Associate Venue Manager

The Associate Venue Manager supports the Venue Manager in the day-to-day operation of Lighthouse Immersive Studios’ Moreno Valley location and serves as a key member of the venue leadership team. This role helps ensure safe, efficient, and guest-focused operations across venue departments while supporting staffing, service standards, operational readiness, special events, and administrative functions.

Reporting directly to the Venue Manager, the Associate Venue Manager also serves as a Manager on Duty (MOD) and must be capable of independently overseeing assigned shifts, including opening and closing the venue and responding to operational, staffing, guest-service, technical, and emergency situations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Venue Manager in daily venue operations and the execution of operational priorities.

• Serve as Manager on Duty during assigned shifts, providing on-site leadership and independently overseeing venue operations when the Venue Manager is not present.

• Ensure the successful opening and closing of the venue in accordance with established procedures, safety requirements, and operational standards.

• Support operations across Box Office, Special Events, Food and Beverage, Retail, Cleaning, Security, Technical, Guest Services, and other venue functions.

• Maintain a strong presence on the venue floor, particularly during peak attendance periods, special events, and high-volume operating periods.

• Supervise frontline employees and provide clear direction, coaching, support, and real-time problem solving while reinforcing professionalism, teamwork, accountability, and exceptional guest service.

• Assist with employee recruitment, interviews, onboarding, training, cross-training, scheduling, workforce deployment, timekeeping, and payroll administration.

• Support performance management, identify training needs, document concerns when appropriate, and help ensure employees follow company policies, procedures, service standards, and applicable labor requirements.

• Coordinate guest-services operations, allocate responsibilities during assigned shifts, and respond to guest questions, concerns, complaints, accessibility needs, service-recovery situations, and guest-flow challenges.

• Assist with departmental sales reporting, reconciliation, cash-handling procedures, petty cash, deposits, and other venue financial controls as assigned.

• Coordinate the distribution of accurate End of Day reports following assigned shifts, documenting attendance, sales activity, staffing, guest-service matters, incidents, operational challenges, technical concerns, and other relevant venue activity.

• Immediately communicate significant incidents, safety concerns, staffing issues, technical disruptions, or other urgent operational matters to the Venue Manager and maintain required operational logs and incident documentation.

• Help ensure safety procedures, emergency protocols, crowd-management practices, and security standards are followed and provide leadership during emergency situations.

• Lead the coordination of Premium and VIP ticket add-ons, including inventory, preparation and facilitating of the program for each show offering.

• Support inventory control, deliveries, shipments, operating supplies, venue assets, and vendor coordination as assigned.

• Support the planning and execution of private events, rentals, activations, educational programs, and other venue programming, serving as an operational point of contact when assigned.

• Participate in venue leadership meetings, staff meetings, pre-shift briefings, and trainings, and collaborate with Lighthouse leadership, City partners, vendors, contractors, and internal departments to support successful operations.

• Maintain flexibility to work non-traditional hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, and perform other duties as assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS/QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in venue operations, hospitality, attractions, entertainment, museums, performing arts, events, guest experience, retail, food and beverage, or a related guest-facing environment preferred.

• Previous supervisory, team-lead, Manager on Duty, or management experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and support employees in a fast-paced, guest-facing environment.

• Strong guest-service orientation with the ability to remain professional and solutions-focused when handling complaints, service-recovery situations, and operational challenges.

• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.

• Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities, exercise sound judgment, and make effective operational decisions in a dynamic environment.

• Strong literacy and numeracy skills, including the ability to prepare operational reports and perform basic mathematical calculations.

• Experience with cash handling, reconciliation, POS systems, ticketing, scheduling, payroll, inventory, or operational reporting is considered an asset.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, Google Workspace, and related business applications required; experience with Paylocity or another HRIS/timekeeping system is preferred.

• High school diploma or equivalent required; post-secondary education in Hospitality Management, Arts Administration, Cultural Management, Business Administration, Event Management, Entertainment Management, or a related field is considered an asset.

• Ability to build positive working relationships with guests, employees, artists, vendors, community partners, City representatives, and colleagues.

• Ability to remain calm and provide leadership during emergencies, high-volume periods, and unexpected operational situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods during shifts.

• Ability to move frequently throughout guest-facing, operational, back-of-house, and event spaces.

• Ability to work at a desk or workstation for administrative responsibilities as required.

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

PAY AND BENEFITS

• Annual salary of $50,000.

• Eligible for company-sponsored medical and dental insurance.

• Employee discounts on food, beverage, and tickets.

Lighthouse Immersive Studios is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that no individual should be discriminated against based on differences such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, or sexual orientation.

Please note that duties may be added, removed, or reassigned as operational needs require.