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Box Office Manager

Employer
Smith College
Location
Smith College

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Job Details

If you have any questions about the position or our application process, reach out to us at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

Provost/Dean of FacultyJob Description

Job Summary

This role is a 2-year fixed-term, part-time, benefits eligible role from September 2023-May 2025. Applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Oversee the overall day to day operations of the box office from the daily sales and office hours to scheduling student staff for daytime and evening operations. The Box Office Manager will ensure a hospitable, smooth and efficient operation. Responsible for programming and monitoring the ticketing system, tracking daily sales and deposits, ticket account management and fulfillment, supervise and direct student staff and volunteers, and troubleshooting in difficult situations. Work closely with Theatre and Dance department staff, SmithArts Publicity Manager, and the Director of the Smith Office for the Arts. Leads by example at all times and provides the highest level of customer service to all guests, vendors and clients. Provide box office expertise and conduct research to help build a more expansive box office model for future years, serving diverse departments and partners across the Arts at Smith.

Take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment

Essential Functions

Box office website, systems and software maintenance (25%)

  • Building events in the box office system, including setting ticket prices, and setting up seating manifests

  • Communications including drafting confirmation and automatic emails to customers

  • Be responsible for checking boxoffice@smith.edu

  • Review and update box office manual as needed

  • Troubleshooting software issues, and working with box office software provider on implementation updates, bug fixes, and best practices

  • Develop, get approval for, and communicate an official comp policy, that can be adapted as needed per show upon consultation with the appropriate department (i.e., House tickets, VIP tickets)

  • Review current box office hours and ticket costs - adjust as necessary. Work with publicity to update the website accordingly

  • Work with publicity to supply emails and lists to support marketing/comms efforts

  • Replenish box office supplies as needed

  • Potentially implementing new system

  • Demonstrate excellent customer service skills, respond promptly to customer inquiries and requests, and train all Box Office personnel in customer service standards

Hiring, training, scheduling, supervising student employees (25%)

  • Hire, train, schedule and supervise up to 16 students as front of house staff consisting of; House Managers, Box Office Assistants and Ushers. (Note: Currently, 3-4 students will be needed each performance) and 4-6 TH200 students per semester making sure they meet the requirements of the course, in collaboration with Theatre Department

  • Define the range of student roles needed in box office and on show nights. Consult appropriate departments to see what staffing is currently planned for or is needed

  • Work closely with House Managers to oversee flow of operations on nights of shows.

  • Recruit students that are interested in working in a team, with staff, and faculty and with the public, sometimes under high pressure. Maintain a staffed work schedule of various hours including afternoons, performance evenings and weekends

  • Reporting: Show event reports, ticket counts etc., accurate daily reporting of transactions

  • Public interface, and dealing with difficult patron situations and accessibility concerns

  • Money handling, including implementing college policies, use of the credit card machine, cash and checks, troubleshooting under pressure

  • Electronic ticketing and reservations including accurate data acquisition (i.e., email addresses and sign ups used in publicity reporting)

  • Crisis and safety measures and policies, such as evacuations in an emergency

  • House Management including but not limited to leading, organizing and supporting the box office staff and coordinating directly with the stage manager during productions, taking responsibility to make spur of the moment decisions to assure safe and pleasant seating arrangements

  • Maintaining accessibility during all the box office working hours for questions and situations that may come up which could include being present on performance nights

  • Regular checks that the financial reporting and transactions are being done correctly and that policies are being adhered too

  • Making sure that work schedules are fair, consistent and the staff is dependable.

  • Setting expectations and providing clear communications with students

Budgeting (15%)

  • Oversee box office budget, including cash box, cash deposits, and ensuring that all monies are accounted for as required by Smith policies

  • Provide end of show budget and monthly budget reports

  • Track all box office expenses including supplies, student hours, software costs etc.

Reporting (15%)

  • Creating and/or approving nightly and end of show reports, and making sure all reports are submitted in a timely fashion

Research and Development (15%)

  • Work with the Director of the Smith Office for the Arts to design new box office model that serves SmithArts beyond Theatre and Dance Department

  • Conduct research of new box office software systems

  • Work closely with key stakeholders, departments and partners on campus to assess needs and current best practices, discuss shared goals and priorities

  • Work through budget and staffing proposals for new box office model

Other Functions

Other Duties 5%

  • Act as part of the publicity, marketing and communications team, providing necessary data for audience engagement work

  • Work with Publicity Manager to schedule box office students as needed to help with outreach related work around (calendar entries, postering, etc.)

  • Assist as needed for RSVP only events (non-ticketed.)

All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Minimum Qualifications (knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses)

  • 1-3 years of Box Office experience

  • Must be able to work well independently and to manage, train, and motivate others

  • Excellent verbal and written communication and documentation skills required

  • Position requires the ability to accommodate a flexible schedule, including evenings, and weekends

  • Experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Management experience strongly preferred

  • Experience implementing next box office systems

Skills

  • Good problem solving and strategic thinking skills.

  • Ability to prioritize, identify critical issues and work towards results

  • Ability to work with multiple organizations and vendors proactively and professionally

Please attach BOTH a current resume and a cover letter in order for your application to be considered for this position . Be sure you have provided all attachments before submitting your application. You will NOT be able to attach additional files after you have hit the Submit button.

Review of applications will begin

July 31, 2023

Compensation Grade:

Grade L Non-exempt

Position Type:

Fixed Term

About Smith College

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is one of the largest women’s colleges in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 151B, it is the policy of Smith College to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact our recruiting team at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

Smith College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Organization

Working at Smith College 

Founded in 1871, Smith College is the nation's largest liberal arts college for women. The reputation of the College as one of the finest in the country holds strong because of the dedicated work of our staff, faculty, and administration. We are a diverse group bringing to our community different talents, perspectives, and experiences. Our strength arises from this diversity and is sustained by a community value of providing an outstanding educational environment for our nearly 2,700 students. Smith College is located in Northampton, a lively town of 30,000 in the Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts.

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