Patron Experience Manager

Company Overview

About Soulpepper Theatre Company 

Soulpepper is Toronto's Civic Theatre. Rooted in performance, artist training, and social impact, Soulpepper strives to strengthen our connection to the city and to each other through our work. We create powerful, artist-driven theatre that boldly stages the world’s great works. We train the next generation of leading Canadian theatre-makers. We invite audiences to engage with the big ideas driving our time through a transformative approach to public initiatives. 

Led by Executive Director Gideon Arthurs and Artistic Director Paolo Santalucia, Soulpepper is based in Toronto’s historic Distillery District. Soulpepper’s dynamic team includes 40 full-time staff, 300 artists and more than 500 artisans, working together to provide 12 months of non-stop artistic programming. 

Job Description

Patron Experience Manager 

Soulpepper Theatre is seeking an experienced, charismatic and deeply people-focused Patron Experience Manager to lead our Patron Services team and help create an exceptional culture of hospitality throughout the Young Centre. 

Our ambition extends beyond traditional customer service. Whether someone is attending a mainstage performance, participating in a free community event or simply stopping in for a glass of wine, we want every visitor to feel genuinely welcomed, recognized and cared for—and eager to return. 

The Patron Experience Manager will be a highly visible presence in our public spaces, an inspiring team leader, calm problem solver, and warm host. They will set the tone for how we welcome people, build relationships with patrons and create a lively, generous atmosphere throughout the building. 

Exceptional hospitality is central to our success: it deepens relationships with patrons, strengthens loyalty and word of mouth, and helps turn a first visit into an enduring connection with Soulpepper and the Young Centre. 

Reporting to the Young Centre’s Director of Operations and Services, the Patron Experience Manager will help develop and deliver an industry-leading hospitality plan while overseeing the day-to-day work of the Box Office and Patron Services teams. 

Key responsibilities include: 

• Supporting the development and implementation of a robust hospitality plan that strengthens patron loyalty, repeat attendance and earned revenue, while bringing the quality of the patron experience into alignment with the excellence of our artistic and community programming. 

• Serving as a visible and welcoming host when patrons are in the building—greeting visitors, anticipating needs, building relationships and setting the standard for radical hospitality.  

• Recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training and inspiring the Patron Services team.  

• Managing team scheduling, supervision, communication and ongoing performance development.  

• Ensuring that our lobby and other public spaces are welcoming and lively in support of the organization’s artistic, community and business goals.  

• Providing confident, responsive leadership during performances and events, including resolving complex patron concerns and serving as the primary point of escalation for complaints and special requests when on site.  

• Working closely with the Café Manager and front- and back-of-house teams to create a seamless experience across all patron touchpoints.  

• Collaborating with Development, Marketing and Communications, Social Impact, artistic and producing teams, and George Brown Theatre School to support public events, donor and subscriber programs, and other special initiatives.  

• Overseeing accessibility initiatives and ensuring compliance with relevant health and safety policies and procedures.  

• Gathering patron feedback, identifying recurring issues and opportunities, and using this information to continually strengthen the patron experience.  

The ideal candidate 

You are a warm, confident and engaging leader who is genuinely energized by people. You are comfortable welcoming a room full of strangers, remembering familiar faces and stepping into difficult situations with calm, generosity and good judgment. 

You understand that excellent hospitality is both personal and operational: it requires charisma and intuition, but also strong systems, clear expectations, careful training and consistent follow-through. You enjoy being present where the action is, motivating teams and creating memorable experiences for guests. 

Qualifications 

• Desire and ability to genuinely engage with a wide range of patrons, artists, colleagues and community members.  

• A charismatic and generous leadership style, with a demonstrated ability to inspire patron-facing teams.  

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.  

• Strong judgment and the ability to remain calm, resourceful and solutions-focused in challenging situations.  

• Knowledge of the performing arts sector and theatre patron behaviour.  

• 2+ years of experience in hospitality, front-of-house or patron-services management.  

• 6+ years of customer-service experience.  

• Demonstrated experience recruiting, training, scheduling and managing teams.  

• Strong administrative skills, attention to detail and ability to manage competing priorities.  

• Comfort working with CRM, ticketing and point-of-sale systems; familiarity with Tessitura is an asset.  

• A commitment to accessibility and to welcoming people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.  

This is a patron-facing leadership position. The Patron Experience Manager is expected to be present regularly when audiences and visitors are in the building, including evenings and weekends. They will work with management to develop a sustainable schedule that reflects the needs of the role.