An 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.

Patron Services, Visitation and Exhibitions Manager

Ford’s Theatre Society is hiring a Patron Services, Visitation and Exhibitions Manager, to joining its team. The position is full-time and based in Washington, DC.  

Ford’s Theatre Society values and is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive 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, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, family status, sexual orientation, disability, age, 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 Patron Services, Visitation and Exhibitions Manager is integral to ensuring the historic site visitation experience is full, rich, welcoming, and accessible for visitors. This position is responsible for the front-line operations of the visitor experience and, with the Patron Services, Theatre and Access Manager, manages the Patron Services Associates to ensure the highest level of customer service and safety.  

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 own work on a day-to-day basis. 

Principal Responsibilities: 

  • Work in partnership with the Patron Services, Theatre and Access Manager to ensure proper staffing for the front-line operations of the site. This includes, but is not limited to, the following duties: 
  • Recruit, hire, train, develop, supervise, and evaluate front-line Patron Services Associates. Ford’s Theatre Society strives to be a diverse and inclusive employer, and this position is required to engage in inclusive hiring practices to ensure a diverse team and an equitable and accessible work environment for all team members. 
  • Create and maintain a staff schedule ensuring sufficient coverage during all public hours, including special events as needed.  
  • Ensure proper supervisory presence by working alongside staff on the floor, assisting the staff in resolving patron issues and with general duties. 
  • Work with Patron Services, Theatre and Access Manager to ensure that the day-to-day operations of the site are consistently covered. This includes, but is not limited to, the following duties: 
  • Cover callouts and PTO of staff and each other. This will require schedule flexibility and the ability to occasionally work long hours in a busy environment. 
  • Respond to general patron inquiries received by email or phone. 
  • Process Lost and Found items (to include logging items, shipping items to identified owners, and donating unclaimed items). 
  • Respond quickly and appropriately to emergency situations on-site and keep management updated on emergency situations and resolutions. 
  • Maintain a department environment that creates and supports enthusiastic front-line staff and maintain a good working rapport with the full staff. 
  • Working closely with the Patron Services, Theatre and Access Manager and Ticket Services Manager create an environment where all patrons are provided with an excellent standard of customer service. We expect that patrons who enter the site or engage with our staff will experience a welcoming, inclusive and accessible space; this position is critical to providing that experience to all patrons. 
  • When applicable, in the case of any emerging public health crisis, this position would work with the team to implement and execute safety protocols.  
  • Working with the Associate Director of Interpretive Resources, perform day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the A/V exhibit elements in the Museum and Aftermath Exhibits, and monitor the conditions of artifacts in the Aftermath Exhibits. Other exhibit-related duties include, but not limited to: 
  • Serving as the first point of contact for A/V issues in the exhibits. Provide simple repairs such as system reboots. Schedule maintenance visits and repairs with outside contractors as needed. Keep appropriate staff informed of progress for exhibit repairs. 
  • Track exhibit-related maintenance expenses and work with the Associate Director for Interpretive Resources to develop budget proposals for exhibit maintenance supplies. 
  • Monitor, collect, and deposit the cash contents of any donation box elements in the exhibits. Maintain a secure environment for cash processing and follow any cash processing control procedures as directed by the Finance department. 
  • Working closely with the Associate Director of Visitor Experience and the Education department, ensure interpretative training is implemented and accurate for visitor questions and tours, as assigned.  
  • Actively participate in Ford’s Theatre Society’s ongoing efforts to become an anti-racist organization. These efforts include, but are not limited to, 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. 
  • Actively participate in Ford’s Theatre’s ongoing efforts to become a more accessible institution by serving as a member of the Access Committee. As part of the committee, develop and implement access offerings for performances, historic site visitation, and special events. Accessibility plans and protocols should adhere to and, when reasonably feasible, exceed relevant ADA requirements.  
  • Work and provide support as needed for special events, fundraising activities, education and community outreach programs, and other programming. 
  • Maintain a current First Aid/CPR certification. 
  • See at least one performance or final dress rehearsal of each mainstage production as well as other public facing programming, as early in the run as possible. 
  • Maintain and promote a clean and safe working environment. Report any safety concerns noted on NPS property to appropriate staff. 
  • Perform any related duties as requested by the Associate Director of Visitor Experience or senior department managers. 

Requirements: 

Education  

  • High school diploma plus demonstrated knowledge of customer service best practices, crowd management for public spaces, an interest in civil war history, Abraham Lincoln, or performing arts is a plus. 

Skills 

  • Ability to prioritize and multitask. 
  • Ability to work effectively and communicate openly in a team setting.  
  • Ability to clearly communicate with visitors and staff in both spoken and written communication. 
  • Exceptional customer service skills via telephone, e-mail correspondence and in person. 
  • Ability to develop, build, motivate, train, and supervise a strong team of employees to achieve customer service goals. The successful candidate will have experience either working productively with a team of employees, leading successful teams in school or volunteer projects, or otherwise showing evidence of leadership skills in their work, school, or volunteer experience. 
  • Basic knowledge of Microsoft office and math skills required. Must be comfortable using the internet.   
  • Standard First Aid and CPR certification are required. Training and certification will be provided upon hire if the candidate does not already possess certification. 
  • Comfort with public speaking and ability to speak about history to an audience in an engaging and interesting way. 
  • Knowledge of, or interest in learning about and performing, exhibit maintenance and collections care. 

Experience  

  • Minimum of 2 years’ customer service experience required; some supervisory experience preferred. 
  • Experience in very busy tourism, retail, restaurant, or another high-volume environment preferred. 

Salary 

  • Approximately $50,000 annually  

To Apply 

Please send resume and cover letter to lfrelinghuysen@fords.org.