, including locations at Independence Mall, Philadelphia City Hall, LOVE Park, Reading Terminal and the Benjamin Frankin Parkway.