Senior Manager, Visitor Operations & Services

Overview Ottawa Tourism’s vision is to be one of Canada’s most visited, sustainable, vibrant, and valued urban destinations and the tourism authority for key economic development and city-building decisions in Ottawa. Ottawa Tourism's mission is to market and sell Ottawa as a compelling leisure and business destination and lead or participate in initiatives that improve Ottawa’s visitor experience. We contribute to the broader economic development objectives of the city and the success of our stakeholders and, by doing so, enrich the quality of life for all Ottawa residents. Reporting to the Director, Destination Development, the Senior Manager, Visitor Operations & Services provides strategic leadership, governance, and oversight for the Ottawa Visitor Centre. The role is responsible for setting the ongoing direction and priorities for the Ottawa Visitor Centre, maintaining consistent service excellence over time, and establishing the operational standards, structures, and accountabilities that guide day‑to‑day operations. Overseeing the Manager, Visitor Services and other part-time staff, the Senior Manager ensures that operational execution aligns with Ottawa Tourism’s priorities, service standards, and risk management requirements. This position is based in downtown Ottawa (a mix of Ottawa Tourism’s office and the Ottawa Visitor Centre), aligned to strategic and operational needs; occasional weekend and public holiday work may be required. Key Competencies • Ability to communicate professionally (written and spoken) in both English and French • Ability to prioritize and effectively manage multiple ongoing tasks and projects • Ability to work effectively as part of a team • Demonstrated leadership experience in public-facing service environments • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic direction and translate priorities into clear operational expectations and governance • Demonstrated ability to provide people leadership through coaching, performance feedback, and staff development, in alignment with organizational policies and leadership oversight. • Ability to manage risk, escalation, and issue resolution in a public-facing operational environment • Strong stakeholder and partner management skills, including relationship-building, negotiation, and alignment across internal and external teams • Ability to use data and insights to inform decision-making, identify trends, and guide continuous improvement and performance reporting • Capable of exercising sound judgment to independently assess issues, resolve problems effectively, and determine when escalation is required, providing clear recommendations as appropriate. Primary Areas of Responsibility • Provide strategic leadership, governance, and oversight for the Ottawa Visitor Centre, in alignment with Ottawa Tourism’s priorities and risk management requirements. • Set the ongoing direction and priorities for the Ottawa Visitor Centre, ensuring consistent service excellence and a clear focus on continuous improvement. • Establish and maintain operating standards, service expectations, escalation pathways, and risk controls that guide day-to-day operations. • Lead the evolution of visitor servicing models and visitor experience improvements, informed by best practices and changing visitor needs. • Define and oversee staffing approaches and workforce models (paid, seasonal, and/or volunteer, as applicable), including role clarity, training standards, and performance expectations. • Provide day-to-day people leadership support for Ottawa Visitor Centre staff, including coaching, performance feedback, and staff development, in alignment with HR policies and with Director involvement in key decisions. • Serve as the primary escalation point for higher-risk operational, reputational, or people-related issues, providing recommendations and ensuring appropriate escalation to the Director when required. • Set the strategic approach for visitor-facing programs, partnerships, and ancillary offerings (e.g., retail/programming models, partner integration), and oversee implementation through the operating model. • Lead the data and insights approach for the Visitor Centre, including what is tracked, reporting cadence, and how insights inform operational decisions and visitor experience improvements. • Provide strategic guidance and oversight to the Manager, Visitor Services, ensuring alignment between daily operations and longer-term priorities. • Other duties as assigned. Essential Qualifications • Fluently bilingual in both English and French, including fluency in both written and spoken components of each language • Post-secondary qualification in a related field (office administration, business, communications, etc.) • Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in a public-facing service environment (e.g., visitor services, customer experience, tourism/hospitality, retail operations, or a comparable customer-focused setting), with experience overseeing day-to-day service delivery. • Experience in a supervisory or lead capacity, including providing performance feedback and supporting staff development. • Demonstrated experience with service standards and operational oversight in a customer-facing environment (e.g., implementing procedures, supporting consistency, and maintaining quality expectations). • Strong judgment and decision-making capability, including assessing issues, resolving problems effectively, and recognizing when escalation is required with clear recommendations. • Experience using data and performance information (formal or informal) to identify trends, support reporting, and inform service improvements. • Business-level proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and comfort working with digital tools used in service environments. Assets • Knowledge of or experience with the tourism industry, or in a member-based association or non-profit • Knowledge of Ottawa’s attractions and activities • First aid training The Hiring Process • Initial Phone Screen • In-Depth Interview • Peer Interview • Reference checks • Offer How we Hire The decisions throughout the hiring process are made by Ottawa Tourism’s hiring team; Ottawa Tourism does not include any use of AI through the hiring process. This process complies with privacy and employment laws across Canada. Vacancy Reasoning This role is newly created. Compensation Range The expected salary for this position is $83,251. Land Acknowledgement Ottawa Tourism is located and operates on the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people, who have travelled and inhabited these lands for millennia. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement We place great value on the importance of diversity in our workforce, and we value inclusivity, trust, innovation, and encourage applications from individuals who are members of under-represented or marginalized communities. We foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. We connect with Indigenous communities; we care about the planet our people and our industry, and we want our city to be accessible to all. To that end, we are committed to an objective hiring process which is free from discrimination based on any of the protected grounds as stated in Ontario's Human Rights Code. In an effort to ensure that the selection process is as objective as possible, applicants are invited to consider removing any indications on their application that might suggest age, place of origin, ethnic origin, disability, race, or any other protected ground. For example, applicants might choose to include the names and classification of degrees granted (i.e. Diploma in Project Management, with Honours), while excluding the name or location of the school. Accessibility Statement All applications will be considered as long as the applicant can demonstrate that they meet the essential qualifications as described in the job posting. Further to this, if you would like to request any additional accommodations based on one of the Code's protected grounds, we will be happy to help accommodate you. DEADLINE TO APPLY: Wednesday, June 17th at 4 p.m

Want to see how well you match this job?