Job Description

Director of Guest Experience (Full-time, exempt)

Toronto Botanical Garden

The Organization

Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is the leading destination in Toronto to experience sustainable horticulture, and to better understand our collective role as stewards of our ecosystem. With free admission and over 300,000 visitors a year, TBG welcomes everyone to learn to love plants. Beyond an inspiring plant oasis, we are a dynamic community hub and an engaging learning environment.

In partnership with the City of Toronto, TBG is embarking on an exciting landmark capital expansion. Today the Garden is a 4-acre botanical garden nestled in the City of Toronto's Park System adjacent to Edwards Gardens and the Wilket Creek Ravine. As the Garden prepares to expand its managerial oversight across thirty-five acres (in a phased approach), the organization is scaling up to achieve sustained organizational performance as a relevant and inspiring living museum.

As we celebrate 70 years of growth, Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is expanding its team with a dedicated and dynamic Guest Experience Director to lead the front-line experience for our 300,000+ annual visitors. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, people-first leader to shape how guests engage with our gardens, programs, and spaces--from first arrival to final impression. While also expanding the capacity of the Garden's key earned-revenue streams to ensure that each visitor touchpoint reflects our mission while also contributing to the Garden's long-term growth.

Toronto Botanical Garden connects people and plants, fostering sustainable communities and developing reciprocal relationships with nature through lifelong learning. For more information, visit torontobotanicalgarden.ca.

How you will make an impact

The Director of Guest Experience will launch the Toronto Botanical Garden forward-- ensuring a seamless, welcoming, and mission-aligned experiences for every guest, while driving onsite revenue growth, managing cross-departmental coordination, streamlining operations and expanding earned revenue through group and program-based sales.

Reporting to the CEO, and as a key member of the leadership team, the Director of Guest Experience serves as the champion for all public-facing experiences across the Garden--welcome desk, tours, programming, and amenities while setting the tone for hospitality and accessibility, ensuring guests feel welcomed, supported, and inspired by nature.

Your success will be measured through your ability to grow the impact and earned revenue of TBG's existing offerings, by optimizing processes, aligning strategy with execution, expanding group and venue sales, delivering a curated retail experience and maximizing visitor satisfaction. The Director fosters, a collaborative, service-oriented culture that supports both guests and internal team members.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Front-of-House Operations: Manage and support all guest-facing services, including admissions, welcome desk, retail, tours, events support, and amenities. Drive Onsite Growth: Develop and grow group sales and onsite sales, including educational, corporate, destination retail, and custom experiences that increase visitation and revenue. Deliver Service Excellence: Ensure a high standard of hospitality and accessibility that reflects TBG's mission to serve all communities. Team & Volunteer Management: Recruit, train, and lead a diverse team of part-time staff and volunteers, fostering a positive, inclusive, and mission-aligned culture. Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Works closely with marketing, horticulture, education, events, facilities, rentals, and retail teams to deliver a unified visitor experience. Optimize Systems & Strategy: Implement processes and systems that improve visitor flow, feedback collection, and operational efficiency.

Job Responsibilities

Leadership

Fully participates with senior leadership and the Board in setting strategy & policy; Establishes standards of care and guest experience; Establishes a comprehensive audience and earned revenue growth strategy; Drives positive guest experience and visitor revenue generation strategies and operations including venue rental, parking, retail, reception, venue and facilities maintenance, Cafe/food services?and box office; Creates an earned revenue strategy that builds upon current revenues, proactively growing the capacity to deliver increased revenue to TBG's strategic priorities; Leads and/or plays a key operational role in project teams for special projects, major events, and cross-departmental initiatives with a significant guest experience component. Acts on behalf of the TBG in business, civic and community organizations to foster, build & grow relationships with internal & external audiences; Seeks and inspires excellence and impact in all endeavours; Acts on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer, as required and when requested; Demonstrates teamwork and collaboration with peers on various projects and tasks.

Guest Experience Excellence and Impact

Develops and delivers a full complement of guest experience training programs, helping the organization to define and realize the TBG way. Builds the Guest Experience Team, motivating, and supporting TBG staff and volunteers, to shape the first impression and overall experience of all visitors, turning casual guests into repeat supporters. Resources the frontline staff and volunteers to be deeply knowledgeable about the TBG site, programs, and policies, to effectively answer and respond to inquiries, visitor suggestions and complaints. Skillfully schedules the Guest Experience team based on visitor patterns, building usage, and community needs Proactively engages with community groups to encourage visits, supporting our efforts to be a Garden for All, while also increasing earned revenues.

Leading Earned Revenue and the Guest Experience Department

Partners with Marketing and Audience Engagement, Learning, and Development teams to leverage existing offerings, while planning wholistically for the organizations. Provides strategic leadership and partnership across the organization to expand TBG as a thriving place-based organization with compelling programs, destination retail, viable tourism products, and an inspiring, sustainable venue. Drives earned revenue through efforts such as establishing a box office function proactively selling and promoting TBG's programs, performances, membership to everyday visitors; and growing the potential of retail, venue and group bookings. Management of key vendor relationships including Cafe operator, Parking Vendor, and related contracts, along with the procurement/renewal of these contracts Supports multi-year budget development for function and department, guiding how the department and function will need to grow to meet community demand, remain competitive in the marketplace and deliver on operational success Builds strategies to achieve financial objectives: to have the position be self-sustaining in one year's time, by achieving 10% growth in net revenue in year, and approved growth targets in subsequent years Develops, assesses, and monitors annual guest experience plans, and corresponding budgets Balances the near-term and annual planning with the long-range strategic direction of the department.

