Group Sales Manager

ABOUT THE LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART

Opening in September 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is dedicated to illustrated storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum’s collection features works by artists including Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judith F. Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish; as well as comic art legends such as Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. The Museum also houses the Lucas Archives, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career.

Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with a landscape by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, the Museum is in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on an 11-acre campus that includes new green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theaters, a library, restaurant, café, retail store, and community spaces.

The Lucas Museum is sharply focused on creating a superior and inclusive experience for all our visitors. The Group Sales Manager has a key role in achieving this objective. Groups — tour and travel, school and youth, corporate, and community — are among the Museum’s most visible audiences and a significant driver of attendance and earned revenue. The Group Sales Manager is responsible for building this business as the Museum opens, and for making the group visit welcoming, well‑run, and worth repeating.

Reporting to Director, Visitor Services, the Group Sales Manager owns the full group sales cycle: prospecting, pitching, negotiating, contracting, booking, and retaining group business across all segments. The Manager also develops and manages the Museum’s guided tour program, working closely with Education and Visitor Experience so that the content, capacity, and quality of tours reflect the excellence of the Museum. This is a relationship‑driven, entrepreneurial position for someone who is comfortable carrying a target, working a pipeline, and representing the Museum to external partners.

The Group Sales Manager will set and meet group revenue and attendance goals, monitor demand and market trends, and use data to shape pricing, packaging, and the mix of group business. The Manager will work across the Museum — with Education, Visitor Experience, Security, Retail, Food and Beverage, Marketing, and Finance — to ensure that every group’s visit is seamless from first inquiry to departure. Groups are a major touchpoint for the Museum, and the Manager will model the behaviors and service standards that result in the highest level of visitor engagement and satisfaction, operating at all times within the mission of the Museum.

• Own the day-to-day operation of the group sales function, serving as the Museum’s primary point of contact for tour and travel, school and youth, corporate, and community group business
• Build and execute an annual group sales plan with defined revenue targets, attendance goals, and booking pace benchmarks by segment, in alignment with the Museum’s broader mission and strategic plan
• Develop and manage the Museum’s guided tour program — including public, private, school, and VIP tours — partnering with Education and Visitor Experience on tour content, guide training, capacity, and quality standards
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with tour operators, receptive operators, destination management companies, travel agencies, hotel and concierge networks, convention and visitor bureaus, and regional tourism partners
• Partner with the Education team to build and steward relationships with school districts, teachers, camps, and youth-serving organizations, ensuring the booking process is simple, welcoming, and responsive to educator needs
• Develop corporate, affinity, senior, and community group business, including employee outings, membership organizations, and community-based organizations serving Exposition Park and greater Los Angeles
• Prospect actively — build and work a qualified pipeline through outreach, site visits, trade shows, industry conferences, familiarization (FAM) tours, and sales calls
• Negotiate and administer group rates, contracts, deposits, commissions, and cancellation terms in coordination with Finance and Museum leadership, ensuring terms are accurate, profitable, and consistently applied
• Manage the group booking pipeline in the Museum’s ticketing and CRM systems, maintaining accurate records of inquiries, holds, confirmations, payments, and post-visit follow-up
• Use data, experimentation, and visitor feedback continuously to refine pricing, packaging, lead sources, and the group visit experience. This is an essential element of the position and of the ultimate success of the Museum
• Forecast group revenue and attendance, report on performance against target, and provide timely analysis that informs Museum-wide capacity planning and operating budgets
• Coordinate closely with Visitor Experience, Security, Education, Retail, and Food and Beverage to schedule group arrivals, manage capacity and gallery flow, and deliver a seamless on‑site experience from bus drop‑off to departure
• Design and package group offers that extend the visit and the Museum’s revenue — combining admission with guided tours, theater programming, dining, and retail
• Develop group sales collateral, itineraries, rate sheets, and web content in partnership with Marketing and Communications, ensuring the Museum is well represented in trade channels and travel‑planning resources
• Ensure group sales practices, pricing, and tour offerings are accessible and welcoming to visitors of all abilities, languages, and backgrounds, working with colleagues on accommodations and inclusive access
• Resolve group issues and service recovery with judgment and care, treating every interaction as an opportunity to build long‑term loyalty
• Support the Museum’s opening by establishing group sales systems, policies, pricing structures, and partner relationships in advance of the first booking, and refine them continuously post‑opening
• Actively champion the Museum’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging in sourcing group partners, in pricing and access decisions, and in connection with visitors

Analytical Rigor: Simplifies complex problems by using critical thinking to evaluate problems, gathering information, incorporating multiple perspectives, understanding causes, andidentifyingbest-possible solutions. Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection to drive better decisions and more efficient implementations. Adopts an audience‑centric approach, understanding the needs of the audience and incorporating them, asappropriate, into the decision.

Courageous Communication: Intentionally works well with others both on the team and cross‑functionally to achieve individual, team, department, or organizational goals. Values diverse input and working with others as a way to achieve the best output possible.

