Tessitura Administrator
Department: Marketing and Box Office
Reports to: Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Position: Full-time; fully remote, in-person, or hybrid
Salary: $70,000–$80,000, plus benefits
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required for season launches, Tessitura upgrades, or other needs.
Priority Application Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026
Desired Position Start Date: January 2027
Position Overview
The Tessitura Administrator manages the Harris Theater’s day-to-day ticketing and customer relationship management (CRM) operations, including database administration, reporting, and revenue support across all programming. Reporting to the Vice President of Marketing and Sales, this role collaborates with the Marketing department on pricing strategies and ticket inventory management.
The Tessitura Administrator builds ticketed events for Harris Theater Presents, Resident Companies, and Visiting Companies; improves ticketing processes and the audience experience; and strengthens relationships with rental organizations. The role also stays current on technology and industry trends through conferences, continuing education, and collaboration with peers in Chicago and nationwide.
A collaborative approach and excellent communication skills are essential to the Harris Theater’s supportive, inclusive mission. The Administrator works with external organizations, the Box Office Treasurer, and ticket service representatives covered by a collective bargaining agreement with IATSE Local 750, the ticket sellers union.
Duties and Responsibilities
Ticketing Operations | 50%
- Build and maintain each season’s performances and subscriptions in Tessitura for Harris Theater Presents, Resident Companies, and Visiting Companies, as required.
- Build and maintain facility fee and ticket handling fee structures to maximize fee revenue.
- Manage TNEW setup and maintenance. Collaborate with the Digital Marketing Manager to maintain its connection to the marketing website.
- In collaboration with the Box Office Treasurer, serve as the primary ticketing contact for Resident and Visiting Companies through their ticket on-sales. After the on-sale, support the Treasurer, who serves as the primary contact through event settlement.
- Advise Resident and Visiting Companies on pricing, scaling, and promotions. Create and share analytics dashboards and regular reports to support data-informed decisions.
- Support the Box Office Treasurer in preparing accurate, timely financial settlements for Resident and Visiting Company events. Provide Finance with monthly ticketing revenue reports and information for the annual audit.
- Support the Director of Operations in developing and executing contracts for Resident and Visiting Companies.
- Create lists and data extractions for the marketing, development, and ticketing teams.
- Prepare, test, and execute order imports for tickets sold outside the Harris Theater’s ticketing system. Troubleshoot imports with Resident Companies using Patron Manager, Spektrix, and other Tessitura licensee databases to ensure efficient, accurate data transfers.
- Support the Box Office Treasurer, who leads ticketing service reps in their onboarding, by creating documentation and providing additional Tessitura training as needed, including new Tessitura functionality and system updates. This onboarding training plan should help the Box Office Treasurer train new hires.
- Collaborate with the Box Office Treasurer to oversee financial reconciliation of Tessitura and third‑party brokers, including Hot Tix and Logitix, and credit card processing through Tessitura Merchant Services. Troubleshoot processing issues and document, reconcile, and, when possible, dispute chargebacks.
- Build select commercial events for Visiting Companies in Ticketmaster. Serve as the organizational administrator for TM1 Events and Sales and the department’s contact for Ticketmaster support.
- Maintain current knowledge of Ticketmaster’s fee structure, ensure accurate fee revenue calculations, and provide Finance with ticket and fee revenue documentation for event settlements.
- Report on all Harris Theater Box Office credit card transactions for Ticketmaster events through the Chase Paymentech portal. Document, reconcile, and, when possible, dispute chargebacks.
- Perform other ticketing duties as assigned.
Database Management | 30%
- Serve as the organization’s expert in Tessitura, its primary ticketing and donation system, and lead database management.
- Manage system upgrades, patches, and vendor‑recommended changes with assistance from Tessitura Support and Extended Services.
- Lead troubleshooting within Tessitura, resolving application issues and coordinating vendor support as needed.
- Oversee the implementation, use, and maintenance of Tessitura integrations: Prospect2 (email), Donate2 (donations), AnalytixLive (data analytics), Access Control (formerly NSCAN), True Tickets (digital ticket delivery), and Logitix (open channel distribution).
- Collaborate with team leads, department heads, and power users to support effective daily use of Tessitura.
- Serve as a primary representative for the Harris Theater’s ticketing consortium, which currently includes one other organization.
- Help organize regular meetings with Tessitura stakeholders and power users to resolve issues, coordinate initiatives, and provide ongoing training.
- Document Tessitura configurations, customizations, and institutional knowledge for future use.
- Lead data quality initiatives, including National Change of Address (NCOA) updates, regular duplicate‑account merges, and other best practices.
- Coordinate with Tessitura Network Support or Extended Services on system issues and consultation, including opening and following up on service tickets.
- Participate in cross‑department working groups, including IT/Systems and the Customer Service Task Force.
Sales and Strategy | 20%
- Work with the Vice President of Marketing and Sales to maintain accurate event pricing, implement dynamic pricing strategies, and manage ticket inventory.
- Provide sales updates to the Vice President of Marketing and Sales as requested.
- Participate in meetings with the data analytics vendor every other week.
- Coordinate testing of new sales and marketing strategies.
- Manage standard and custom reports, including projects to create new reports or update existing ones.
Team Expectations
- Uphold the Harris Theater’s mission to be a home for music and dance and embody its core values: artistic integrity, collaboration, belonging, respect, and resilience.
- Participate in organizational and team meetings, share ideas, and communicate openly with peers and the supervisor about questions, challenges, and successes.
- Maintain professional conduct and represent the Theater positively in interactions with artists, renters, partner organizations, donors, vendors, volunteers, and patrons.
Experience and Skills
- At least four years of experience or demonstrated work in Tessitura ticketing operations and database management.
- At least one year of experience with TN Express Web (TNEW), the online purchase path.
- Ticketmaster experience (a plus).
- Experience with SQL and HTML.
- Strong written communication skills and confidence in troubleshooting and problem-solving.
- A willingness to collaborate with colleagues, Resident Companies, and Visiting Companies.
- The ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects while maintaining focus on department goals.
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $70,000–$80,000, plus a benefits package.
Equal Opportunity and Accommodations
The Harris Theater is an equal‑opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, disability status, or any protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, and local laws.
Qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans who are unable or limited in their ability to access job openings or apply on this site because of a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting info@harristheaterchicago.org.