Patron Services Manager Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Position Summary

The Patron Services Manager is MET’s primary earned-revenue driver and front-line ambassador for audience growth. This role owns group sales from prospecting to close, leads subscription and single-ticket buyer retention campaigns, and builds community relationships that translate directly into attendance. The Manager also serves as the primary administrator for the Box Office and front‑of‑house operations — ensuring every patron interaction reinforces MET’s mission and makes the case for coming back.

The ideal candidate is a self‑starter who thrives on outbound outreach, knows how to ask for the sale, and can balance a high‑touch patron experience with consistent pipeline discipline.

The Manager owns the full group sales cycle — prospecting, pitching, following up, closing, and stewarding long‑term relationships with schools, businesses, faith communities, civic groups, senior organizations, and corporate clients. This means proactive outbound outreach via phone, email, and in‑person visits, not waiting for inbound inquiries. Working with the Managing Director, the Manager develops tiered group packages, tracks the pipeline weekly, and reports against seasonal revenue targets monthly.

The Manager also maintains the CRM, manages the school/field trip pipeline with the Education Manager, and maintains collegiate ticket partnerships and invoice processing.

Beyond group sales, the Manager leads patron retention and acquisition: re‑engaging lapsed subscribers and past attendees, converting repeat single‑ticket buyers to subscriptions, supporting new subscriber outreach, and representing MET at community events, chamber mixers, and school fairs. In collaboration with marketing, the Manager analyzes patron data to identify growth opportunities and shape audience acquisition campaigns.

The Manager handles all day‑to‑day patron communication and ticket administration — answering phones and emails during Box Office hours (and triaging urgent after‑hours messages) with a service orientation that turns every inquiry into a sales opportunity. The Manager maintains the ticketing system end‑to‑end: entering events, managing patron data and mailing lists, pulling marketing reports, and overseeing the full subscription season from packet assembly through assigned seating fulfillment.

• Scheduling and managing all Front of House shifts; directing volunteer orientation, training, and the weekly iVolunteer newsletter
• Fulfilling patron and sponsor ticket orders; managing door lists and coordinating pre/post‑show speeches with the Production Manager
• Submitting payment requests for paid FOH staff; maintaining ticket scanning and POS equipment; providing Box Office coverage during performances as needed

• A warm, persuasive communication style — effective by phone, email, and in‑person — paired with the persistence to follow through on outbound outreach
• Comfort setting goals, tracking a pipeline, and reporting results with consistency; proficiency with ticketing systems, CRM tools, and standard office software
• Strong organizational skills to manage competing priorities across sales, patron service, and daily operations; experience coordinating or training volunteers

Flexibility for a schedule that shifts with the seasons and includes regular evenings and weekends; background in arts administration, box office, or hospitality a plus

Tuesday–Friday, 10:00am–6:00pm, plus a minimum of 8 House Management shifts per month — averaging 40 hours per week total. HM shifts may be self‑selected to fit the employee’s preferred schedule. All hours are on site unless otherwise noted. The role includes required evening and weekend work for events and meetings. Reasonable flex time is available provided deadlines are met, required events are attended, and hours are communicated in advance.

• After 90 days of employment, employees are entitled to unlimited leave/PTO not to exceed 10 consecutive days unless approved by the supervisor and in accordance with the employee handbook
• Simple IRA, with up to 3% employer…