The Nashville Symphony inspires and engages a diverse and growing community with extraordinary live orchestral music experiences.

As Middle Tennessee continues to grow and transform, the Nashville Symphony will be a financially robust, leading orchestra fully supported and embraced by the community it serves and recognized by its peers for its innovation and excellence. Key to achieving this vision, the Nashville Symphony will:

• Entertain and educate audiences with varied opportunities to engage with orchestral music.

• Be recognized as a leading arts organization defined by performing an innovative and excellent portfolio distinguished by a commitment to American music, including underrepresented voices.

• Strengthen diversified revenue streams in order to routinely deliver a balanced operating budget and meet goals for endowment contributions.

• Build a diverse, welcoming, and effective organization that is a great place to work and is reflective of the Middle Tennessee community.

Description of Responsibilities

The Director of Audience Experience is responsible for ensuring the highest level of customer care and optimizing the venue experience for audiences for Nashville Symphony and all concerts presented at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Director is responsible for: conceptualizing and implementing Front of House policies, logistics, and execution in coordination with colleagues across departments. Specific responsibilities include usher corps hiring, training, managing, and payroll; coordinating and communicating Front of House (FOH) activities, displays, and wayfinding; liaising with food and beverage, valet, and parking vendors; logistical coordination with Nashville peer organizations regarding downtown activity.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

1. Interviews, hires, trains, empowers, schedules, manages, and evaluates ushering staff to provide the highest degree of customer service.  Continuously trains ushers to improve the customer experience. 

2. In alignment with senior management, creates and implements customer service plan and usher manual that empowers ushering staff to take the initiative and ownership required to resolve night-of-event customer service issues; in collaboration with Director of Ticketing and Sales and support from Ticketing department, manages post-event customer complaint process in Tessitura; documents all customer service issues for follow-up as required. 

3. In collaboration with Director of Ticketing and Sales, represents the voice of the customer in providing vital feedback to the senior management team regarding customer experiences, requests, and customer service needs. 

4. Collaborates in the development and implementation of house procedural policies and usher training plan to include the life-safety plan, crowd control, and other building situations where the public and employees’ safety must be managed.

5. Collaborates with colleagues across departments to ensure FOH event scenarios communicate pertinent information. Cross departmentally assists in coordination of special exhibitions and displays, activities, sponsor recognition, décor for events, lobby performances, and activities (YPCs, Classical Conversations, pre-/post-concert lobby events, etc...) 

6. Coordinates concert duty schedule to ensure there is always one Front-of-House Manager on site for every performance or event (some external client special events may not require a Front-of-House Manager).

7. With the Director of Ticketing and Sales, identifies events in the downtown area in order to proactively find solutions to potential challenges including road closures, high traffic time periods, festivals, etc.

8. Manages and coordinates valet parking, school and tour buses, and facilitation with parking garage vendors and partners; and communicates with pertinent parties on a weekly basis to coordinate logistics for each performance and event.

9. Advances front-of-house production requirements with other departments as necessary.  Communicates with the box office in order to determine numbers of patrons attending, handicap accessible needs, etc.  Liaises with communications department to anticipate program book quantities and FOH policy content as well as special inserts and signage.

10. Circulates throughout the building during performances and events in order to ensure smooth operational flow and identify areas of improvement. Identifies challenges and resolves potential conflicts.

11. Processes event payroll and billing reports for performances and events.  Produce the front-of-house report and attendance reports for each performance and event. 

12. Coordinates house-related activities with other departments and the volunteer coordinator as necessary.

13. Liaise with Food and Beverage team to optimize audience experience, customer service and revenue.

The duties listed above are not all inclusive.  The person in this position is expected to perform other work-related duties as assigned even though they may not be considered primary duties.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervises the part-time ushers and usher volunteers. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Liaises with the Food and Beverage company at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. 

Work Requirements and Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent preferred

Experience

At least three years working in a supervisory role in an event management environment with the public and/or clients. Would prefer experience in a performing arts environment. Five years overall experience in an event management environment or the equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Effective and efficient written and oral communications skills.

• Stellar organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to schedule priorities to maximize efficiency and institutional goals.

• Ability to multi-task and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to work with a broad spectrum of personalities and to exhibit patience and understanding.

• Ability to work as a team member with a positive, helpful attitude in developing creative response and solutions to needs and issues. 

• Multi-tasking skills and the ability to balance a sense of urgency and low priorities without displaying panic are essential. A good sense of humor is helpful.

• Knowledge of ticketing procedures and classical music is helpful, but not required.

• Ability to work flexible and varied hours, including nights, weekends and/or holidays.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.