Working Title: Director of Guest Engagement
Job Class: State Program Administrator, Manager Senior
Agency: Minnesota Zoological Garden
Job ID : 96263
Location : Apple Valley
Telework Eligible : No
Full/Part Time : Full-Time
Regular/Temporary : Unlimited
Who May Apply : Open to all qualified job seekers
Date Posted : 08/21/2026
Closing Date : 09/10/2026
Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit : Minnesota Zoological Garden / Zoo Gardens-Managerial
Division/Unit : Strategy & Engagement
Work Shift/Work Hours : Day Shift; 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Days of Work : Typically Tuesday - Saturday. May vary based on business needs. Schedule determined upon hire.
Travel Required : Yes - up to 25% of time
Salary Range: $44.80 - $64.46 / hourly; $93,542 - $134,592 / annually
Classified Status : Classified
Bargaining Unit/Union : 220 - Manager/Unrep
FLSA Status : Exempt - Executive
Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities (https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/diverse-workforce/people-with-disabilities/connect700/) : Yes
The work you'll do is more than just a job.
At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.
This position is responsible for leading and optimizing the guest journey at the Minnesota Zoo, ensuring every guest interaction-from ticket purchase through departure-reflects service excellence, operational efficiency, and mission connection. Leads and directs the guest engagement department, which includes the guest services, box office, and call center teams as well as governance of ticketing and customer relationship management systems and related data/reporting. Obtains and manages the resources needed and directs the evaluation of current and new programs to ensure a cohesive, data-informed engagement model that strengthens satisfaction, drives repeat visitation, and maximizes per cap revenue. Involves significant discretion and substantial involvement in the development and interpretation of agency-wide strategy and policies related to guest-facing systems and service culture, ensuring that guest engagement practices support revenue growth, brand affinity, accessibility, and public accountability standards.
This position supports operations across a large campus environment and requires the employee to travel between multiple buildings and work sites located throughout the campus to perform assigned duties and respond to operational needs. The incumbent must be able to travel between campus locations in a timely and reliable manner to carry out essential job functions. When job duties require the operation of a motor vehicle to access work sites, transport equipment, or respond to service needs, the employee must be able to safely operate a vehicle and possess a valid and unrestricted driver's license.
Duties include but are not limited to:
Exercise supervisor authority in the direction and management of the department's staffing to ensure a high-performing team to ensure required resources are available and invested to most effectively support the Zoo's mission.
Manage the implementation and ongoing improvement of the Zoo's guest engagement strategy in alignment with agency-wide revenue and mission goals.
Direct all guest engagement operations including call center, box office, group sales support, and front gate to optimize revenue and minimize risk while balancing service excellence with operational efficiency.
Manage all ticketing, point-of-sale, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve guest engagement and ensure data integrity, legal compliance, and actionable analytics to inform sound decision-making.
Serve as a key member of the division management team ensuring development and accomplishment of the Zoo's mission and strategy.
Minimum Qualifications
The following qualifications are required of all applicants seeking consideration for this position. Only applicants whose application materials clearly demonstrate fulfillment of each of these minimum qualifications will be considered for the position. To ensure accurate evaluation, your resume must clearly describe your experience in the required areas. For each job, include whether it was full-time, part-time, or intermittent/on-call; how many hours per week you worked; and the month and year you started and ended.
Seven (7) years of strategic leadership experience for guest experience teams in hospitality operations, attractions management, retail or a related field in a high-volume, public-facing environment, including experience leading and developing leaders, fostering accountability and collaboration, and translating organizational strategy into measurable results.
Demonstrated leadership experience may include experience as a manager, supervisor, or team/project lead.
*Master's degree may substitute for 18 months of experience; Bachelor's degree may substitute for one year of experience; Associate's degree may substitute for six months of experience.
Experience managing ticketing platforms, customer relationship management systems, and data governance practices.
Demonstrated ability to improve revenue performance through pricing execution, conversion strategies, and service design.
Strong financial skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and revenue reconciliation.
Experience implementing service excellence frameworks and performance metrics, including demonstrated ability to influence others and/or compel change throughout an organization
Exceptional communication and interpersonal leadership skills, including demonstrated emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and the ability to build trust and engagement across diverse teams.
Valid driver's license.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in a zoo, aquarium, museum, theme park, large cultural attraction or retail.
Experience with dynamic pricing models and advanced ticketing ecosystems.
Familiarity with public-sector or highly regulated environments.
Bachelor's degree in hospitality, business, marketing, communications, or related field.
Bilingual or multilingual capability (Spanish, Hmong, ASL preferred).
Experience supervising employees in a unionized environment while fostering positive employee relations.
Experience building collaborative partnerships with vendors, community partners, or cross-functional teams to achieve shared organizational goals.
Physical Requirements
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions.
Periodic standing and walking throughout Zoo grounds.
Additional Requirements
Applicants must have the ability to meet the physical requirements and work in the environmental conditions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
It is policy of the Minnesota Zoo that all candidates submit to a background check prior to employment. The background check may consist of the following components:
Conflict of Interest Review
Criminal History Check including fingerprinting
Education Verification
Employment Reference / Records Check
License / Certification Verification
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to all qualified applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability who needs assistance or cannot access the online job application system, please contact the job information line at 651-259-3637 or email careers@state.mn.us . Please indicate what assistance is needed.
