Manager, Visitor Services [Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Philadelphia, PA]

Manager, Visitor Services

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site (ESPHS) seeks a self-motivated and organized team player with strong management skills and a passion for providing an exceptional visitor experience for the position of Manager, Visitor Services.

This position oversees the daily operations of Visitor Services and periodically the daily running of the historic site, ensuring the professional operations and appearance of these areas and an exceptional visitor experience.

This position is responsible for maintaining procedures for Admissions and ensuring the ticketing system and registers are operational and up to date. Maintaining audio unit levels for the different seasons of the historic site and work with the audio company to ensure the units are equipped with the most up to date information. Ensuring that the site successfully closes on a daily basis, daily deposits are made and all cash related operations check out.

Other responsibilities include hiring, training and supervising both full-time Visitor Services staff members and seasonal Visitor Services staff members. Overseeing the evaluation and promotion process for this staff. Managing the frontline staff a couple of days a week; making their daily schedules, overseeing the staff in their respective spaces and assigning projects as needed. Communicating and working with staff across the organization. Some work on weekends, holidays and evenings is required.

Salary and benefits:

Competitive salary and benefits.

To Apply:

Please send a resume and cover letter to Shelly Sickbert, Associate Director of Visitor Services and Operations atss@easternstate.org. In your cover letter, explain why you are passionate about providing an exceptional visitor experience. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 5 PM. No phone calls please.

About ESPHS:

When Eastern State opened more than 180 years ago, it changed the world. The first prison of its kind – a penitentiary – it was designed to inspire true regret in the hearts of criminals. The building itself was an architectural wonder; it had running water and central heat before the White House, and attracted visitors from around the globe. Although the prison now stands in ruin, its story remains relevant today.

Eastern State Penitentiary opened as a historic site in 1994, and attracted just over 10,000 daytime visitors – in 2013 it was visited by more than 180,000. The penitentiary is open every day, year-­round from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please visiteasternstate.org.

About Terror Behind the Walls:

2015 will mark the 25th year that Eastern State Penitentiary has held a Halloween fundraiser. Since 1991, Terror Behind the Wallshas grown to become one of the largest and most sophisticated haunted attractions in the country. Today, Terror Behind the Walls is the single largest source of revenue for Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc., the 501(c)(3) tax-­exempt, charitable organization that administers both the daytime prison tour program and the Halloween fundraiser.

Terror Behind the Walls runs on select evenings from mid-­September through mid-November and does not affect operation of the historic site, which remains open for daytime tours seven days a week, year round.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in History, Education, Museum Studies or other relevant field preferred.
• A minimum of two years of visitor services experience for a mid to large size museum or attraction; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• A minimum of two years of management or supervisor experience.
• Commitment to team process and fostering a collaborative working environment.
• Passion for providing an exceptional visitor experience.
• Ability to be an energetic leader that models best practices for staff.
• Skilled in problem-solving, multitasking and time management.