Haunt Manager

Blake Farms; Michigan; On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Blake Farms is seeking a Haunt Manager to lead creative direction, season planning, and on-the-ground execution for four fall attractions. You will work with two Assistant Haunt Managers and two Haunt Leads, reporting to the Agritainment Manager, and shape the guest experience from arrival to departure.

This hands-on role requires a strong storytelling background, budget sensibility, and vendor negotiation skills to deliver a cohesive, high-quality haunt season.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in haunted attractions, theatrical production, or live event leadership
• Proven experience managing managers/leads, not just frontline staff
• Strong creative/storytelling background paired with hands-on budget and operations experience
• Comfortable handling safety and emergency situations with a clear, level head
• Experience with vendor negotiation and seasonal budget management
• Familiarity with ticketing and retail/point-of-sale systems (such as TicketSpice)
• Strong organizational skills; able to keep a multi-attraction, multi-team operation running smoothly

Responsibilities

• Lead creative direction: set the season's theme, story, and tone across all four attractions, deciding what is retired, refreshed, or built new each year
• Run brainstorm sessions with the Assistant Managers and Leads for new scares, set pieces, and attraction refreshes, and approve final scripts and scare sequences before they go live
• Own the season planning calendar: build dates, casting timeline, rehearsals, opening night, and teardown
• Manage budget and vendors: work with the Agritainment Manager on budgeting for builds, costumes, contract labor, and special effects; negotiate and manage vendor and contractor relationships
• Achieve season KPIs: deliver on attendance, guest satisfaction, operational efficiency, and other targets set by the Agritainment Manager
• Report to leadership: keep the Agritainment Manager informed on budget, staffing, and major decisions, and compile a season recap for next year
• Keep the department organized: maintain a centralized season folder, an inventory log for props, costumes, and equipment, and standard operating procedures for each attraction
• Coordinate marketing and ticketing: partner with Marketing on promotional dates and timelines, and manage ticketing and retail/POS systems (such as TicketSpice)
• Maintain the grounds and equipment: walk the haunt regularly to catch repair issues, submit and track maintenance work orders, and keep props, lighting, fog, and sound equipment in working order
• Own and enforce all guest and employee safety standards, including training, documentation, incident response procedures, and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Standardize opening and closing procedures: create formal, documented SOPs for each attraction’s open and close, train all staff on them, and audit regularly to confirm they’re being followed.
• Own the guest experience: make sure every touch point, from arrival to exit, reflects the haunt's identity and delivers on what guests expect
• Lead the team: hire, onboard, and coach both Assistant Haunt Managers and Haunt Leads, and set the tone for the department

Skills

Creative leadership

Storytelling

Budget management

Vendor negotiation

Ticketing systems

Staff development

Operations planning

Safety compliance

Job description

Position Overview

Blake Farms is hiring a Haunt Manager to lead creative direction, season planning, and on-the-ground execution for our four fall haunted attractions: Zombie Paintball, Haunted Barn, Haunted Hayride, and Spookyland. This is a hands‑on management role with real creative ownership — you will set the vision for each season and work alongside two Assistant Haunt Managers and two Haunt Leads to bring it to life, night after night, reporting to the Agritainment Manager.

Blake’s haunt is not just a Halloween event — it is a tradition guests build their fall around, and this role shapes how that comes through from the moment guests arrive to the moment they leave.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead creative direction: set the season's theme, story, and tone across all four attractions, deciding what is retired, refreshed, or built new each year
• Run brainstorm sessions with the Assistant Managers and Leads for new scares, set pieces, and attraction refreshes, and approve final scripts and scare sequences before they go live
• Own the season planning calendar: build dates, casting timeline, rehearsals, opening night, and teardown
• Manage budget and vendors: work with the Agritainment Manager on budgeting for builds, costumes, contract labor, and special effects; negotiate and manage vendor and contractor relationships
• Achieve season KPIs: deliver on attendance, guest satisfaction, operational efficiency, and other targets set by the Agritainment Manager
• Report to leadership: keep the Agritainment Manager informed on budget, staffing, and major decisions, and compile a season recap for next year
• Keep the department organized: maintain a centralized season folder, an inventory log for props, costumes, and equipment, and standard operating procedures for each attraction
• Coordinate marketing and ticketing: partner with Marketing on promotional dates and timelines, and manage ticketing and retail/POS systems (such as TicketSpice)
• Maintain the grounds and equipment: walk the haunt regularly to catch repair issues, submit and track maintenance work orders, and keep props, lighting, fog, and sound equipment in working order
• Own and enforce all guest and employee safety standards, including training, documentation, incident response procedures, and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Standardize opening and closing procedures: create formal, documented SOPs for each attraction’s open and close, train all staff on them, and audit regularly to confirm they’re being followed.
• Own the guest experience: make sure every touch point, from arrival to exit, reflects the haunt's identity and delivers on what guests expect
• Lead the team: hire, onboard, and coach both Assistant Haunt Managers and Haunt Leads, and set the tone for the department

Why This Role Matters

This role turns four separate attractions into one cohesive Blake Farms haunt experience that guests build into their fall tradition. You will set the creative vision, keep the season organized and on budget, and build the team that brings it to life every night. Creative ideas and hands‑on execution are both expected — this role rewards big‑picture thinking and the follow‑through to make it real.

Requirements

Education, Skills & Knowledge

• 3+ years in haunted attractions, theatrical production, or live event leadership
• Proven experience managing managers/leads, not just frontline staff
• Strong creative/storytelling background paired with hands‑on budget and operations experience
• Comfortable handling safety and emergency situations with a clear, level head
• Experience with vendor negotiation and seasonal budget management
• Familiarity with ticketing and retail/point‑of‑sale systems (such as TicketSpice)
• Strong organizational skills; able to keep a multi‑attraction, multi‑team operation running smoothly

Working Conditions

• Summer: planning, budgeting, creative concept development, hiring
• Pre‑season (July–Aug): build oversight, casting, rehearsal sign‑off
• In‑season (Sept–Oct): on‑site every weekend night shift, 5:00 PM through close, with occasional weekday coverage as needed; fall hours average 32–40 hours per week
• Post‑season: teardown oversight, debrief, budget reconciliation
• Work environment is outdoors and across haunted attraction structures in varying fall weather conditions, including fog, low light, and loud sound effects for extended periods
• Able to walk extensive outdoor attraction grounds, including uneven terrain, in the dark, and lift up to 25 lbs occasionally (materials, signage, props)