Box Office Manager

Job Highlights 

The Box Office Manager provides leadership and operational oversight for Houston Grand Opera's ticketing and patron services operations, managing a team of part-time Box Office Representatives to deliver exceptional customer experiences while achieving revenue and retention objectives. This dual-function role combines hands-on subscriber account management with team leadership, allowing the Manager to model best practices while ensuring seamless box office functionality across all channels—including in-person, phone, and digital platforms—while maintaining accuracy, efficiency, and adherence to HGO policies and industry best practices. 

As both a team leader and active portfolio manager, the Box Office Manager maintains and grows their own subscriber account base, executing personalized renewal strategies, cultivating prospective subscribers, and demonstrating the consultative sales approach expected of the entire team. This dual responsibility ensures the Manager remains connected to front-line patron interactions, maintains credibility with staff through direct performance, and contributes meaningfully to departmental revenue goals while coaching and developing team members to maximize both individual and collective results. 

The Manager's operational responsibilities include workforce planning and scheduling, quality assurance, first-contact resolution optimization, and implementation of standard operating procedures that support scalable growth. They actively monitor key performance indicators across all team members, identify process improvement opportunities, and ensure ticketing system integrity and data input accuracy. The Manager serves as the subject matter expert on complex patron issues and ticketing operations, providing escalation support, and ensuring continuity of service during high-volume periods, including performance days, on-sales, and subscription campaign peaks. 

Success in this position requires balancing operational precision with team leadership and individual sales performance, driving revenue results while maintaining focus on providing patron-centric service. 

About Houston Grand Opera 

The mission of HGO is to enrich our diverse community through the art of opera. We do so by creating, curating, exploring, and producing outstanding experiences centered around the human voice. HGO has received a Tony Award, two Grammy Awards, and three Emmy Awards – we are the only opera company in the world to win all three honors. 

Our strategic focus is two-fold: creating profoundly enriching experiences for our diverse audiences and clearly defining and positively promoting the HGO brand. 

We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all company members. We believe every team member enriches our diversity by exposing a broad range of ways to understand and engage our community and discover, design, and deliver enriching experiences. 

Compensation and Benefits 

We offer robust benefits to full-time employees, including: 

• Comprehensive and affordable health benefits. 

• Generous paid time off. 

• 403b retirement plan with employer match. 

• Flexible work schedule. 

• Professional development opportunities. 

• Discounted parking in the Theater District garage and nearby lots plus easy access to Metro transportation. 

• Free tickets to our mainstage and community productions and events. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Provides leadership and operational oversight for Houston Grand Opera's ticketing and patron services operations. 

• Independently manage all aspects of the subscriber portfolio, including personalized renewal campaigns, targeted upselling opportunities, and strategic outreach to prospective flex and full-season subscribers.  

• Ensures adherence to HGO policies and industry best practices to ensure ticketing system integrity and data input accuracy across the team. 

• Responsible for quality assurance, first-contact resolution optimization, and implementation of standard operating procedures that support scalable growth. 

• Manages workforce planning and scheduling for the ticketing and patron services team. 

• Actively monitors key performance indicators across team members. 

• Identify process improvement opportunities and recommend changes to management. 

• Serve as subject matter expert on complex patron issues, providing escalation support across the team. 

• Execute and track multi-channel sales and retention campaigns by translating strategic initiatives into actionable objectives and tasks. 

• Provide exceptional and seamless customer service across all patron touchpoints that reflects HGO’s commitment to excellence.  

• Leverage connections with the audience to create memorable experiences. 

• Assist patrons via various channels such as phone, web chat, e-mail, or in-person regarding ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and other general inquiries such as performance details, directions, parking, etc. 

• Ensure accurate processing and timely delivery of customer tickets. 

• Staff and support Box Office operations or other guest service stations during performances.  

• Identification of individual giving prospects for referral to Philanthropy for further qualification. 

• Achieve ambitious individual and team revenue targets and KPI’s including data-driven retention goals. 

• Take on special projects for the department as assigned. 

• Assist other HGO departments with various projects and events as needed.  

• Help with the set up and take-down of equipment, signs, and other duties as assigned.  

Qualifications 

• 5-7 years of direct work experience with demonstrated success in sales and revenue generation. 

• 2+ years of managing/supervising a team. 

• Ticketing and CRM system experience (Tessitura preferred). 

• Knowledge of opera and arts preferred but not required. 

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. 

Special Job Characteristics 

The ideal Box Office Manager candidate will have a passion for the arts and possess superb leadership and team development characteristics, including the ability to coach, performance management experience, the ability to resolve conflict, and the ability to build a positive team culture. They will also demonstrate operational excellence through proficiency with ticketing system software (Tessitura preferred), have a systems process mindset, and the capacity to deal with difficult or stressful situations while maintaining composure. This dual-function role will require comfort wearing multiple hats and exceptional time management capabilities to lead by example. Strong communication and collaboration skills are essential to success in this role as the incumbent communicates upward, across the team, and across departments. Evening and weekend work is required as well as the ability to bend, stoop, sit and sometimes lift up to 20lb. 

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those we consider important for an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 20 pounds), reaching for items, effective communication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending performances, events, and meetings. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

Equal Opportunity 

Houston Grand Opera is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at HGO are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. HGO will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. HGO encourages applicants of all ages.