Operations Manager - Onondaga County Aquarium

ZOOCEANARIUM GROUP LLC•Syracuse, NY

7d•$70,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing all front-of-house revenue and guest-facing operations, including ticketing, retail, café sales, security, and overall guest experience. This role leads the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of daily operations, ensuring strong financial performance, exceptional customer service, and safe, efficient facility use. The Operations Manager plays a critical leadership role during the pre-opening phase, commissioning operational systems, hiring and training staff, and establishing the procedures required for a successful public opening.

Requirements

Minimum 7–10 years of operations leadership experience in a high-volume attraction, museum, zoo, aquarium, or hospitality environment
Demonstrated accountability for multiple revenue streams and guest-facing operations
Proven experience managing senior managers and cross-functional teams
Experience with membership programs, POS/ticketing systems, and cash control operations
Strong working knowledge of safety, compliance, and emergency preparedness in public venues
Ability to balance guest experience excellence with animal welfare and institutional mission
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Experience managing departmental budgets required.
Strong listening, presentation and decision-making skills.
Commercial acumen and the ability to analyze, understand and anticipate guests’ needs.
Technically proficient in Microsoft Office products - Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.
Creative problem solver who thrives when presented with a challenge.
Energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas.
Ability to stand for long periods of time.
Ability to read, listen and communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
Ability to access and accurately input information using a moderately complex computer system.
Hearing and visual ability to observe and detect signs of emergency situations.
Requires the ability to perform the physical, visual and hearing requirements in the working conditions below.
Must be available for evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

Lead the operational planning, commissioning, and readiness of all guest-facing and revenue-generating functions.
Establish operational standards, policies, and procedures for admissions, guest experience, memberships, retail, café, photo sales, and security.
Partner with General Curator to ensure guest-facing animal programs are operationally sound, staff are properly trained, and animal welfare standards are upheld. Programs include but are not limited to back-of-house tours, touch experiences, and docent engagement.
Partner with marketing to support development of annual membership acquisition and retention strategies
Support setup, testing, and commissioning of ticketing, point-of-sale, and payment processing systems.
Collaborate with finance to design and implement cash handling, internal controls, reconciliation, and reporting processes
Participate in attendance modeling, pricing discussions, and staffing plans to align labor with projected visitation.
Recruit, train, and onboard front-of-house leadership and staff.
In collaboration with the Executive Director, ensure compliance readiness with local authorities, including emergency procedures, safety planning, and operational permits.
Design and deliver training programs focused on guest service standards, systems use, safety, and service recovery.
Support development of opening-period staffing plans, performance metrics, and escalation protocols
Plan and manage departmental pre-opening spending budgets
Provide leadership and oversight to the Operations team.
Directly supervise Guest Experience Manager, Retail Manager, and Security Officers
Oversee day-to-day front-of-house and revenue operations to ensure safe, efficient, and consistent guest experiences
Contribute to institutional planning, budgeting, and long-term operational strategy.
Establish a culture of guest focus, financial responsibility, safety, and collaboration.
Set performance targets and hold department leaders accountable for revenue, guest satisfaction, service quality, and operational efficiency
Guide staffing strategies and labor deployment aligned with attendance patterns and peak periods.
Collaborate with marketing on membership growth, promotions, pricing strategies, and guest engagement initiatives.
Partner with finance to ensure effective cash control, financial reporting, audit readiness, and internal compliance.
Oversee departmental budgets, staffing schedules, and purchasing in collaboration with the Executive Director and Finance.
Direct the implementation and execution of departmental training programs to ensure consistent guest experience standards, safety protocols, and system proficiency
Partner with the Foundation to support volunteer engagement and education programs within the aquarium, ensuring volunteers are appropriately integrated into daily operations, trained to operational standards, and aligned with guest experience, safety, and animal welfare requirements.
Support Foundation-led private events by coordinating operational staffing and logistics for events held both during and after normal operating hours.
Ensure compliance with all applicable operational regulations, including AZA Accreditation Standards, OSHA, EPA, and state/local health and building codes.
Other duties as assigned.