Guest Services Lead Associate - 2 Full Time Openings

Bloedel Reserve; Bainbridge Island (WA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island invites a Guest Services Lead Associate to guide daily guest operations, coordinate staff, and ensure a welcoming visit. You will work with volunteers and associates, handle admissions, memberships, and store transactions using POS and CRM systems, and respond to guest needs with professionalism.

The role requires flexibility, weekend/evening availability, attention to detail, safety awareness, and excellent communications to uphold the Reserve's

Qualifications

• Prior experience in guest services, hospitality, visitor services, retail, museums, gardens, attractions, or a related public-facing environment.
• Experience providing day-to-day leadership, shift leadership, or operational oversight is strongly preferred.
• Excellent people skills and the ability to work and communicate effectively with a wide variety of people.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service to a diverse population and to resolve difficult guest interactions professionally.
• Demonstrated skills in independent decision-making, problem-solving, prioritization, and maintaining a calm demeanor during stressful situations.
• Ability to provide clear direction to staff and volunteers while maintaining a collaborative, service-oriented environment.
• Strong service orientation, positive disposition, flexibility, sound judgment.
• Experience with POS systems and CRMs/databases; Blackbaud Altru and Lightspeed a plus.
• Experience handling cash transactions and completing opening/closing procedures in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with staff, volunteers, managers.

Responsibilities

• Serve as on-duty Lead for Guest Services, directing staff during shifts.
• Oversee opening/closing procedures for guest operations and secure facilities.
• Provide a gracious, efficient guest experience and support admissions, memberships, and retail.
• Direct and support Guest Services Associates and volunteers during shifts.
• Respond to guest/member concerns and escalate when needed.
• Coordinate with emergency procedures and monitor incidents.
• Manage guest flow, parking, and arrival operations; adjust staffing as needed.
• Communicate updates to staff and other departments.
• Process admissions, memberships, and registrations in CRM and related systems.
• Assist with membership fulfillment, ticketing, reservations, and guest correspondence.

Skills

Guest services leadership

Customer service

POS systems

CRM/databases

Cash handling

Data entry

Communication

Team coordination

Staff scheduling

Event coordination

Tools

Blackbaud Altru

Lightspeed POS

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft 365

BambooHR

Two-way radio

Job description

The Guest Services Lead Associate (GSLA) provides leadership for daily guest operations at Bloedel Reserve. Coordinates daily activities and staff coverage, responds to guest and operational issues, and helps ensure a safe, welcoming, and well-organized visitor experience throughout the Reserve. The GSLA works alongside Guest Services Associates and volunteers in direct service to guests while providing day-to-day leadership, direction, and support. The position also performs administrative data entry related to retail operations, inventory, admissions, memberships, and constituent records. A flexible schedule, including regular weekend and occasional evening work, is required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Serves as on-duty Lead for Guest Services teamduring assigned shifts, providing leadership and making day-to-day operational decisions in coordination with established Reserve policies and procedures.
2. Oversees opening and closing procedures for guest-facing operations as needed, including the Shop and Arrival Gate, Main Residence, and other facilities as assigned. Ensures facilities and operations are appropriately secured at the end of the day.
3. Provides guests and members with a gracious, efficient, and welcoming experience in all aspects of their visit. Works directly alongside Guest Services staff welcoming guests, answering questions, selling admissions and memberships, supporting retail operations, and providing orientation and interpretive information.
4. Provides day-to-day direction and support to Guest Services Associates and volunteers during assigned shifts, helping staff respond to changing operational needs, guest volume, and priorities.
5. Responds to and resolves guest and member concerns, including complaints, ticketing issues, access questions, policy enforcement, and other situations requiring escalation beyond the Guest Services Associate level.
6. Responds to operational incidents and emergencies as the on-duty Lead, following established emergency procedures, coordinating staff response, communicating by radio, and escalating incidents to managers or other Reserve staff when appropriate.
7. Monitors guest flow, parking, arrival operations, and visitor capacity and adjusts frontline staffing and operations as conditions require.
8. Maintains awareness of activities and conditions throughout the Reserve and communicates relevant information and updates to Guest Services staff, volunteers, managers, and other departments.
9. Uses Blackbaud Altru and other systems to process admissions, memberships, program and event registrations, and routine guest and member transactions. Performs routine CRM data entry and record maintenance as assigned.
10. Assists with membership fulfillment, ticketing, reservations, guest correspondence, and other administrative Guest Services functions. Ensures information entered into Reserve systems is timely and accurate.
11. Uses Lightspeed POS and other systems to sell memberships and Shop merchandise, and supports daily retail operations, including merchandise knowledge, restocking, and maintaining an organized and welcoming Shop environment.
12. Provides orientation and interpretive information to guests and members, answers questions about the Reserve, and helps guests navigate and understand their visit.
13. Supports the daily operations of guests visiting the Main Residence, including coordination with docents and volunteers and completion of assigned opening, closing, and guest-service responsibilities.
14. Provides operational support for evening, weekend, seasonal, and special events, including guest flow, parking, admissions, staffing, and event opening and closing as assigned.
15. Completes daily operational documentation, incident reports, cash-handling procedures, attendance or visitation tracking, and other records as required.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Prior experience in guest services, hospitality, visitor services, retail, recreation, museums, gardens, attractions, or a related public-facing environment.
2. Experience providing day-to-day leadership, shift leadership, or operational oversight is strongly preferred.
3. Excellent people skills and the ability to work and communicate effectively with a wide variety of people. Excellent verbal communication, listening, and customer-service skills.
4. Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service to a diverse population and to resolve difficult guest interactions professionally and respectfully.
5. Demonstrated skills in independent decision-making, problem-solving, prioritization, and maintaining a calm demeanor during stressful, rapidly changing, or emergent situations.
6. Ability to provide clear direction to staff and volunteers while maintaining a collaborative, service-oriented working environment.
7. Strong service orientation, positive disposition, flexibility, sound judgment, and sense of humor.
8. Experience with POS systems and CRMs/databases preferred; experience with Blackbaud Altru and Lightspeed is a plus.
9. Experience handling cash transactions and completing opening, closing, or reconciliation procedures in a fast-paced environment preferred.
10. Ability to work independently and collaboratively with Guest Services staff, volunteers, managers, and staff throughout the Reserve.
11. Strong attention to detail and ability to accurately complete routine data entry, documentation, and administrative tasks.
12. Availability to work a flexible schedule, including regular weekends, evenings, holidays, and special events as required.

SYSTEMS/EQUIPMENT USED

1. Blackbaud Altru
2. Lightspeed POS
3. Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft 365
4. BambooHR
5. Two-way radio and other Guest Services communications equipment

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Ability to sit, stand, and work on feet for extended periods.
2. Ability to regularly walk throughout the Reserve and between guest-facing facilities.
3. Ability to walk, stand, kneel, bend, stoop, and climb as required.
4. Ability to push, pull, and lift up to 25 pounds

Our Commitment to Diversity: Bloedel Reserve is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. We recognize that public horticulture has historically excluded and continues to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. We strongly encourage applications from individuals with these identities, as well as anyone who brings a unique perspective to our work.

We are committed to supporting employees by making accommodations as needed, ensuring accessibility, and promoting an environment where employees feel valued and empowered to grow.