Group Sales Manager

POSITION SUMMARY

The Lucas Museum is sharply focused on creating a superior and inclusive experience for all our visitors. The Group Sales Manager has a key role in achieving this objective. Groups — tour and travel, school and youth, corporate, and community — are among the Museum’s most visible audiences and a significant driver of attendance and earned revenue. The Group Sales Manager is responsible for building this business as the Museum opens, and for making the group visit welcoming, well-run, and worth repeating.

Reporting to Director, Visitor Services, the Group Sales Manager owns the full group sales cycle: prospecting, pitching, negotiating, contracting, booking, and retaining group business across all segments. The Manager also develops and manages the Museum’s guided tour program, working closely with   Visitor Services so that the content, capacity, and quality of tours reflect the excellence of the Museum. This is a relationship-driven, entrepreneurial position for someone who is comfortable carrying a target, working a pipeline, and representing the Museum to external partners.

The Group Sales Manager will set and meet group revenue and attendance goals, monitor demand and market trends, and use data to shape pricing, packaging, and the mix of group business. The Manager will work cross-functionally with key stakeholders including Visitor Services, Security, Retail, Food and Beverage, Marketing, and Finance — to ensure that every group’s visit is seamless from first inquiry to departure. Groups are an important touchpoint for the Museum, and the Manager will model and champion the behaviors and service standards that create an exceptional visitor experience, foster meaningful engagement, and advance the Museum’s mission and values.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the day-to-day operation of the group sales function, serving as the Museum’s primary point of contact for tour and travel, school and youth, corporate, and community group business
• Build and execute an annual group sales plan with defined revenue targets, attendance goals, and booking pace benchmarks by segment, in alignment with the Museum’s broader mission and strategic plan
• Develop and manage the Museum’s guided tour program — including public, private, school, and VIP tours — partnering with Visitor Services and relevant stakeholders on tour content, guide training, capacity, and quality standards
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with tour operators, receptive operators, destination management companies, travel agencies, hotel and concierge networks, convention and visitor bureaus, and regional tourism partners
• Develop corporate, affinity, senior, and community group business, including employee outings, membership organizations, and community-based organizations serving Exposition Park and greater Los Angeles
• Prospect actively — build and work a qualified pipeline through outreach, site visits, trade shows, industry conferences, familiarization (FAM) tours, and sales calls
• Negotiate and administer group rates, contracts, deposits, commissions, and cancellation terms in coordination with Finance and Museum leadership, ensuring terms are accurate, profitable, and consistently applied
• Manage the group booking pipeline in the Museum’s ticketing and CRM systems, maintaining accurate records of inquiries, holds, confirmations, payments, and post-visit follow-up
• Use data, experimentation, and visitor feedback continuously to refine pricing, packaging, lead sources, and the group visit experience. This is an essential element of the position and of the ultimate success of the Museum
• Forecast group revenue and attendance, report on performance against target, and provide timely analysis that informs Museum-wide capacity planning and operating budgets
• Coordinate closely with Visitor Services, Security, Retail, and Food and Beverage to schedule group arrivals, manage capacity and gallery flow, and deliver a seamless on-site experience from bus drop-off to departure
• Design and package group offers that extend the visit and the Museum’s revenue — combining admission with guided tours, theater programming, dining, and retail
• Develop group sales collateral, itineraries, rate sheets, and web content in partnership with Marketing and Communications, ensuring the Museum is well represented in trade channels and travel-planning resources
• Ensure group sales practices, pricing, and tour offerings are accessible and welcoming to visitors of all abilities, languages, and backgrounds, working with colleagues on accommodations and inclusive access
• Manage and oversee ticketing fulfillment personnel, ensuring orders are accurately processed in a timely and effective manner
• Resolve group issues and service recovery with judgment and care, treating every interaction as an opportunity to build long-term loyalty
• Support the Museum’s opening by establishing group sales systems, policies, pricing structures, and partner relationships in advance of the first booking, and refine them continuously post-opening
• Actively champion the Museum’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging in sourcing group partners, in pricing and access decisions, and in connection with visitors

CORE COMPETENCIES

Analytical Rigor: Simplifies complex problems by using critical thinking to evaluate problems, gathering information, incorporating multiple perspectives, understanding causes, and identifying best-possible solutions. Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection to drive better decisions and more efficient implementations. Adopts an audience-centric approach, understanding the needs of the audience and incorporating them, as appropriate, into the decision. 

