A side exterior view of historic Ford’s Theatre, a three-story brick building with five arched windows on the second and third floor. The bottom floor is white and has five arched entryways.
Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie.

Director of Operations

Ford’s Theatre Society is hiring a Director of Operations to join its team. The position is full-time and based in Washington, DC.

Ford’s Theatre Society values and is committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce and working environment. Ford’s is proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, family status, sexual orientation, disability, age, neurodiversity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Ford’s offers a dynamic working environment steeped in culture and history along with a robust benefits package including highly subsidized health insurance, 401(k) contributions, and generous paid leave policies.

The Director of Operations is responsible for overseeing all aspects of front-of-house, facilities, and IT operations; implementing organization-wide patron service standards; and coordinating and evaluating safety and security for patrons and staff.

All Ford’s Theatre Society employees are required to actively participate in the Society’s ongoing efforts to become an anti-racist organization. These efforts include staff-wide conversations, new programming, development of new resources for staff and audiences, and an expectation that all staff will keep themselves informed of new resources and trends in the field of anti-racism and DEAI and how they can be applied to their work on a day-to-day basis.

Principal Responsibilities

Front of House

  • Create customer service protocols and training for the institution, ensuring that visitor services, house management, group sales, and ticketing employees as well as volunteers receive superior core training.
  • Ensure all visitor services staff are trained in health and safety procedures and emergency evacuation.
  • Coordinate First Aid and CPR/AED company-wide training.
  • Create and coordinate safety and security compliance, protocols, and training for administrative and front-line staff with the internal safety and security team.
  • Ensure that Ford’s Theatre adheres to relevant ADA requirements.
  • Hire and oversee the training of Patron Service Managers.
  • Assist Patron Service Managers in recruiting volunteer ushers, ensuring a diverse, enthusiastic, and stable volunteer corps.
  • With the National Park Service, recruit and train historic site volunteers.
  • Regularly review and update the customer service policy and procedures manual, making necessary recommendations for changes.
  • Regularly assess visitor flow, making recommendations and changes as necessary.
  • Ensure attendance reports are provided on a daily, weekly, monthly, and fiscal-year basis and contribute to efforts to build robust data on visitors.
  • In coordination with the Deputy Director, serve as a point of contact with the National Park Service for day-to-day operations.
  • Maintain a department environment that supports enthusiastic front-line staff and a good working rapport with management and other departments.
  • Oversee the front-of-house budget, maintaining an accurate record of weekly, monthly, and seasonal costs.
  • Work closely with all departments in preparation and implementation of events taking place on-site and providing support as necessary.

Facilities and Operations

  • Negotiate and manage contracts for property management, custodial, and security vendors.
  • Oversee and work closely with custodial vendor, and coordinate cleaning of all spaces operated by the Society.
  • Oversee and work closely with property management company, coordinate upkeep and maintenance of all spaces operated by the Society.
  • Schedule and manage space usage and reservation procedures.
  • Ensure compliance with city codes.
  • Create and monitor facilities’ annual operating budgets.
  • Working closely with property management company, provide an annual review of all spaces operated by the Society with the goal to propose, plan, and implement upgrades and long-range physical capital projects.
  • Oversee IT Department.
  • Oversee and monitor IT budgets, including upgrades and long-term capital projects.
  • In coordination with the Director of Finance, serve as a point of contact for Event Network, including the facilitation of communications with Event Network related to merchandise to be sold annually as well as specific to productions and events.
  • Serve as day-to-day contact with Event Network regarding scheduling and other operational issues
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education and Certifications

  • Standard First Aid and CPR certification are requested.
  • High School Diploma with higher education or equivalent work experience in management, hospitality, marketing, and/or customer service

Skills

  • Proficiency in Microsoft office.
  • Must be cheerful, team-spirited, organized, detail-oriented and efficient but flexible with strong organizational and communication skills.
  • Ability to develop, build, motivate, train, and supervise a strong team of employees to achieve patron service goals.
  • Must have superior knowledge of customer service protocols.
  • Understanding of budgeting and financial accounting responsibilities

Experience

  • Minimum of five years of senior patron services and operations experience.
  • A proven record of managing a large and diverse group of employees including hiring and discipline responsibilities.

Salary: Approximately $95,000 – $100,000 annually

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume to fordstheatrehiring@fordstheatrstg.wpengine.com.