Chief Guest Engagement & Revenue Optimization

Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley (MN); On-site; USD 116,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley seeks a Chief Guest Engagement & Revenue Optimization to lead guest experience and revenue programs across admissions, memberships, events, education, and related operations. You will serve on the Directors Advisory Team guiding strategy and partnerships.

You will drive statewide to international engagement aligned with conservation goals and revenue sustainability, with up to 25% travel.

Qualifications

• 10 years of progressive leadership in guest engagement and revenue operations.
• Experience managing $10M+ in earned revenue and forecasting.
• Ability to craft division strategy and lead diverse partners through change.
• Experience leading leaders and translating strategy into measurable results.
• Experience using customer-centered approaches to inform strategy and services.
• Experience overseeing third-party vendor contracts and performance-based agreements.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage division staffing to ensure high performance and sustainability.
• Direct a comprehensive guest experience strategy across departments.
• Direct the earned revenue strategy across admissions, events, and partnerships.
• Provide executive leadership for educational programming aligned with conservation goals.
• Oversee major third-party partners and service delivery.
• Collaborate with Directors Advisory Team to align management decisions with state values.

Skills

Leadership experience

Revenue operations

Strategic planning

Customer-centric

Vendor management

Driver's license

Education

Masters degree

Bachelor's degree

Associates degree (substitution)

Tools

POS systems

CRM

Ticketing

Analytics tools

Job description

The Zoo encompasses a 485-acre campus and is home to nearly 5,000 animals with about 1.5 million guests visiting annually. The Zoo is a coordinator of international conservation and breeding programs and is the States largest environmental educator. The Zoos conservation programs protect endangered species and preserve critical ecosystems and its education programs engage audiences at the Zoo, throughout our region, and around the world.

Job Details

Working Title: Chief Guest Engagement & Revenue Optimization

Job Class: Agency Division Director Senior

Agency: Minnesota Zoological Garden

• Job ID: 96269
• Location: Apple Valley
• Telework Eligible: No
• Full/Part Time: Full-Time
• Regular/Temporary: Unlimited
• Who May Apply: Open to all qualified job seekers
• Date Posted: 08/21/2026
• Closing Date: 09/10/2026
• Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit: Minnesota Zoological Garden / Zoo Gardens-Managerial
• Division/Unit: Zoo Division Directors / Revenue Optimization
• Work Shift/Work Hours: Day Shift; 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
• Days of Work: Monday - Friday
• Travel Required: Yes - up to 25% time
• Salary Range: $55.68 - $79.79 / hourly; $116,259 - $166,601 / annually
• Classified Status: Unclassified
• Bargaining Unit/Union: 220 - Manager/Unrep
• FLSA Status: Exempt - Executive
• Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities: Yes

The work you'll do is more than just a job.

At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.

Job Summary

Relocation assistance may be available to support the selected candidates move to the area. Eligibility and the level of assistance will be determined based on the circumstances of the relocation and applicable policies.

This position is responsible for driving an exceptional, modern, and mission-centered guest experience at the Minnesota Zoo while maximizing revenue generated through admissions, membership, events, educational programming, and third-party food, beverage, and retail operations. This position serves on the Directors Advisory Team as a principal advisor and strategist for guest engagement, revenue generation, educational program creation and delivery, brand position, and go-to-market strategy. This position plans, directs, and implements strategies to generate statewide, national, and international engagement with the Zoos educational and conservation mission.

This position supports operations across a large campus environment and requires the employee to travel between multiple buildings and work sites located throughout the campus to perform assigned duties and respond to operational needs. The incumbent must be able to travel between campus locations in a timely and reliable manner to carry out essential job functions. When job duties require the operation of a motor vehicle to access work sites, transport equipment, or respond to service needs, the employee must be able to safely operate a vehicle and possess a valid and unrestricted drivers license.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Direct and manage the division staffing in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, and labor contracts to ensure a high-performing division structured for scalability, cross-functional collaboration, and long-term sustainability.
• Establish and direct a comprehensive guest experience strategy across all guest-facing departments to ensure experiences are mission-aligned, financially sustainable, operationally excellent, and responsive to public accountability standards.
• Establish and direct the Zoos earned revenue strategy to maximize revenue generated through admissions, membership, events and educational programming, and third-party food, beverage, and retail operations.
• Provide executive leadership for the creation, delivery, and evaluation of educational programming aligned with conservation priorities and financial sustainability.
• Provide executive oversight of major third-party partners including retail, food, and beverage operations and other service delivery partners.
• Serve as a key member of the Directors Advisory Team to develop and lead Zoo-wide strategies and policies and to ensure management decisions and actions are aligned with state values and the priorities of the Director and Deputy Director.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

The following qualifications are required of all applicants seeking consideration for this position. Only applicants whose application materials clearly demonstrate fulfillment of each of these minimum qualifications will be considered for the position. To ensure accurate evaluation, your resume must clearly describe your experience in the required areas. For each job, include whether it was full-time, part-time, or intermittent/on-call; how many hours per week you worked; and the month and year you started and ended.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience in guest engagement and revenue operations, commercial strategy, within a complex, public and mission-driven organization with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated leadership experience must include time as an executive leader.
• Total demonstrated leadership experience may include experience as a manager, supervisor, or team/project lead.
• Masters degree may substitute for 18 months of experience; Bachelors degree may substitute for one year of experience; Associates degree may substitute for six months of experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing $10M+ in earned revenue, including revenue forecasting, pricing strategy, budgeting and financial performance management.
• Ability to create and communicate division level strategy, a roadmap to achieve the vision and experience with effectively managing and/or leading diverse partners or constituent groups through change.
• Experience leading and developing leaders, fostering accountability and collaboration, and translating organizational strategy into measurable results.
• Experience using customer-centered approaches or community feedback, knowledge and perspectives to improve organizational strategies, decisions, operations and services
• Experience overseeing third-party vendor contracts and performance-based agreements.
• Valid drivers license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in hospitality, business, communications, education, or related field.
• Experience in zoological, aquarium, museum, comparable attraction, or retail leadership.
• Experience leading projects from planning through implementation while meeting established timelines and objectives, and maintaining operational excellence.
• Experience establishing ongoing feedback structures with customers or community to inform organizational strategies and decisions.
• Experience creating and managing large-scale ticketed events.
• Advanced proficiency with POS, CRM, ticketing, and analytics systems.
• Fluency in a second language such as Spanish, Hmong, or ASL.

Physical Requirements

• Flexible availability, including weekends, holidays, and evenings.
• Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions.
• Proficiency with modern digital tools and communication platforms.

Additional Requirements

Applicants must have the ability to meet the physical requirements and work in the environmental conditions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

It is policy of