Northwest Film Forum is seeking a hospitality-minded, engaged, and detail-oriented Patron Services Manager who is passionate about NWFF’s mission, vision, and current organizational trajectory. The ideal candidate will have a passion for customer service, hospitality, public events, accounting, and management, with a strong focus on prioritizing the needs of patrons. They will have a diverse lived experience with a proven track record of championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a vision for ensuring that NWFF is a safe, comfortable, and welcoming space for a wide variety of audiences. The Patron Services Manager role will be key in supporting NWFF as it returns from virtual-only programming to a hybrid in-person and virtual model, working closely with the entire team to adapt to emergent changes.

This three-quarter-time hourly position represents one of the principal public facing positions at NWFF and is key to the organization’s annual success.This person is the welcoming face of the Forum, responsible for building and sustaining relationships, orienting volunteers, and offering outstanding customer service to artists and constituents. The Patron Services Manager oversees box office and lobby operations, including ticketing transactions and will call; sale and restocking of concessions; crowd management, accessibility, and safety; and maintenance of public spaces. The ideal candidate is community-focused and self-driven, experienced in budgeting, projections, and tracking finances, and adaptable to the Forum’s ever-changing programmatic needs.

Northwest Film Forum believes in coalition-building and horizontal models of collaboration and leadership. The candidate for this position will be self-motivated and able to work independently as well as work in close collaboration with a larger team. All Film Forum staff wear many hats and are comfortable working in a passionate, shared environment of collaborative decision-making and visioning.

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Key Responsibilities

HOSPITALITY & CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Ensure excellent customer service and patron experiences for all who enter the Film Forum space
• Adapt to last-minute changes and identify opportunities to improve patron experiences for a diversity of audiences
• Cultural Sensitivity: Ensure that NWFF’s physical space does not cause harm to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disability, low-income, and/or other historically underserved or underresourced communities.
• Oversee the development and documentation of customer service policies and procedures
• Manage customer service communication, including box office email accounts and phone lines
• Resolve any patron conflicts and problems proactively, through analysis, critical thinking, and flexibility in approach
• Maintain familiarity with emergency protocols in order to provide leadership in emergency situations, including fire alarm, inclement weather, and mental health crises situations.
• Ensure consistency, quality, and joy in the NWFF’s show-going experience, with a deep attention to detail and commitment towards excellent customer service and patron experiences
• Lead on member, sponsor, and donor screenings, in conjunction with Film Forum team
• Staff and oversee filmmaker parties and hospitality for festivals
• Help coordinate, schedule, and manage theater rentals with outside parties based on availability

BOX OFFICE MANAGEMENT

• Run the box office five nights a week, centering hospitality and customer service
• Provide accurate reporting on ticket and concessions sales each night and prepare weekly deposits
• Manage inventory and display of box office equipment, supplies, and concessions
• Maintain box office equipment and computer systems, with assistance from Technical Director and Managing Director
• Provide monthly input on patron experiences and box office trends, as well as contribute to festival wrap-up reports in conjunction with NWFF team within two weeks of every major in-house festival, to help improve customer service.

SPECIAL EVENTS & FESTIVALS

• Work with Film Forum team, external festivals, and sponsors on lobby set-up and displays
• Work with programming and technical staff on special event scheduling, management, and staffing, including stage management, pre-show introductions, intermissions, post-screening discussions, and other special activities
• Work with Artistic Director, Managing Director, and Executive director on front of house strategic plan goals

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

• Maintain the appearance, cleanliness, and safety of all NWFF’s public spaces
• Communicate with cleaning personnel, volunteers, and other NWFF staff to ensure a clean presentation environment
• Work with Marketing team to coordinate distribution and display of printed promotional materials within NWFF’s public spaces
• Ensure accessibility throughout the building at all times, including access to ramp, entrances, exits, and orient patrons with access needs.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATION

• Lead, train, support, coach, motivate, and manage box office volunteers and interns, with a focus on customer service and patron satisfaction
• Coordinate special events needs for additional volunteer support, in consultation with the Film Forum team
• Interview and manage box office volunteers with Executive Director and Managing Director (??)
• Create and manage the documentation and staff training for internal users of the ticketing system

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Qualities, Qualifications, and Experience

• Proven track record of centering patron experiences to create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment.
• Ability to see, value, and adapt to cultural differences. Demonstrated and/or lived experience working with people of diverse ages, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, cultures, races, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds, including those from society’s historically underserved by mainstream arts organizations.
• Passion for and dedication to NWFF’s history, mission, vision, values, and programs.
• Familiarity with and deep understanding of independent film and arts communities, especially those in the Pacific Northwest region and Seattle area.
• Experience with nonprofit organizations with multiple programs serving diverse constituencies in film, arts, and/or media.
• Lived commitment to and investment in racial and social justice and anti-oppression analysis.
• Familiarity and experience in Adobe suite, Google suite are helpful.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with excitement for working in a collaborative team environment.
• Self-starter, with an ability to multi-task and juggle distinct priorities and relationships gracefully.
• Food handling permit required; CPR Certification a plus

Employment Information, Compensation, and Benefits

This staff position is 32 hours/week, $22/hour, and reports to the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Managing Director. Flexible work schedule, plus access to filmmaking gear, computers, and workshops. After a positive 3-month review, this position will be eligible for benefits, including 100% coverage of health, dental, and vision, as well as receive workforce development funds and an ORCA pass for transportation.

Candidate must be local to Western Washington area or willing to relocate when NWFF re-opens in September 2021. Due to the public nature of NWFF’s work and our diverse constituency, the hired candidate must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at that time.