Glowfari Operations Manager

Description

Pay Range
:
To maintain internal equity, we have identified the starting range for this position at the Oakland Zoo as $35.84 to $37.89 per hour
. An offer within this range will be determined by the experience and qualifications of a candidate and will be our best and final compensation offer, in alignment with Oakland Zoo's compensation philosophy.

Note: This position will be filled as either one full-time seasonal position or two part-time seasonal positions, starting as soon as possible and anticipated to end on February 19. The work schedule is structured as follows:

• Oct 1 - Oct 31:
  Mon
  - Fri, 9am - 5pm
• Nov 1 - Jan 31:
  Wed
  - Sun, 3pm - 10pm
• Feb 1 - Feb 19:
  Mon
  - Fri, 9am - 5pm

Current benefited employees will retain their benefits for the duration of this interim position, either by working it full-time or by combining it part-time with their current role.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting September 26 2026
.

Position Summary

The Glowfari Operations Manager supports the safe, guest-ready operation of Glowfari, Oakland Zoo’s signature nighttime program. Serving as onsite manager during event hours, this role monitors event readiness, guest flow, lanterns, lighting, music, signage, rides, restricted areas, weather impacts, and site conditions. The manager coordinates with the Zoo’s Project Manager, Events, internal departments, and vendors on setup, maintenance, issue resolution, and breakdown of event systems.

This hands-on, cross-functional role also handles elevated guest service issues, operational troubleshooting, service recovery, and emergency response coordination. This seasonal position begins in early September and runs through post-event closeout in late February.

Essential Job Duties

Vendor Coordination & Management

• Work directly with the Project Manager, Events, Zoo departments such as Facilities & Marketing, and vendors to ensure the timely setup, maintenance, and breakdown of lanterns, lighting effects, and sound systems.
• Ensure vendors meet safety and operational standards throughout the Glowfari program.
• Identify and elevate repair needs early to allow vendors and/or internal teams time to resolve issues before program opening whenever possible.

Onsite Management & Leadership

• Serve as the manager on duty during Glowfari hours, providing oversight and handling any elevated service issues that may arise.
• Use reasonable independent judgment to resolve guest service issues, approve appropriate service recovery, make temporary operational adjustments, and temporarily close or restrict access to specific areas when needed for safety, crowd management, weather, or operational concerns. Escalate significant incidents, full attraction closures, emergency conditions, or issues with financial, reputational, animal welfare, or cross-departmental impact.
• Act as the point of contact for various teams, ensuring smooth operations, cross-department collaboration, and troubleshooting.
• Assist in maintaining a positive and welcoming atmosphere throughout the event.
• Conduct daily pre-opening and ongoing walkthroughs to assess lantern condition, lighting, music, signage, rope fencing, trash and restroom conditions, restricted areas, Meadow ground conditions, attraction queues, and overall guest readiness.
• Provide targeted operational support to high-demand areas, including train, gondola, rides, admissions, parking, and guest-entry points, with particular attention to queue management, line closure communication, signage, and guest expectation-setting.
• Document key issues, guest feedback, operational needs, and nightly updates in the appropriate communication channel to support continuity, follow-up, and leadership visibility.

Emergency Preparedness & Response

• Support…