Working with and across the team

Ensures a safe and respectful work environment for staff, interns, volunteers, and visitors, adhering to Ontario Occupational Health and Safety regulations. Develops and support a culture of continuous growth and learning and advocate for facility, program, or process improvements that will enhance the guest experience at the Gardens. Supports a culture that welcomes all people to the Gardens and creates meaningful experiences with the natural world and the people around them. Ensures there are policies, systems, workflows that improve operational efficiency, and management. Collaborates with Marketing and Audience Engagement in developing and maintaining guest resources such as maps, self-guided brochures, and other wayfinding materials. Continually assesses accessibility, comfort, and ease of wayfinding within the Gardens and works with Facilities, Marketing and Audience Engagement, or other departments as appropriate to develop plans for improvements as necessary. Work closely with senior staff to ensure a high level of organization, communication, and accuracy in managing operational issues related to the guest experience. Collaborates with the Marketing and Audience Engagement, Development, Horticulture, Learning, Guest Experience teams to amplify TBG's focus on being an inspiring plant place, an engaging learning environment and a dynamic community hub. Fosters and lead strong partnerships with internally and externally to amplify TBG's mission. Actively participates on the Senior Leadership Team and committees as directed by the CEO.

Experience and Qualifications

Overall, this position requires high energy and enthusiasm for plants, people and gardens. The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking individual who works well with others, and someone focused on effectively managing change to achieve the Garden's vision over the next decade.

Proven experience creating and leading comprehensive guest service and earned revenue programs at a venue, cultural or tourism attraction, in a retail or hospitality environment. You are comfortable managing annual and capital budgets concurrently, and have demonstrated achievement of revenue targets, and knowledge and/or experience with project management, event management, marketing, and sales. Demonstrated experience creating and scaling work processes and systems and integrating cross-functional teams into new processes. Experience working with membership-based organizations such as museums, cultural, environmental or educational institutions is an asset, as is experience working in support of a voluntary board of directors Experience leading a high-performance team, working cross-functionally across an organization, and leading a revenue- function. Communicates and manages well at all levels of the organization while also exercising good judgment and effective decision making based on accurate and timely analysis. Excellent writing skills as well as a skilled presenter. Demonstrated experience for managing budgets, setting, and fulfilling strategic goals, establishing work plans, and attaining outcomes. Demonstrated commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and are committed to TBG as a garden for all; a diverse community that recognizes the life-giving role of nature, working together for a more sustainable world. Proven experience working with and/or managing volunteers in a nonprofit setting. Post-secondary education in hospitality management, museum studies, tourism, retail, or related field is desirable Highly comfortable with computer software such as POS, CRM, Microsoft Office Suite, and event management systems. Must be available to work flexible hours including nights, weekends, and statutory holidays, when necessary

Do you have it in you?

You are passionate about the mission of Toronto Botanical Garden, connecting people to plants, fostering sustainable communities, and developing reciprocal relationships with nature through lifelong learning and are interested in aligning your skills and passion to benefit this work. You take pride in the work you complete and have a strong commitment to responsibility, teamwork, and trust. You excel at strategic thinking, being open to new perspectives and better ways to do things; you are creative, visionary, and manage innovation well. You face challenges and conflict with professionalism, grace, and resolve. You have the vulnerability to know what you don't know, admit your flaws, and learn from others to grow and develop yourself and the organization. You are a team player first and believe in the power of a diverse collective to solve problems. You have a great depth of knowledge in your area of expertise, but don't take yourself or the world too seriously. You focus on the positives and find humour and awe in every day.

Job Characteristics

Sense of urgency for goal achievement. Because the pace of the work is faster than average, your ability to learn quickly and thoroughly while continually recognizing and adapting to changing conditions is critical. Results focus. You will be tasked with varied activities, multiple and simultaneous projects in a fast-paced environment. Your focus is on achieving results which are aligned with the larger picture of the organization and its strategic goals. Problem solving orientation. Initiative, coupled with a sense of competitive drive, and the ability to stay focused on results despite rapidly changing conditions, is the key to achieving the performance objectives of this job. You are a leader who is firm and goal oriented, and yet motivates, trains, and engages others in an enthusiastic way. Your emphasis is on building rapport and relationships with individuals and groups that requires an outgoing, poised, and persuasive communication style. You balance risk taking with self-assurance, and the confidence to purposely drive toward results while constantly problem-solving and engaging the commitment of others is essential. Your decision-making is focused on implementing practical, timely solutions. While the job requires the ability to act independently you also have a sense of urgency and the confidence to handle a variety of challenges, and a full commitment to the success of the business and high standards of achievement are expected in this position. The job environment is flexible, constantly changing and provides growth opportunity, recognition, and reward for the achievement of business results.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Toronto Botanical Garden is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a welcoming, safe, diverse, and inclusive environment. TBG's workplace has a long-standing policy of providing fair, equitable, and accessible opportunities for all employees and prospective employees. TBG encourages all qualified applicants for employment regardless of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, or disability status.

Location

North Toronto

777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2

Job Type:

Full-time, exempt

Pay: $90,000-$120,000 per year.

Benefits:

Extended health care including: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Accidental Death, and Employee Assistance Program Vacation and Holiday Pay, along with Wellness and Give-back days Botanical Garden Membership Free Parking Along with many other benefits of working in a creative and beautiful place
Toronto Botanical Garden is committed to an inclusive, accessible and welcoming hiring process that provides reasonable accommodation to all applicants. Please advise hr@torontobotanicalgarden.ca should you require any accommodation to participate in this posting, recruitment, selection and/or assessment processes.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $90,000.00-$120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental care Employee assistance program Extended health care Life insurance On-site parking Paid time off Vision care
Flexible language requirement:

French not required
Application question(s):

Please describe your experience growing revenue/profit centres?
Experience:

cultural, hospitality or destination tourism : 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person