Visitor and Guest Services Manager [The Trustees of Reservations]

Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA
Year-round, Full-time

Owned and operated by The Trustees of Reservations, Crane Beach is one of Massachusetts’ premier ocean-side destinations. Located on the shores of Ipswich Bay in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Crane Beach encompasses nearly seven miles of shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean and the Castle Neck and Ipswich Rivers. Comprised of 1,200 acres of wide sandy beaches and distinctive white sand dunes, expansive salt marshes, pitch pine forests, maritime shrub land, and red maple swamps, the Beach supports a rich diversity of plants and wildlife. With more than 250,000 visitors each year, Crane Beach is also the most visited property in The Trustees 100+ statewide property network, and the Beach operation represents the organization’s largest source of earned income. This combination of ecological significance, intensive public use, and economic significance creates a substantial management challenge for The Trustees as it seeks to protect the ecological integrity of this special place while ensuring the public may use and enjoy everything the Beach has to offer.

Position Summary:

The Visitor Services Manager position has grown out of the previous Crane Beach Parking Permit Program Manager position. This newly described position will retain several of the permit program responsibilities in addition to a larger, more evolved role in overall Visitor Services at the Crane Estate. As such, the position will work closely with several organizational departments including Communications & Marketing, Development, and Engagement as well as on the ground with Field and Beach Operations to engage visitors in the work we do. In particular:

1. The sale of memberships and beach sticker permits
2. The ordering and sale of merchandise at Crane Beach
3. Recruitment, hiring, and training of gate and visitor service staff
4. The communication of important beach information through mailings, website and social media
5. Management of Green Dogs and Horse Permits at Crane Beach
6. The marketing, registration and general support of tours, programs and events
7. The implementation of special projects

This dynamic position is all about people. The successful candidate will posses a strong desire to share Crane Beach with our visitors – to welcome them, to help them, to serve them, to inform them, to share all that The Trustees have to offer at Crane and beyond, and most importantly, to ensure visitors leave happier than they were when they arrived.

The Visitor Services Manager is a full-time year-round position. Under the direction of the Crane Estate Superintendent, the Visitor Services Manager will work as part of a management team charged with overseeing the basic functioning of the beach.

This position manages and implements the Crane Beach sticker permit program and is responsible for the visitor/customer experience at Crane Beach.  Visitor Services Manager hires and supervises a team of Visitor Services representatives, and develops the customer service training program for all beach staff.  The position also supports the marketing of the field-based beach programs and the implementation of the green dogs and horse permit programs.

Essential Functions:

1.    Membership and the Beach Sticker Program (40 percent)

• Provide outstanding customer service through prompt responses to member inquiries about the beach permit program via phone and email (off season) and in person (in season)
• Manage and process beach sticker permit orders in a timely fashion, ensuring that permit applications are complete and accurate (The Crane Beach Parking Permit is a member benefit, which provides parking privileges to those Trustees members who purchase a permit.)
• Hire and train Visitor Service Representatives and Gate Staff with support from supervisors
• Manage permit revenue, including cash handling, deposit reconciliation and delivery of deposits to as appropriate
• Provide appropriate order acknowledgments to the donors/members
• Maintain Permit Database – including daily data entry and weekly uploads of updated information
• Maintain Raiser’s Edge Database – including daily entry and weekly uploads of updated information
• File and track permit requests
• Prepare correspondence for permit holders
• Execute Crane Beach permit related mailings and correspondences
• Provide weekly reports to the Membership Services team at Long Hill
• Train Crane Estate staff on the beach permit program, including proper techniques for selling and recording memberships and/or permit sales, enforcement of permit rules, benefits of the membership and permit programs, proper use of technology, and strategic goals of the membership department

2.    Visitor Information (30 percent)

• Supervise a team of summer Visitor Services Representatives and support the training of year-round Gate Staff at the beach
• Respond to visitor inquiries in person, via email and over the phone
• Collect, communicate and distribute important information to the beach going public
• Ensure website is current and update social media accounts as frequently as needed
• Create and maintain informational signage and handouts
• Orient new visitors to the Crane Estate
• Work with property staff to review existing signage and develop annual sign orders
• Promote other Trustees properties around the state
• Launch outreach and awareness campaigns (as time permits)

3.    Merchandise and Sales (25 percent)

• Submit and work closely with Marketing staff to design artwork for clothing
• Work with local vendors to order and purchase merchandise for Crane Beach including clothing and beach appropriate products
• Create displays and advertising
• Inventory and track sales
• Manage store revenue, including cash handling, deposit reconciliation and delivery of deposits as appropriate

4.    Engagement Outreach Programs ( 5 percent)

• Respond to participant inquiries and questions via phone, email and in person
• Market and communicate public beach programs to audiences on and off site
• Handle program registrations and process cash receipts
• Track and process school and group requests
• Create end-of-season program summaries
• Facilitate public programs on the ground, as required
• Support signature events
• Cultivate strategic engagement partnerships

• A bachelor’s degree is preferred
• A minimum of two years as a manager or supervisor of a seasonal staff focused on customer service or the visitor experience is preferred
• A minimum of one year experience working with a fundraising database – preferably Raiser’s Edge – with a particular commitment to data integrity
• A special interest in the visitor experience, environmental education, and/or beach management
• Demonstrated written and oral communication skills
• Dependable self-starter who can work both independently and as the leader of a team
• Minimal local travel required
• The physical and mental ability to work outdoors in variable weather
• A familiarity with the Crane Beach and The Trustees of Reservations
• Able to work one weekend work day and holidays in season
• A satisfactory criminal background check (CORI)

Benefits and Salary:

The Trustees offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, flexible spending account, vacation, sick and personal time, as well as the option to participate in our 401(k) savings plan.  We also offer the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team across the Commonwealth who love the outdoors, who love the distinctive charms of New England, and who believe in celebrating and protecting our special places, for everyone, forever.

With the subject line: “Visitor & Guest Services Manager”

No phone calls please.

In addition to being an Equal Opportunity Employer, The Trustees of Reservations aim to create a thriving, inclusive workplace that values each member of our team.  We aspire to reflect and effectively serve the residents and communities of Massachusetts who are at the core of our mission.