Tours Manager

Sharply focused on ensuring our local, regional, national, and international audiences feel welcome to explore, engage in, understand, and financially support the historic spaces of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation inspires people to discover and embrace an architecture for better living through meaningful connection to nature, the arts and each other. In Wright's own words, our vision is "to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme and meaning to life." 

Taliesin West is the winter home and desert laboratory of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Founded in 1938, it has been home to many generations of architecture students and has welcomed guests from around the world. Today, Taliesin West is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Scottsdale, Arizona, with more than 100,000 tour guests visiting each year. 

Reporting to the Director of Public Engagement, the Tours Manager oversees the daily management of the robust public tours schedule at Taliesin West and is responsible for the daily operations of all tours at Taliesin West, the management and evaluation of the tours department staff, and the active assessment of tours and operations. The Tours Manager regularly hires and trains new staff, and acts as a model tour guide in that process.

An excellent supervisor and people manager, the successful Tours Manager has significant experience in delivering outstanding internal and external customer service. Internally, the tours department staff - Tour Guides and Guest Service Representatives - are critical members of our team. They interface with the public daily and make or break the guest impression of Taliesin West and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Tours Manager is a strong leader who builds open, clear communication, sets inspiring goals and guidelines for the team, and makes the team feel as valued as they are. 

Essential Functions:

Tour Delivery

The Tours Manager is responsible for the daily delivery of all tours at Taliesin West. They work closely with their supervisor to schedule the yearly tour offerings, assess staff and resources to deliver those offerings, hire and train the staff, and make sure all content is accurately delivered by regularly observing and evaluating tour guides at work. 

• Learn, memorize, and understand all tours and interpretive materials at Taliesin West.
• Apply contemporary, leading-edge practices for visitor-centered interpretation and content delivery to the tour program.
• Ensure all tour guides are delivering accurate and engaging content through continuous training and evaluation.
• Update content as instructed, noting preservation work, new installations, and changes to the site.
• Design and implement a system for continuous observation, feedback, mentoring, and staff development.
• Maintain written scripts, audio tour tracks, images, and other props as needed. 

Tour Staff Supervision

The Tours Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of tours, and managing all staff members’ onboarding, training, scheduling, payroll, and reviews.

• Supervise the Guest Experience Associates (Tour Guides) and Guest Service Representatives, including scheduling, daily operations, and outstanding guest service. 
• Establish and maintain a structure of assistant managers, full time, and part time staff to comfortably cover all scheduled tours.
• Create and publish schedules using Paylocity software.
• Set annual goals and track them with each staff member.
• Communicate regularly with staff about internal and external happenings.
• Train team on content, both established and new, on a regular basis (as determined with supervisor).
• Recruit, interview, and onboard new staff members as needed.
• Work with Collections Department to design a system for tracking and reporting object changes or damage to objects on the tour route. 
• Coordinate safety trainings for the tours staff.
• Supervise volunteers assigned to this department.
• Maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Guest Service

The Tours Manager is responsible for delivering outstanding guest service through our front line team, primarily of Guest Service Representatives, working in the kiosk, call center, and onsite as hosts. They understand, model, and consistently use the established guest service guidelines for Taliesin West, and train the tours staff to do the same. 

• Apply contemporary, leading-edge practices for outstanding guest service to the procedures in the ticketing kiosk, call center, and all guest service interactions.
• Ensure all representatives deliver accurate and engaging guest service through continuous training and evaluation.
• Update information on a quarterly basis, depending on seasonal needs.
• Monitor site to determine physical readiness for guest engagement, and train weekend/evening supervisors to do the same.
• Work with teams on cancellations for weather or safety, especially those that impact staffing.
• Oversee use, readiness and maintenance of the ticketing and check-in kiosk, its components, computer systems, scanners, card readers, cash drawers, and supplies. 

Evaluation

The Tours Manager works with the Director of Public Engagement to create evaluations for operations and teams to ensure all processes are working smoothly. 

• As instructed, the Tours Manager implements evaluation tools to measure, interpret, and analyze the outcomes of tour programs.
• Fosters a culture of reflection and evaluation with the tours team, and incorporates this thinking into schedules, meetings, and departmental work in meaningful ways.
• Uses visitor studies and evaluations to understand and advocate for our guests.

Accessibility

• Develop access programming for guests with special needs, such as descriptive and sensory tours.
• Work with Tour Operations Manager to accommodate the needs of guests on tours, as often as possible, including tour scripts, large print offerings, and scheduling ASL interpreters as needed.
• Advocate for accessibility needs and experiences of guests.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Salary and Benefits

This position is a full time exempt (salaried) position with a target starting rate of $50,000/year plus comprehensive benefits including a paid-time-off package. The Foundation pays up to 85% of monthly health-care premiums and enrolls all regular full-time employees into our life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and long-term care policies at no cost to employees. 

A career at Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation offers more than the opportunity to impact the world through our mission. Our team does vital and valued work that fosters creativity, collaboration, and camaraderie. In addition to competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, we offer an inclusive environment, amazing views, and incredible architecture to inspire you every day!

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in hospitality, public history, education, communications, museum studies, or related discipline; or equivalent experience.
• At least five (5) years’ experience managing front line staff, tour guides, or educators at an historic site or museum; or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead tours effectively and accurately, with skill in public speaking.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, normally acquired through progressive career advancement and supervisorial responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience in team building and camaraderie building, preferably for a learning institution that values continuous feedback and growth opportunities.
• Positive "guest-centric" attitude; knowledge of visitor service standards and practices in a museum.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and effectively – especially when problem-solving.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate well with a wide range of people including visitors, members, paid museum staff, volunteers, and interns.
• A creative and dynamic person that exhibits enthusiasm, initiative, flexibility, and openness to new ideas. 
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to plan and organize an entire team’s priorities, schedules, and records.  
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher) required, and the ability to learn proprietary software systems quickly and thoroughly.
• Ability to edit written materials for the appropriate audience – public or internal.
• Ability to work some weekends and evening hours as required for events, special tours, or coverage of call-ins.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Meaningful experience with work related to accessibility.
• Knowledge of and experience with best practices in educational interpretation and an understanding of interpretive and educational theory.
• Creative and talented approach to teaching and interpreting to a wide variety of audiences.
• A proven track record of successfully developing dynamic and engaging educational programs.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) ability a plus.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Physical Demands: While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; and consistently talk or hear; and rarely taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather and desert environmental conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

• OSHA Risk Classification for COVID-19 Exposure: Medium Risk: This position requires frequent/close contact with the public and other co-workers and is therefore determined to fall within the Medium Risk category as defined by OSHA. To further minimize risk, employees are required to follow the Foundation's Safe and Healthy Workplace guidelines and related personal and facility infection control policies.