Director of Guest Engagement

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.

Working Title:
Director of Guest Engagement

Job Class:
State Program Administrator, Manager Senior

Agency:
Minnesota Zoological Garden

• Job : 96263
• 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
  :
  Strategy & Engagement
• Work Shift/Work Hours
  :
  Day Shift; 8:30 A.M.
  
  - 5:00 P.M.
• Days of Work
  :
  Typically Tuesday
  - Saturday. May vary based on business needs. Schedule determined upon hire.
• Travel Required
  :
  Yes - up to 25% of time
• Salary Range: $44.80 - $64.46 / hourly; $93,542 - $134,592 / annually
• Classified Status
  :
  Classified
• 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.

This position is responsible for leading and optimizing the guest journey at the Minnesota Zoo, ensuring every guest interactionfrom ticket purchase through departurereflects service excellence, operational efficiency, and mission connection. Leads and directs the guest engagement department, which includes the guest services, box office, and call center teams as well as governance of ticketing and customer relationship management systems and related data/reporting.

Obtains and manages the resources needed and directs the evaluation of current and new programs to ensure a cohesive, data-informed engagement model that strengthens satisfaction, drives repeat visitation, and maximizes per cap revenue. Involves significant discretion and substantial involvement in the development and interpretation of agency-wide strategy and policies related to guest-facing systems and service culture, ensuring that guest engagement practices support revenue growth, brand affinity, accessibility, and public accountability standards.

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:

• Exercise supervisor authority in the direction and management of the departments staffing to ensure a high-performing team to ensure required resources are available and invested to most effectively support the Zoos mission.
• Manage the implementation and ongoing improvement of the Zoos guest engagement strategy in alignment with agency-wide revenue and mission goals.
• Direct all guest engagement operations including call center, box office, group sales support, and front gate to optimize revenue and minimize risk while balancing service excellence with operational efficiency.
• Manage all ticketing, point-of-sale, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve guest engagement and ensure data integrity, legal…