Collaborative Excellence: Displays courage when handling difficult conversations and genuinely and intentionally communicates. Relays key messages effectively, targeted to specific audiences. Identifies others' communication styles and perspectives, adjusting language and approach accordingly. Employs active listening to understand, rather than reply. Asks for, integrates, and values feedback from team, peers, and leaders.

Adaptive Resilience: Thrives and grows in a rapidly changing and complex environment. Displays flexibility, activates networks, and adopts a continuous growth mindset to learn from mistakes and bounce back from adversity.

Inclusive Interaction: Actively contributes to an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences and empowered to participate and contribute freely.

Building Trust & Relationship Management

• AccountableOwnershipandclearly shares information and the "why" behinddecisions.
• Asks for and values the opinions of others. Displays empathy whenlistening.
• Acknowledges when trust has been broken and focuses on rebuilding.
• Relates comfortablywithpeople across levels, functions, cultures, andgeographies.Identifiesinterpersonal and group dynamics and reactseffectively.

Accountable Ownership

• Takesownership of outcomes, positive or negative, without blaming otherswithin the team or cross‑functionally.
• Recognizes when they are not approaching a situation with accountabilitybut instead with a blame mindset.
• Takes accountability for assigned tasks and executes on deliverablesin atimely manner.

Strategic Alignment & Execution

• Contributes to the organization by understanding and aligning actions withthe organization's goals, core functions, needs, and values.
• Seeks out and incorporates multiple perspectives, experiences, andindustry trends to develop a holistic perspective. Operationalizes ideaswithin the business model.
• Displays critical thinking when faced with a challenge by asking probingquestions and looking for connections.

The physical demands described below are representative of thoserequiredto successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods,up to 8 hoursper shift.
• Ability to move throughout multiple Museum locations, including galleries, theaters, outdoor spaces, and other public areas.
• Ability tomaintainan active and visible presence while providing exceptional guest service.
• Ability to work in a high-volume, public-facing environment with large groups of guests, including school groups, tours,special events, and peak attendance periods, whilemaintainingprofessionalism, situational awareness, and composure.
• Ability tofrequentlybend, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb stairs as needed.
• Ability to occasionally lift, carry, push, and pull items weighing up to 25 pounds, including wheelchairs, stanchions, signage, guest service equipment, and other operational materials.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with guests and colleagues in person, by telephone, and over two‑way radio.
• Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in varying environmental conditions.
• Ability tomaintainawareness of guest activity and surrounding conditions whilemonitoringgalleries, queues, and public spaces.

• 3+ years of experience in group sales, travel trade sales, tourism, or a comparable consultative sales role, preferably in a museum, cultural institution, attraction, or hospitality setting
• Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding revenue and booking targets
• Experience managing the full sales cycle — prospecting, pitching, negotiating, contracting, and account retention
• Familiarity with the tour and travel trade, including receptive and inbound operators, and with the school and educational group market
• Experience developing or managing guided tour programs, including working with docents, guides, or education staff
• Proficiency with ticketing, CRM, and sales‑reporting systems; strong comfort with data, forecasting, and spreadsheet analysis
• Strong commitment to and demonstrated ability to use data and experimentation to drive revenue and improve visitor experience
• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging in sourcing, partnership, service and access practices
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the poise to represent the Museum to external partners and to host site visits
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues across the Museum and to influence peers without direct authority
• Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail in contracts, rates, and bookings
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and output
• Ability to work under pressure, manage many bookings simultaneously, and meet deadlines
• Willingness to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays as group business and Museum operations require, and to travel for trade shows and sales calls
• Experience with the Los Angeles tourism market, international inbound travel, or multilingual capability is a plus

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND OUR COMMITMENT TO DEAIB

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents and supports a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The Lucas Museum fosters a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, whether based on race, national origin, gender, gender expression, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our team is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the best qualified people from a diverse candidate pool. Applications from traditionally underrepresented communities are encouraged.

The statements in this description represent typical elements, criteria, and general work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the job.

MISSION AND VISION

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is dedicated to the art of illustrated stories. Our mission is to inspire and connect people through the exploration of visual stories and their influences in society.

VALUES

Our internal and external practices are shaped by the following beliefs and behaviors.

People First

We meet people wherever they are (physically, intellectually, emotionally). Our inclusive practice connects who people are and what they find emotional in works of art.

Inspired:

We believe that art can move you to feel, think, reflect, and act.

Collaborative:

We believe that nimble thinking and working together yield exponential results.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Narrative Art:

Amplify the social impact of storytelling and illustration.

Community:

Connect to a broad and diverse public.

Operational Excellence:

Create a healthy and durable institution.

All staff at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art lead through a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the Museum and with the communities that we serve.

Salary and titles will be assigned commensurate to the successful candidates’ education and experience. An attractive compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate(s).