Courageous Communication: Intentionally works well with others both on the team and cross-functionally to achieve individual, team, department, or organizational goals. Values diverse input and working with others as a way to achieve the best output possible. 

Collaborative Excellence: Displays courage when handling difficult conversations and genuinely and intentionally communicates. Relays key messages effectively, targeted to specific audiences. Identifies others' communication styles and perspectives, adjusting language and approach accordingly. Employs active listening to understand, rather than reply. Asks for, integrates, and values feedback from team, peers, and leaders. 

Adaptive Resilience: Thrives and grows in a rapidly changing and complex environment. Displays flexibility, activates networks, and adopts a continuous growth mindset to learn from mistakes and bounce back from adversity. 

Inclusive Interaction: Actively contributes to an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences and empowered to participate and contribute freely. 

Building Trust & Relationship Management 

Accountable Ownership and clearly shares information and the "why" behind decisions. 

Asks for and values the opinions of others. Displays empathy when listening. 

Acknowledges when trust has been broken and focuses on rebuilding. 

Relates comfortably with people across levels, functions, cultures, and geographies. Identifies interpersonal and group dynamics and reacts effectively. 

Accountable Ownership 

Takes ownership of outcomes, positive or negative, without blaming others within the team or cross-functionally. 

Recognizes when they are not approaching a situation with accountability but instead with a blame mindset. 

Takes accountability for assigned tasks and executes on deliverables in a timely manner. 

Strategic Alignment & Execution 

Contributes to the organization by understanding and aligning actions with the organization's goals, core functions, needs, and values. 

Seeks out and incorporates multiple perspectives, experiences, and industry trends to develop a holistic perspective. Operationalizes ideas within the business model. 

Displays critical thinking when faced with a challenge by asking probing questions and looking for connections. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods, up to 8 hours per shift. 
• Ability to move throughout multiple Museum locations, including galleries, theaters, outdoor spaces, and other public areas. 
• Ability to maintain an active and visible presence while providing exceptional guest service. 
• Ability to work in a high-volume, public-facing environment with large groups of guests, including school groups, tours, special events, and peak attendance periods, while maintaining professionalism, situational awareness, and composure. 
• Ability to frequently bend, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb stairs as needed. 
• Ability to occasionally lift, carry, push, and pull items weighing up to 25 pounds, including wheelchairs, stanchions, signage, guest service equipment, and other operational materials. 
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with guests and colleagues in person, by telephone, and over two-way radio. 
• Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in varying environmental conditions. 
• Ability to maintain awareness of guest activity and surrounding conditions while monitoring galleries, queues, and public spaces. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of experience in group sales, travel trade sales, tourism, or a comparable consultative sales role, preferably in a museum, cultural institution, attraction, or hospitality setting
• Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding revenue and booking targets
• Experience managing the full sales cycle — prospecting, pitching, negotiating, contracting, and account retention
• Familiarity with the tour and travel trade, including receptive and inbound operators
• Experience developing or managing guided tour programs, including working guides
• Proficiency with ticketing, CRM, and sales-reporting systems; strong comfort with data, forecasting, and spreadsheet analysis
• Strong commitment to and demonstrated ability to use data and experimentation to drive revenue and improve visitor experience
• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging in sourcing, partnership, service and access practices
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the poise to represent the Museum to external partners and to host site visits
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues across the Museum and to influence peers without direct authority
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail in contracts, rates, and bookings
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and output
• Ability to work under pressure, manage many bookings simultaneously, and meet deadlines
• Willingness to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays as group business and Museum operations require, and to travel for trade shows and sales calls
• Experience with the Los Angeles tourism market, international inbound travel, or multilingual capability is a plus
• Experience directly supervising personnel is a plus